Privacy Policy & Disclosures

1. Introduction & Scope

This privacy policy applies to slowboil.blog and all content published on it. It covers how we collect, use, and protect information from visitors who read our reviews, use our newsletter, click through to products, or contact us directly. It does not cover the privacy practices of third-party sites — including Amazon — that you may visit through links on this site. Those sites have their own policies.

Slow Boil is a kitchen tool review site operated independently. We are not a media company, not a staffed editorial operation. This policy is written to reflect what actually happens on this site, not what a legal template suggests might happen on any website. If something here is unclear, the contact above is the right place to ask.

By using this site, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you don’t agree with any part of it, please don’t use the site — and if something specific concerns you, email us and we’ll address it directly.

2. What We Collect

Here is a specific list of what we collect, not a vague general description. We do not collect more than what’s listed here.

3. How We Use It

Every use case for data collected on this site is listed below. There are no hidden uses.

• Newsletter email address: Used only to send the Slow Boil newsletter. Never sold, never shared with third parties, never used for any other communication without explicit notice and your consent.
• Analytics data: Used to understand which pages are being read, which reviews are most useful, and where people exit the site. Used to make decisions about what to write next. Not used to build individual profiles or target advertising.
• Amazon affiliate cookies: When you click an Amazon link on this site, a cookie is set that tells Amazon the click originated here. This enables commission tracking if you make a purchase. The cookie does not give us access to your Amazon account or purchase history. See Section 5 for full disclosure.
• Server logs: Used for security monitoring and debugging. Logs are retained for 30 days and are not used for marketing or tracking purposes.

4. Cookies & Tracking

This site uses three types of cookies. Here’s what each one does and how to turn it off.

5. Amazon Associates Disclosure

What a commission means in practice: if you follow a link from this site and buy a $60 chef’s knife on Amazon within 24 hours, we earn approximately $1.80–$3.00 depending on the product category. That’s the entire financial arrangement. There is no additional compensation from brands, no sponsored content, and no payment for mentioning specific products.

This disclosure appears on every page of this site that contains affiliate links, in accordance with FTC guidelines. It is not hidden in footers or legal pages only — it appears visibly before the first affiliate link on any given review page.

Our recommendation policy is independent of affiliate status. Some products we recommend are not available on Amazon and therefore generate no commission. Some products available on Amazon are not recommended because they didn’t pass testing. Commission potential has no bearing on what gets recommended — a product either passes eight weeks of real use or it doesn’t.

6. Third-Party Services

The following third-party services are active on this site. Each one receives specific data as described below.

7. Data Security

The site is served over HTTPS. Passwords and payment information are never stored by Slow Boil because neither is collected here. The only personal data we hold directly is email addresses in Mailchimp, and that data is protected by Mailchimp’s security infrastructure.

What we don’t store: We don’t store credit card numbers, addresses, phone numbers, login credentials, or any sensitive personal identifiers. We have no reason to, so we don’t.

No internet transmission is completely secure, and we can’t guarantee the security of data during transmission to this site. What we can guarantee is that we don’t collect more than we need and we don’t hold it longer than necessary. Analytics data is retained according to Google’s retention settings; newsletter email addresses are retained until you unsubscribe.

8. GDPR (EU Visitors)

If you are in the European Union or European Economic Area, the General Data Protection Regulation grants you specific rights regarding your personal data. Here is how those apply to Slow Boil.

Legal basis for processing: For newsletter emails, processing is based on consent — you signed up and can unsubscribe at any time. For analytics, processing is based on our legitimate interest in understanding how the site is used. For affiliate tracking cookies, processing is based on legitimate interest in operating the affiliate program.

Data transfers: Analytics data is processed by Google (US-based). Newsletter data is processed by Mailchimp (US-based). Both operate under standard contractual clauses for EU data transfers.

To exercise your GDPR rights: Email privacy@slowboil.blog with your request. We will respond within 30 days. Depending on your request, we may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling it. See Section 9 for the full list of rights.

9. Your Rights

Regardless of where you’re located, you have the following rights with respect to data collected by this site:

• Access: You can ask what data we hold about you. Given that we only hold email addresses for newsletter subscribers, this is usually a short answer.
• Correction: You can ask us to correct inaccurate information. For newsletter subscriptions, the easiest path is to unsubscribe and re-subscribe with the correct email address.
• Deletion: You can ask us to delete your data. For newsletter subscribers, this means removing your email from Mailchimp entirely — we will do this within five business days of receiving your request.
• Opt-out of analytics: You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking via the browser add-on linked in Section 4, or by blocking cookies entirely.
• Portability: You can ask for your data in a portable format. For a newsletter subscription, that’s your email address — which you already know. We’ll provide whatever format is useful.
• Objection: You can object to our processing of your data. If you’re subscribed to the newsletter and object to us holding your email address, the resolution is to delete it — which we’ll do promptly.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@slowboil.blog. We respond within five business days and will fulfill legitimate requests within 30 days.

10. Children’s Privacy (COPPA)

This site is a kitchen gear review publication for adults. It is not directed at children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13.

If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided personal information — for example, by subscribing to the newsletter — we will delete that information promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided information to this site, please contact privacy@slowboil.blog and we will address it immediately.

11. Policy Updates

When this policy changes, the “Last updated” date at the top of this page is updated. For material changes — ones that expand how data is collected or used in ways that would affect your choices — we will note the change in the newsletter before it takes effect, giving subscribers a chance to unsubscribe if they disagree.

Minor changes (wording clarifications, updated links to third-party policies, addition of a new service already in operation) will be reflected in the date update only.

Previous versions of this policy are available on request. Email privacy@slowboil.blog and we’ll send the version dated prior to the current one. We don’t maintain a public version history, but we keep archived copies.