Effective Date: September 9, 2024

Welcome to Merge Blog, accessible at https://mergeblog.com/. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and disclose your personal information when you visit our Site, interact with us, or use our services.

1. Information We Collect
We collect the following personal information from you when you visit our Site, register on the Site, fill out a form, or interact with us:

• Contact Information: First name, last name, email address, phone number, address, and zip code.
• Social Media Information: Social media handles and information associated with your accounts on platforms like Facebook.
• Technical Information: IP address, browser type, device type, and usage data through cookies and similar tracking technologies (e.g., Google Analytics, Cloudflare Turnstile).
• Affiliate and Ad Interaction Information: Data related to your interactions with Amazon affiliate links and Google AdSense ads on our Site.

2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

• To provide and improve our services and content on the Site.
• To send you marketing communications through email (via Mailchimp) if you have opted in to receive such communications.
• To display personalized ads (via Google AdSense) and to track interactions with affiliate links.
• To analyze your interaction with our Site using tools like Google Analytics.
• To verify your identity and protect against fraud (Cloudflare Turnstile).
• To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support.
• To send push notifications with updates or information you’ve opted to receive.

3. Third-Party Services
We use third-party services to enhance our Site and services, including:

• Google Analytics: To track and report website traffic and user behavior.
• Mailchimp: To send marketing emails to users who have opted in.
• Google AdSense: To display ads on our Site.
• Cloudflare Turnstile: To protect our Site from spam and abuse.
• Amazon Affiliate Links: To provide product recommendations and earn commissions on purchases made through these links.
• Push Notification Service: To send notifications with updates or information.
• Google Places: To provide location-based services.

These third parties may collect information about you and use it according to their privacy policies.

4. Legal Compliance

• CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act): If you are a California resident, you have specific rights regarding your personal information, including the right to access, delete, and opt out of the sale of your personal data.
• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): If you are in the European Union, you have rights concerning your personal data, including the right to access, correct, delete, restrict processing, and data portability.
• CalOPPA (California Online Privacy Protection Act): We are committed to complying with CalOPPA. You can visit our Site anonymously, and we provide a link to this Privacy Policy on our homepage.
• COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act): We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information.

5. Your Rights and Choices
You have the right to:

• Access and receive a copy of your personal data.
• Correct any inaccuracies in your personal data.
• Request the deletion of your personal data.
• Opt out of receiving marketing emails by following the unsubscribe instructions in any email you receive from us.
• Opt out of personalized ads through your browser settings or the Digital Advertising Alliance.
• Manage push notifications through your browser or device settings.

6. Data Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously and use industry-standard measures to protect it from unauthorized access, disclosure, or alteration.

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the effective date.

8. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us through our contact page at https://mergeblog.com/contact-us/.