Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 10, 2026

Introduction

SourdoughStart (accessible at sourdoughstart.com) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains in detail what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have regarding your personal data. Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with its terms, please discontinue use of this site.

Information We Collect

1. Information You Voluntarily Provide

When you use the contact form on this site, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry. We retain contact form submissions for a maximum of 12 months, after which they are permanently and securely deleted. We do not use this information for marketing, profiling, newsletters, or any purpose beyond responding to your specific inquiry.

2. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit SourdoughStart, certain technical information is automatically collected by our analytics and infrastructure providers:

IP address: Used for security, analytics geolocation (city-level only), and CDN routing
Browser type and version: Used to ensure the site displays correctly across devices
Operating system: Used for analytics and compatibility testing
Pages visited: Which pages you view, in what order, and how long you spend on each
Referring URL: How you found our site (search engine, social media, direct link, referral)
Device type: Whether you are using a desktop, tablet, or mobile device
Screen resolution: Used to optimize layout and image delivery
Language preference: Determined from browser headers
Timestamp: Date and time of each page visit

How We Use Your Information

To operate, maintain, and improve the site
To respond to your inquiries and requests
To analyze usage patterns and understand which content is most valuable to readers
To serve relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
To protect against abuse, spam, and unauthorized access attempts
To comply with legal obligations where required by applicable law

Cookies

This site uses cookies for analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense). For a detailed breakdown of every cookie used on this site, including cookie names, purposes, durations, and categories, please see our Cookie Policy. You can control cookies through your browser settings at any time.

Third-Party Services

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) to collect anonymized usage data. Google Analytics uses cookies to track visitor interactions. The data collected includes pages visited, time on site, browser type, device type, and approximate geographic location (city-level only). IP addresses are anonymized before storage. Google Analytics data is retained for 26 months. You can learn more about how Google uses data at their Partner Sites Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

Google AdSense

This site displays advertisements using Google AdSense. AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to serve personalized advertisements based on your browsing history and interests. AdSense may use information about your visits to this and other websites to show you relevant ads. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings. AdSense also uses the DoubleClick cookie for ad serving and frequency capping. For more information, see How Google uses cookies in advertising.

Cloudflare

We use Cloudflare as our content delivery network (CDN) and security provider. Cloudflare may process your IP address for routing, caching, and security purposes, including DDoS protection and rate limiting. Cloudflare is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

Google Fonts

This site uses Google Fonts for typography. When you load a page, your browser may request font files from Google servers, which may log your IP address. For more information, see the Google Fonts Privacy FAQ.

Data Retention

Contact form submissions: 12 months, then permanently deleted
Google Analytics data: 26 months
Server logs (including IP addresses and user agents): 30 days, then anonymized or deleted
AdSense cookie data: Per Google policies, typically 1-2 years depending on cookie type

Your Rights

EEA and UK Residents (GDPR)

Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can request deletion of your personal data
Right to restrict processing: You can object to how we use your data
Right to data portability: You can request transfer of your data to another service
Right to withdraw consent: You can withdraw consent where processing is based on it
Right to lodge a complaint: You can file a complaint with your local data protection authority

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

Right to know: You can request disclosure of personal information we have collected
Right to delete: You can request deletion of your personal information
Right to opt out: You can opt out of sale of your personal information. We do not sell personal information.
Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will not charge a fee unless your request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Children Privacy

SourdoughStart is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal data without parental consent, we will delete that information immediately. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us.

Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our server, limited data retention periods as described above, and access controls on stored data (contact form submissions are stored in a non-public directory). No method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or third-party services. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Material changes will be communicated via a notice on the site.

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us.

← Back to Home