Privacy Policy

Website: https://shieldwise.bond/  |   Last Updated: June 13, 2025  |   Effective Date: June 13, 2025

1. Who We Are

Shield Wise Bond (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website https://shieldwise.bond/ (the “Site”). We are dedicated to providing informative content relating to our niche topics and services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our Site.

We do not operate from a fixed public address. For any privacy-related inquiries, please visit our Contact Page.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Submit a contact form on our Contact Page
• Subscribe to our newsletter or email list
• Leave a comment on a blog post or article
• Participate in any surveys, giveaways, or promotions we may run
• Create an account (if applicable)

This information may include your name, email address, and the content of your messages. We only collect what you actively provide — we do not require a phone number or physical address.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, certain information is collected automatically by our servers and third-party services, including:

• IP address and approximate geographic location (country/region level)
• Browser type and version, operating system, and device type
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
• Referring URL (the site that brought you to ours)
• Date and time of your visit
• Cookies and tracking identifiers (see Section 4)
• Search queries used to find our site

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party services such as advertising partners, analytics providers, and social media platforms when you interact with our content on those platforms or click links from their environments to our Site.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To operate and improve our Site — including fixing errors, optimising performance, and understanding how visitors use our content
• To respond to your enquiries — when you contact us via our Contact Page
• To send communications — newsletters, updates, or responses to your messages (only with your consent where required by law)
• To display advertising — using Google AdSense and other advertising partners (see Section 5)
• To comply with legal obligations — including fraud prevention, legal requests, and enforcement of our Terms & Conditions
• To personalise your experience — showing content and advertisements relevant to your interests
• Analytics and reporting — understanding traffic sources, popular content, and user behaviour to improve our Site

We will never sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for automated decision-making that produces legal or significant effects on you.

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

4.1 What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the site remember your preferences, understand how you use it, and deliver relevant advertising. Cookies can be session cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (stored until they expire or are deleted).

4.2 Types of Cookies We Use

• Strictly Necessary Cookies — Required for the Site to function properly (e.g., security, session management). These cannot be disabled.
• Performance / Analytics Cookies — Used by Google Analytics to collect anonymous information about how visitors interact with the Site (pages viewed, time on site, traffic sources). See Section 6 for more details.
• Advertising Cookies — Used by Google AdSense and other advertising partners to serve relevant ads and measure their effectiveness. These include the DoubleClick cookie and similar technologies. See Section 5.
• Functional Cookies — Remember your preferences such as language settings, font size, or whether you have dismissed a notice.
• Social Media Cookies — Set by social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter/X, Pinterest, YouTube) when you interact with embedded content or sharing buttons on our Site. See Section 8.
• Affiliate Tracking Cookies — Used to track referrals through affiliate links on our Site so that we can be credited for qualifying purchases. See Section 7.

4.3 How to Manage Cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. The links below explain how to do so for the most popular browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our Site and prevent certain features from working correctly.

You can also opt out of interest-based advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info/choices or www.youronlinechoices.com.

5. Google AdSense & Advertising AdSense Required

Shield Wise Bond participates in Google AdSense, an advertising programme operated by Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA). Google AdSense enables us to earn revenue by displaying advertisements on our Site.

5.1 How Google AdSense Works

Google uses cookies (including the DoubleClick cookie) and other tracking technologies to serve ads based on:

• Your prior visits to our Site and other websites
• Your browsing behaviour across the web (interest-based or behavioural advertising)
• Your general location (country/region level)
• Demographic information (inferred from browsing patterns)
• Contextual relevance to the page content you are viewing

5.2 Third-Party Advertising Partners

In addition to Google AdSense, we may work with other advertising networks and partners. These third-party ad servers or networks use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to measure advertisement effectiveness and to personalise the ads you see. Shield Wise Bond has no access to or control over the cookies placed by these third-party advertisers.

