Last Updated: 15 December 2024
Your privacy is important to us at Discover Free Courses. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, DiscoverFreeCourses.com, including any other media form, media channel, or mobile website related to or connected to the website. Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, please do not access the site.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Personal Data
We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:
- Subscribe to our email newsletter.
- Contact us via forms.
- Leave comments on posts or articles.
Personal data may include:
- Name
- Email address
- Any other information you choose to provide.
1.2 Non-Personal Data
We may collect non-personal information such as:
- Browser type and version.
- Device type.
- Operating system.
- IP address.
- Referring URLs and pages visited.
1.3 Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect:
- Data shown in the comments form.
- Visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string (to help with spam detection).
- An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) to check with the Gravatar service. The Gravatar service’s privacy policy is available here. After comment approval, your profile picture (if available) will be publicly visible in the context of your comment.
1.4 Cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
- Comment Cookies: If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to save your name, email address, and website in cookies for convenience. These cookies last for one year.
- Login Cookies: Temporary cookies are set to determine if your browser accepts cookies. These cookies contain no personal data and are discarded when you close your browser.
- Screen Preferences: Cookies to save screen display preferences last for one year. Login cookies last for two days or two weeks if “Remember Me” is selected.
- Article Editing: Cookies saved when editing or publishing articles expire after one day.
2. Media
If you upload images to the website, avoid embedding location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract this data from uploaded images.
3. Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves as if the visitor has visited the other website. These third-party websites may:
- Collect data about you.
- Use cookies.
- Embed additional third-party tracking.
- Monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including tracking your interaction if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
4. How We Use Your Information
We may use your information to:
- Deliver newsletters or email updates.
- Respond to comments, queries, or feedback.
- Improve your experience on our website.
- Analyze website performance.
- Display targeted advertisements.
5. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. However, your data may be shared with:
- Spam detection services for comments.
- Advertising platforms (e.g., Google AdSense) to show relevant ads.
- Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand site performance.
- Legal authorities if required by law.
6. Retention of Your Data
- Comments: Comments and metadata are retained indefinitely to automatically approve follow-up comments.
- User Accounts: Personal data for registered users is stored in user profiles. Users can view, edit, or delete their data (except usernames). Administrators can also edit this data.
7. Your Rights
You can:
- Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Request deletion of your data (excluding data retained for legal, administrative, or security purposes).
- Opt out of marketing emails by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link.
To exercise your rights, contact us at contact@discoverfreecourses.com.
8. How We Protect Your Information
We are committed to protecting your personal information. Measures we take include:
- Data Encryption: Sensitive information transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.
- Access Control: Personal data is accessible only to authorized personnel who need it for operational purposes.
- Regular Security Updates: We keep our website, plugins, and software up to date to guard against vulnerabilities.
- Monitoring: Our hosting provider monitors and addresses potential security threats.
Despite our efforts, no data transmission over the Internet or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Use our website at your own risk.
9. Data Transfers
Your information may be transferred to, and maintained on, servers located outside your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction, where data protection laws may differ. By using our website and providing your information, you consent to such transfers.
We ensure any third-party service providers we use comply with applicable data protection laws and provide adequate safeguards for your data.
10. Where Your Data Is Sent
We may share your data as follows:
- Spam Detection: Visitor comments are checked through an automated spam detection service.
- Third-Party Services: Your data may be processed by services like Google Analytics, AdSense, or similar platforms, which operate under their own privacy policies.
- Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or court orders.
We ensure third-party providers implement appropriate safeguards for handling your information.
11. Children’s Privacy
Our website is not intended for use by children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we discover that we have unintentionally collected information from a child under 13, we will take prompt action to delete that data.
Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided us with personal information should contact us immediately at contact@discoverfreecourses.com.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. Changes will reflect:
- Updates to our business practices or services.
- Compliance with new regulations or legal obligations.
When we make changes, we will:
- Post the updated Privacy Policy on this page.
- Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of the page.
We encourage users to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting their information.
13. Advertising
We partner with third-party advertising networks and platforms to display ads on our website. These ads may be personalized based on your interests and online behavior, in compliance with applicable data protection regulations. Below, we explain how advertising works on our site and your options for controlling it.
13.1 Types of Advertising on Our Website
We display the following types of ads:
- Contextual Ads: Ads based on the content of the page you’re viewing.
- Personalized Ads: Ads tailored to your preferences and browsing behavior, using data collected through cookies and similar technologies.
- Affiliate Marketing: Some posts may include affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
13.2 How Advertising Works
Our website uses services such as Google AdSense or similar platforms to serve ads. These services may:
- Collect information about your visits to our site and other websites.
- Use cookies, web beacons, or other tracking technologies to deliver ads that may be of interest to you.
You can learn more about how Google uses your data here.
13.3 Third-Party Advertising Partners
We work with reputable advertising partners to ensure a positive user experience. These partners may include:
- Google AdSense
- Other programmatic advertising platforms or networks
Each partner has its own privacy policy and data handling practices. We recommend reviewing their policies for a better understanding of how your data is used.
13.4 Cookies and Advertising
Advertising cookies may collect the following data:
- Pages visited, time spent on site, and navigation behavior.
- Location data, device type, and browser type.
- Interests and demographic information (e.g., age, gender, preferences).
You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or by visiting the advertising partner’s opt-out page. For Google Ads, you can control ad settings here.
13.5 Your Choices and Controls
We respect your privacy and provide you with options to control how advertising affects you:
- Opt-Out of Personalized Ads:
- Visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out page here.
- Use Google’s Ad Settings page to opt out of interest-based ads.
- Cookie Management:
- Adjust your browser settings to block cookies or delete them after your session.
- Do Not Track (DNT):
- If your browser supports DNT, we honor its settings, but some advertising platforms may still collect limited data.
13.6 Compliance with Privacy Regulations
We comply with global privacy standards, including:
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): Users from the EU can control their consent for cookies and data collection via a consent banner or settings.
- CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act): California residents can request to know, delete, or opt-out of data collection for advertising purposes.
If you wish to exercise your rights under GDPR, CCPA, or other privacy laws, contact us at contact@discoverfreecourses.com.
13.7 Transparency in Affiliate Marketing
We participate in affiliate programs, and some of our articles may include affiliate links. When you click these links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. However:
- Affiliate links do not affect the price you pay.
- We only promote services and courses we genuinely believe are valuable to our audience.
13.8 Future Advertising Plans
As our blog evolves, we may introduce:
- Sponsored Content: Clearly labeled partnerships with advertisers for specific posts.
- Premium Advertising Slots: High-visibility placements for select partners.
We will update this Privacy Policy accordingly to reflect any changes in advertising practices.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, contact us via:
- Email: contact@discoverfreecourses.com
