Last Updated: January 2025
Look, we get it – nobody loves reading privacy policies. But we believe you deserve to know exactly what we do with your information, in language that actually makes sense. We’ve tried to keep this as straightforward and human as possible because transparency matters, especially when you’re trusting us with your data.
The Simple Version
What we collect: Your email when you subscribe, basic website usage info, and any information you choose to share with us in comments or emails.
What we do with it: Send you recipes, improve our website, and respond to your messages. That’s it.
What we don’t do: Sell your information, spam you with unrelated stuff, or share your data with anyone except the essential services that help us run our website.
Your control: You can unsubscribe anytime, delete your account, or ask us to remove your information completely.
Now, here’s the detailed version because some of you want (and deserve) all the specifics:
Information We Collect
Information You Give Us Directly
- Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter or create an account
- Name (optional) when you sign up or leave comments
- Messages you send us through our contact forms, email, or social media
- Comments and reviews you leave on our recipes
- Photos if you share pictures of your baking adventures with us
- Survey responses when you participate in our reader surveys
Information We Collect Automatically
Website Usage Data: When you visit theyumrecipes.com, we collect basic information about how you use our site:
- Which pages you visit and how long you stay
- What device and browser you’re using
- Your general location (city/state level, not your exact address)
- How you found our site (Google search, social media, direct link, etc.)
- Which recipes you view, print, or save
Cookies and Tracking: We use cookies (tiny data files) to:
- Remember if you’ve subscribed to our newsletter so we don’t keep asking
- Keep track of your favorite recipes if you create an account
- Show you more of the content you’re interested in
- Make sure our website works properly across different devices
- Analyze website performance to make improvements
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some parts of our site might not work as smoothly.
How We Use Your Information
Primary Uses (The Important Stuff)
- Send you our weekly newsletter with new recipes, baking tips, and behind-the-scenes stories
- Respond to your emails and comments (Sarah personally reads every single one)
- Improve our recipes based on your feedback and questions
- Make our website better by understanding which content is most helpful
- Send important updates about recipe corrections, ingredient recalls, or site changes
Secondary Uses (The Helpful Stuff)
- Personalize your experience by showing you recipes similar to ones you’ve enjoyed
- Create better content by understanding what topics you’re most interested in
- Troubleshoot technical problems when you report issues with the website
- Conduct reader surveys to understand how we can serve you better (always optional)
What We DON’T Do
- Sell or rent your information to anyone, ever
- Send you unrelated marketing from other companies
- Share your personal details with advertisers (they might see anonymous statistics, but never your email or name)
- Use your information for anything we haven’t told you about here
Data Protection & Security
We take protecting your information seriously. Here’s what we do:
Technical Security:
- All data transmission is encrypted (that’s the little lock icon in your browser)
- Our servers are protected with multiple layers of security
- We regularly update our software to fix security vulnerabilities
- Access to your personal information is limited to essential team members only
Human Security:
- Our team (all three of us) are trained on data protection best practices
- We never discuss user information outside of work contexts
- We have strict policies about accessing user accounts (we only do it if you ask us to help with a technical problem)
Data Backup & Storage:
- Your information is stored on secure servers in the United States
- We backup data regularly to prevent loss
- We delete old data that’s no longer needed
Your Rights & Choices
GDPR Rights (If You’re in the EU)
You have the right to:
- Access your personal data and get a copy of what we have
- Correct any incorrect information we have about you
- Delete your personal data (the “right to be forgotten”)
- Restrict how we process your data
- Portability – get your data in a format you can use elsewhere
- Object to our processing of your data
- Withdraw consent for any processing based on your consent
CCPA Rights (If You’re in California)
You have the right to:
- Know what personal information we collect and how we use it
- Delete your personal information (with some exceptions)
- Opt-out of the sale of your personal information (though we don’t sell data anyway)
- Non-discrimination – we won’t treat you differently for exercising your rights
How to Exercise Your Rights
To unsubscribe from our newsletter: Click the unsubscribe link in any email, or email us at contact@theyumrecipes.com
To delete your account: Email us at contact@theyumrecipes.com with your request
To request, correct, or delete your data: Email us at privacy@theyumrecipes.com with your specific request
Response time: We’ll respond to privacy requests within 30 days (usually much sooner)
Cookies & Tracking Technology
Essential Cookies
These are required for our website to work properly:
- Session cookies that remember you’re logged in
- Security cookies that protect against spam and abuse
- Functionality cookies that remember your preferences
Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to understand how people use our website:
- What pages are most popular so we can create similar content
- Where visitors are having trouble so we can fix problems
- Which devices and browsers people use so we can optimize the site
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing their browser plugin or adjusting your browser settings.
Advertising Cookies
We use minimal advertising cookies to:
- Show relevant ads for baking supplies and cookbooks (not random stuff)
- Measure ad performance to ensure we’re only showing useful ads
- Prevent showing you the same ad repeatedly
We work with reputable ad networks that follow privacy guidelines. We never share your personal information with advertisers.
Third-Party Services
We work with several trusted companies to help run our website. They have access to some of your information, but only what they need to provide their services:
Email Service (ConvertKit):
- Handles our newsletter delivery and subscriber management
- Stores your email address and subscription preferences
- Privacy policy: https://convertkit.com/privacy
Website Hosting (SiteGround):
- Stores our website files and database
- May have access to technical information about your visits
- Privacy policy: https://www.siteground.com/privacy.htm
Analytics (Google Analytics):
- Tracks website usage and performance
- Creates anonymous reports about site traffic
- Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Payment Processing (Stripe):
- Handles payments for any premium content or products
- We never see or store your full credit card information
- Privacy policy: https://stripe.com/privacy
Comment System (Disqus):
- Manages comments on our recipes
- Has its own privacy policy and user accounts
- Privacy policy: https://help.disqus.com/en/articles/1717103-disqus-privacy-policy
Children’s Privacy
The Yum Recipes is designed for adults and teenagers who can bake safely with supervision. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that we’ve inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, we’ll delete it immediately.
If you’re a parent and you believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@theyumrecipes.com so we can delete it.
For teens aged 13-17, we encourage parental guidance when sharing any personal information online.
International Data Transfers
Our website is based in the United States, and your information is stored on servers in the US. If you’re accessing our site from outside the US, please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.
We ensure that any international data transfers comply with applicable privacy laws and regulations.
Changes to This Policy
We’ll update this privacy policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we’ll:
- Post the updated policy on our website with a new “Last Updated” date
- Send an email notification to our newsletter subscribers explaining the key changes
- Give you time to review the changes before they take effect (usually 30 days)
For minor updates (like fixing typos or clarifying existing practices), we’ll just update the policy and the date.
Data Retention
How long we keep your information:
- Newsletter subscriptions: Until you unsubscribe
- Website analytics: 26 months (Google Analytics default)
- Contact form messages: 3 years for customer service purposes
- Comments: Indefinitely (they’re part of the recipe content)
- Account information: Until you request deletion
When we delete information:
- Automatically when retention periods expire
- Immediately when you request deletion
- If we haven’t heard from you in 5+ years (we’ll email first to check if you still want to hear from us)
Contact Us About Privacy
Have questions about this policy or how we handle your data? We’re happy to help!
For general privacy questions: privacy@theyumrecipes.com
For data deletion or correction requests: privacy@theyumrecipes.com
For newsletter issues: contact@theyumrecipes.com
Mail:
Privacy Officer
The Yum Recipes
1234 Baker Street
Austin, TX 78701
We’ll respond to privacy inquiries within 48 hours, and we’ll resolve requests within 30 days.