Common ad networks and partners that may serve ads on our Site include:

• Google AdSense / Google Display Network
• Media.net
• Amazon Publisher Services
• Ezoic (if applicable)
• Other Google Certified Publishing Partners

5.3 Opting Out of Interest-Based Ads

You have choices about how Google uses your data for advertising:

• Visit Google Ads Settings to manage your preferences for interest-based ads.
• Use the NAI opt-out tool to opt out of multiple ad networks at once.
• Download the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On.
• Manage cookie preferences using your browser settings (see Section 4.3).

5.4 Google’s Privacy Policy

For full information on how Google collects and uses data, please review Google’s Privacy Policy.

5.5 California Users – CCPA Notice for Advertising

The use of advertising cookies on this Site may constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). California residents have the right to opt out. Please visit our Contact Page or use the browser-level opt-out tools described above to exercise this right.

6. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit the Site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our Site.

Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this Site, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information.

Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this Site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy.

You can prevent Google Analytics from recognising you on return visits by disabling cookies in your browser (see Section 4.3) or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

We may also use Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, or other Google services to monitor and improve Site performance.

7. Affiliate Links Disclosure FTC Required

Shield Wise Bond participates in affiliate marketing programmes. This means that some links on our Site are affiliate links — if you click on one and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us maintain the Site and continue providing free content.

7.1 Affiliate Programmes We May Participate In

We may have affiliate relationships with, but not limited to, the following programmes:

• Amazon Associates — As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases (Amazon Associates Programme Operating Agreement)
• Commission Junction (CJ Affiliate)
• ShareASale
• Rakuten Advertising
• Impact (formerly Impact Radius)
• ClickBank
• Awin
• PartnerStack
• Other brand-specific affiliate programmes as they become relevant to our content

7.2 How Affiliate Tracking Works

When you click an affiliate link, a cookie is placed on your device. This cookie allows the affiliate network to track that you arrived at the merchant’s website via our referral. Cookies from affiliate programmes typically expire after 24 hours to 90 days, depending on the programme. The merchant’s privacy policy governs what happens with your data once you click through to their site.

7.3 Our Editorial Independence

Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial content. We only recommend products and services we believe will be genuinely useful to our readers. All affiliate content on our Site is clearly marked with an affiliate disclosure notice in compliance with the FTC’s Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255) and applicable advertising standards.

8. Social Media

8.1 Social Sharing Buttons & Plugins

Our Site may include social sharing buttons and embedded content from social media platforms. These features are provided by third parties and may set their own cookies when you interact with them, regardless of whether you have an account with those platforms or are logged in. We have limited control over these cookies.

The social media platforms we may integrate with include:

• Facebook / Meta — We may use the Facebook Share button, Facebook Like button, or Facebook Pixel for advertising and analytics. Meta may collect data about your interaction with our Site. See Meta’s Data Policy.
• Twitter / X — We may include Tweet buttons or embedded posts. X may set cookies when you interact with these widgets. See X Privacy Policy.
• Pinterest — We may use Pinterest Save buttons for visual content. See Pinterest Privacy Policy.
• LinkedIn — We may include LinkedIn Share buttons for professional content. See LinkedIn Privacy Policy.
• YouTube — We may embed YouTube videos. When you interact with or play a video, YouTube (Google) may set cookies. See Google Privacy Policy.
• Instagram — We may embed Instagram posts or link to our Instagram profile. See Instagram Privacy Policy.
• TikTok — We may embed TikTok videos or link to our TikTok profile. See TikTok Privacy Policy.
• Reddit — We may share or embed content from Reddit. See Reddit Privacy Policy.

8.2 Our Social Media Pages

We maintain profiles on various social media platforms. When you visit or interact with our social media pages, those platforms will process your data in accordance with their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy settings and policies of any social media platform you use. We are not responsible for the data practices of these platforms.

8.3 Social Media Advertising (Retargeting)

We may use social media advertising features such as the Facebook Pixel, Pinterest Tag, or similar technologies to show you advertisements on social platforms after you have visited our Site. This is called retargeting. You can opt out of social media retargeting through the privacy settings of each respective platform or through your device’s ad tracking settings.

