All Names Guide ("we," "us," "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect when you use the site, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your data. This policy is written in plain language wherever possible, and structured for easy reference.
By using All Names Guide, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of it, please do not use the site.
Who we are
All Names Guide is an independent editorial website operated from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. For privacy purposes, the data controller responsible for the personal information collected via allnamesguide.com is the site owner. You can reach our privacy team at privacy@allnamesguide.com or via the contact form.
Information we collect
We collect three categories of information: information you give us, information collected automatically, and information from third parties.
Information you give us directly
- Newsletter signup. When you subscribe to The Name Journal, we collect your email address.
- Contact form. When you send us a message, we collect your name, email address, the topic you selected, and the content of your message.
- Reader corrections and contributions. If you submit a correction, name suggestion, or writer/reviewer application, we collect whatever information you choose to include.
- Product purchases. If you buy a printable or ebook, we collect the payment and delivery information needed to process the transaction (handled by our payment processor — we do not store full payment card details).
Information collected automatically
- Device and browser information. Browser type, operating system, screen size, language preference.
- Usage information. Which pages you visit, how long you stay, links you click, and how you arrived at the site (for example, from a Google search or a Pinterest pin).
- IP address. Used to approximate your general location (typically city or region, not precise location) for analytics and content localization.
- Cookies and similar technologies. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
Information from third parties
- Analytics. Aggregated statistics from Google Analytics.
- Ad networks. Data related to ad delivery and, where applicable, ad performance.
- Social platforms. If you engage with our Pinterest presence, aggregated engagement data from Pinterest.
How we use your information
We use your information for the following purposes:
- To provide the site. Serve pages, handle search, run tools like the name generator and sibling matcher.
- To communicate with you. Respond to your messages, deliver the newsletter (if you've subscribed), send transactional emails related to product purchases.
- To improve the site. Understand what content is useful, where readers get stuck, what naming traditions to prioritize, and how to make the site faster and more helpful.
- To serve advertising. Display ads via our ad-network partners — sometimes personalized to your interests, where you've consented and where legally permitted.
- To operate our business. Handle payments, process refunds, comply with tax and accounting obligations.
- To meet legal obligations. Comply with applicable laws, respond to lawful government requests, protect against fraud and abuse.
We do not use your information to make automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Legal bases (GDPR)
For visitors in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, we process personal information under one or more of the following legal bases:
- Consent. For non-essential cookies, personalized advertising, and newsletter delivery — you can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legitimate interest. For basic analytics, spam prevention, and site security. We've balanced our interest in operating the site well against your privacy rights.
- Contract performance. For product purchases and delivery.
- Legal obligation. For tax records, responding to lawful government requests, and meeting statutory data-retention requirements.
Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information. We do share information with the following categories of recipients, only as necessary:
- Service providers. Our newsletter platform (Beehiiv), analytics provider (Google Analytics), ad network (Ezoic and its partners), hosting provider, and payment processor. These providers are contractually required to handle data only for the purposes we've authorized.
- Legal and safety. Where required by law, court order, or lawful government request, or where necessary to protect our rights, the site, or the safety of users.
- Business transfers. In the unlikely event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of the site, personal information may be transferred as part of the transaction (with continuing protection under this Privacy Policy or its successor).
We do not share personal information with third parties for their independent marketing purposes.
How long we keep information
Retention periods depend on the type of information and the purpose for which it was collected:
- Newsletter subscriptions. Until you unsubscribe. Unsubscribed email addresses are retained on our suppression list to ensure we don't email you again in error.
- Contact form messages. Retained for as long as needed to respond to and resolve your inquiry, typically 12–24 months, then archived or deleted.
- Analytics data. Google Analytics data is retained according to Google's default retention (currently 14 months for user-level and event data).
- Purchase records. Retained for the period required by tax and accounting law (typically 6–7 years).
- Server logs. Typically retained for 30–90 days, then aggregated or deleted.
Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information — including HTTPS/TLS encryption for data in transit, access controls on our systems, and vendor assessments for the third-party services we use. However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
If you become aware of a security issue with the site, please report it to security@allnamesguide.com so we can investigate quickly.
International data transfers
All Names Guide is operated from Pakistan, and our service providers are based in various countries including the United States and the European Union. Where personal information of EEA, UK, or Swiss residents is transferred outside their region, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent mechanisms recognized by the relevant supervisory authority.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights over your personal information:
- Access. Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction. Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Deletion. Ask us to delete your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations).
- Restriction. Ask us to limit how we process your information.
- Portability. Receive your information in a machine-readable format so you can transfer it elsewhere.
- Objection. Object to processing based on legitimate interest, including for direct marketing.
- Withdraw consent. Where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent at any time.
- Lodge a complaint. Complain to your local data-protection authority if you believe we've mishandled your information.
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@allnamesguide.com or use the contact form and select "Privacy or data question" as the topic. We respond to verified rights requests within the timeframes required by applicable law (typically 30 days).
California residents (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) gives you specific rights:
- Right to know. The categories and specific pieces of personal information we've collected about you in the past 12 months.
- Right to delete. Ask us to delete personal information we've collected from you, subject to legal exceptions.
- Right to correct. Ask us to correct inaccurate personal information.
- Right to opt out of sale/sharing. Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information — including certain advertising activities.
- Right to limit use of sensitive personal information. We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined by CPRA.
- Right to non-discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any CCPA/CPRA right.
To exercise these rights, email privacy@allnamesguide.com. California residents can also use the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in the site footer, or send the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal from a supporting browser, to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
Children's privacy
All Names Guide is directed at adults — typically expecting parents, cultural researchers, writers, and adults curious about names. The site is not intended for use by children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at privacy@allnamesguide.com. We will delete such information promptly upon verification.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of the page and, where required by law, notify you via email or a prominent notice on the site. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact
For any questions about this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your information:
- Privacy team: privacy@allnamesguide.com
- General contact: Contact form (please select "Privacy or data question" as the topic)
- Security issues: security@allnamesguide.com
For related policies, see our Cookie Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.