Privacy Policy

“FilterKilter,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the operator of the website located at www.filterkilter.com. You can reach us at admin@filterkilter.com.

We try to collect as little as possible. Depending on how you use the site, the categories of information we may collect are:

• Automatically collected technical data — IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, timestamps, and approximate geography. This is used to operate the site, fight abuse, and measure aggregate usage.
• Optional account data — if you choose to sign in, we store your email address, display name, and a hashed authentication credential via our identity provider (Google Firebase Authentication). You are not required to create an account to use the site.
• Feedback you submit — when you use the Feedback form, we store the message you send and, optionally, any email address you choose to provide so we can reply.

We use a small number of cookies and local-storage entries:

• Strictly necessary — session and security cookies needed to keep the site running and signed-in users authenticated.
• Analytics — Vercel Web Analytics records aggregate, cookie-less page-view and Core Web Vitals data. It does not use third-party cookies and does not track you across sites.
• Product analytics (first-party) — to understand how the site is used and where it can be improved, we record anonymous interaction events (such as page views, scroll depth, filter use, and clicks on retailer links). These use a random session identifier stored only in your browser tab’s temporary storage; it sets no cookie, contains no personal information, is not shared with anyone, and is discarded when you close the tab. We cannot use it to identify you or to track you across sites or sessions.
• Affiliate tracking — when you click a retailer link, one of two things happens. For some retailers (such as Amazon) a tagged URL is passed straight to that retailer. For others, the link first passes through an affiliate network’s own redirect domain — for example awin1.com for ASUS — which records the click, sets its own cookie on its own domain, and then forwards you to the retailer. In both cases the retailer and, where one is involved, the network may set cookies on their own domains under their own privacy policies. We never see the contents of those cookies, and we receive no personal information back from them — only aggregate reports of clicks and completed purchases.

Most browsers let you block or delete cookies in their settings. Doing so will not break FilterKilter’s core functionality, but it may prevent retailers from attributing a purchase to us, which is how we fund the site.

Using this site may cause data to be sent to the following service providers, each under their own privacy policy:

• Vercel (hosting, Web Analytics, Speed Insights) — vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy.
• Google (Firebase Authentication, Firestore) — used for optional sign-in and backend storage. policies.google.com/privacy.
• Affiliate networks and retailers — including Amazon Associates, Best Buy, Walmart, Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, Microsoft, Newegg, and the networks that administer those programs (Awin, CJ Affiliate, Impact, Rakuten Advertising, Partnerize, AvantLink). When you click an outbound link, the destination retailer receives the standard referral data any browser sends to any site you click through to. Where the link is routed through a network’s redirect domain, that network also receives the click and may set its own cookie — see section 3.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

• To operate, secure, and debug the site.
• To measure aggregate traffic and performance so we know which guides are useful and which pages need work.
• To respond to feedback and support messages you send us.
• To attribute qualifying purchases to FilterKilter via affiliate programs so the site can stay free for readers.

We do not use your information to build advertising profiles, and we do not run third-party display ads on this site.

• Browse anonymously. You can use the site without creating an account.
• Block cookies. Use your browser’s privacy settings to block or clear cookies at any time.
• Do Not Track. We honor the spirit of Do Not Track by not running cross-site advertising trackers. Vercel Web Analytics is cookie-less by design.
• Affiliate opt-out. Each affiliate network documents its own opt-out and cookie controls in its privacy policy: amazon.com/adprefs, awin.com/gb/privacy, and cj.com/legal/privacy. Blocking third-party cookies in your browser also prevents these networks from attributing a purchase.
• Delete your account or feedback. Email admin@filterkilter.com and we will remove your account and any personal data we hold.

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or California, you have the right to access, correct, delete, and port your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise any of these rights, email us at admin@filterkilter.com and we will respond within the time frame required by applicable law. We do not sell personal information as that term is defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act.

We retain account data for as long as the account is active, feedback submissions for as long as they are useful for product improvement, and technical logs for a short rolling window. You can request deletion at any time.

FilterKilter is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we’ll change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Material changes will be announced on the site.

Questions about privacy? Email us at admin@filterkilter.com. See also: Affiliate Disclosure and Terms & Conditions.