9. Third-Party Links & Services

Our Site may contain links to external websites that are not operated by us. These include affiliate links, editorial references, social media pages, and sponsor links. Once you leave our Site by clicking one of these links, we have no control over the content or privacy practices of those sites, and this Privacy Policy does not apply to them.

We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit. We take no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

9.1 Other Third-Party Services We May Use

• Cloudflare — For CDN, security, and performance (may process IP addresses)
• Mailchimp / ConvertKit / Brevo (Sendinblue) — For email list management (if we have a newsletter)
• Disqus — Third-party commenting system (if enabled)
• WordPress.com — Our website platform (Automattic). See their Privacy Policy.
• Jetpack — For site stats, security, and performance (if enabled)
• Akismet — For spam filtering on comments (processes comment data)
• Gravatar — Profile images for comment authors
• PayPal / Stripe — Payment processing (if applicable)
• Hotjar / Microsoft Clarity — Heat-mapping and session recording tools for UX improvement (if enabled)
• SEMrush / Ahrefs tracking pixels — SEO analytics (if enabled)
• WP Rocket / LiteSpeed Cache — Performance optimisation (may set functional cookies)

10. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers — Trusted third-party companies that assist us in operating the Site (e.g., hosting providers, analytics platforms, email delivery services). These companies are contractually bound to keep your information confidential and secure.
• Advertising Partners — Anonymous, aggregated, or pseudonymised data may be shared with advertising networks (such as Google AdSense) to enable targeted advertising as described in Section 5.
• Legal Compliance — We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect our rights, property, or safety and that of our users.
• Business Transfers — In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, user information may be among the assets transferred. We will notify you via prominent notice on our Site of any change in ownership.
• With Your Consent — We may share your information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.

11. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption — All data transmitted between your browser and our Site is encrypted (HTTPS)
• Access controls — Restricted access to systems that store personal data
• Regular software updates — Keeping our WordPress installation, themes, and plugins up to date to address security vulnerabilities
• Firewall and security plugins — Server-level and application-level protection

However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately via our Contact Page.

12. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law:

• Contact form enquiries — Retained for up to 2 years from the date of submission, then securely deleted.
• Comment data — Retained for as long as the article or post to which it relates is published on our Site.
• Analytics data — Google Analytics data retention is set to 14 months by default. Aggregated, anonymised data may be retained indefinitely.
• Newsletter subscriber data — Retained until you unsubscribe. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email.
• Advertising data — Cookie-based advertising data is subject to the retention settings of the respective advertising platform (Google AdSense cookies typically expire within 13 months).

13. Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)

13.1 European Users — GDPR Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right to Access — Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to Rectification — Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) — Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restrict Processing — Request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability — Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object — Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes
• Right to Withdraw Consent — Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
• Right to Lodge a Complaint — File a complaint with your local data protection authority

Our legal basis for processing your personal data may be:

• Consent (e.g., newsletter subscription, cookie acceptance)
• Legitimate interests (e.g., analytics, security, improving our Site)
• Legal obligation (e.g., complying with tax or fraud prevention requirements)
• Contract performance (e.g., responding to your enquiry)

13.2 California Users — CCPA Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know — Know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
• Right to Delete — Request deletion of personal information we have collected
• Right to Opt-Out — Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information
• Right to Non-Discrimination — Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights
• Right to Correct — Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via our Contact Page. We will respond within 30 days (or 45 days where permitted by applicable law).

14. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EU/UK under GDPR). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us via our Contact Page and we will take steps to delete such information from our records.

If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without verification of parental consent, we will take immediate steps to remove that information from our servers.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update or change this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date at the top. Where changes are material, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you — for example, by placing a prominent notice on our Site or by sending an email to newsletter subscribers.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our Site following the posting of any changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how Shield Wise Bond handles your personal data, please reach out to us:

• 📧 Contact Form: https://shieldwise.bond/contact/
• 🌐 Website: https://shieldwise.bond/

We aim to respond to all legitimate enquiries within 5–10 business days. For GDPR and CCPA requests, we will respond within the legally required timeframe (30 days or as otherwise required by applicable law).