Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how CertSherpa ("we", "us", or "our"), operated at certsherpa.com, collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website. We keep this simple and honest — the same way we write our guides.

Information we collect

Information you provide

If you email us at contact@certsherpa.com, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to include in your message. We use it only to respond to you.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, we and our third-party partners collect certain information automatically through cookies and similar technologies: IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring website. This data helps us understand what content is useful and keep the site working properly.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use them for: (a) remembering your display preference (light or dark mode), (b) analytics, and (c) advertising, as described below. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Disabling cookies may affect some site functionality.

Advertising — Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on this website. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies — including the DoubleClick/Google advertising cookie — to serve ads to our visitors based on their visits to this site and other sites on the internet.

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
• You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info.

For visitors in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK, and Switzerland, we display a consent message before any advertising cookies are set, in line with Google's EU User Consent Policy. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time via the consent settings link in the site footer once ads are active.

Analytics

We use analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand aggregate site usage — which guides are read, for how long, and from which countries. This data is aggregated and does not personally identify you. IP anonymization is enabled where the tool supports it.

Your rights under GDPR (EEA/UK visitors)

If you're located in the EEA or UK, you have the right to:

• Access, correct, or delete personal data we hold about you
• Object to or restrict our processing of your data
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, email us at contact@certsherpa.com.

Your rights under CCPA/CPRA (California residents)

California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, request its deletion, and opt out of its "sale" or "sharing" as defined by the CCPA/CPRA. We do not sell personal information in the conventional sense; the use of advertising cookies may constitute "sharing" under California law, which you can opt out of via the cookie controls and the Google opt-out links above. To make a request, email contact@certsherpa.com.

Children's privacy

This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Data retention and security

Email correspondence is retained only as long as needed to handle your inquiry. Automatically collected data is retained according to the retention settings of our analytics and advertising providers. We use HTTPS encryption across the entire site.

Third-party links

Our guides link to external websites (certification bodies, government data sources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites — check their policies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site evolves (for example, when advertising goes live). The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the latest revision. Material changes will be noted on this page.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email contact@certsherpa.com.