Last updated: 2 July 2025
Thank you for visiting Secret Sauce Notes (“SecretSauceNotes.com,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). Your privacy is important to us. This statement explains what data we collect, how and why we use it, who else might see it, and the options you have. It covers every visit to SecretSauceNotes.com—including the ads and analytics services provided by Google AdSense and Ezoic that help keep our content free.
By accessing or using this site, you agree to the practices described below.
1 | Who and What This Policy Covers
- Who we are – Secret Sauce Notes is a U.S.–based food-media outlet sharing recipes, kitchen tips, and flavor experiments.
- What is included – All webpages under SecretSauceNotes.com, our newsletters, comment areas, embedded videos, and any third-party code (ads, analytics, social widgets) that loads with our pages.
- What is excluded – Websites or apps we link to operate under their own privacy terms.
2 | Information We Collect
| Category | Examples | How it’s collected | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data you give us | name, email address, recipe ratings, survey answers | contact forms, newsletter sign-ups, comments, giveaways | customer support, community features |
| Usage data | IP address, pages viewed, time on page, referring URL | cookies, server logs, analytics tags | improving site speed, content planning |
| Device details | browser type, OS, screen resolution, language | automatically from your device | responsive design, debugging |
| Advertising IDs | AdSense cookie ID, Ezoic ID, ad views/clicks | third-party cookies & pixels | personalised ads, frequency capping, fraud prevention |
Sensitive data: We do not knowingly request or store highly sensitive information such as health data, precise geolocation, or government IDs.
3 | Cookies, Local Storage & Web Beacons
Cookies are small text files placed in your browser. We deploy:
- First-party cookies – remember preference settings (dark-mode, font size) and acknowledge the cookie banner.
- Third-party cookies – set by Google AdSense and Ezoic to run real-time ad auctions, measure ad performance, and prevent invalid traffic.
- Local/session storage – store temporary recipe filters or reading-list items.
- Web beacons – tiny graphics in emails that signal whether you opened a message.
How to manage cookies
Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Essential site features (for example, commenting) may break if you disable certain cookies. See Section 6 for ad-personalisation opt-outs.
4 | How We Use Your Information
- Deliver content quickly and in the correct format for your device.
- Understand performance through analytics and A/B testing.
- Show advertising—contextual or personalised—to fund our free recipes.
- Respond to comments, questions, or newsletter requests you initiate.
- Protect the platform by detecting malware, spam, and fraudulent behaviour.
We never sell your personal details for cash.
5 | Advertising & Analytics Partners
| Partner | Role on our site | Policy page |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdSense | Runs ad auctions, delivers ads, combats click-fraud | https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads |
| Ezoic, Inc. | Header bidding, site-speed tools, Consent-Management Platform (CMP) | https://www.ezoic.com/privacy-policy/ |
These vendors may share pseudonymous identifiers (e.g., device type, hashed email) with other bidders in real time to decide which ad to display.
6 | Interest-Based Advertising & Your Choices
- Google Ad Settings: https://adssettings.google.com – switch off personalised Google ads.
- YourAdChoices (NAI): https://optout.networkadvertising.org – opt out of many advertising networks.
- Ezoic CMP: Click “Privacy Preferences” on any page to review or change consent.
Opting out turns personalised ads into non-personalised ones; ads will still appear.
7 | Legal Grounds for Processing (GDPR / UK GDPR)
- Consent – given through cookie banner acceptance or newsletter subscription.
- Legitimate interests – website security, audience measurement, minimal ad personalisation.
- Contract – serving the recipe or service you request.
- Legal obligation – complying with subpoenas or tax regulations.
8 | Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction (EU/EEA, UK, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, etc.) you may:
- Access or get a copy of your data.
- Correct inaccurate details.
- Delete information we no longer need.
- Restrict or object to certain processing.
- Receive data in a portable format.
- Opt out of “sale” or “sharing” for targeted ads.
Submit requests to [email protected]. We answer within 30 days or the timeframe required by law.
9 | Children’s Information
Secret Sauce Notes is not aimed at children under 13. If we learn we have collected personal information from a minor, we will erase it promptly.
10 | Data Sharing & Disclosure
We share information only:
- With service providers—hosting, email delivery, analytics—bound by strict confidentiality.
- When required by law—court orders, to defend our legal rights, or prevent harm.
- During business events—merger, acquisition, re-organisation; we will notify users beforehand.
We do not rent or trade mailing lists with unrelated marketers.
11 | International Transfers
Our servers reside in the United States. Data originating in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom may travel to the U.S. We rely on Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, plus encryption and limited staff access.
12 | Data Retention & Security
- Retention periods – server logs (12 months), analytics data (up to 26 months), newsletter records (until you unsubscribe), comment metadata (until removed).
- Security measures – HTTPS encryption, routine software patching, Web Application Firewall (WAF), and role-based staff access.
Although we use industry-standard safeguards, no online service can guarantee absolute security.
13 | Policy Updates
We may revise this Privacy Policy to reflect legal, technical, or business changes. A prominent notice will appear on the site—and, where required, by email—if we make significant updates. Please review the “Last updated” date for the latest revision.
14 | Contact Information
Secret Sauce Notes, LLC
Email: [email protected]
15 | Consent-Management Platform
We deploy Ezoic’s CMP to capture, store, and transmit your privacy preferences under frameworks such as the IAB Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) and the Global Privacy Platform (GPP). Click “Privacy Preferences” in the footer to revisit or adjust your choices at any time.
16 | Snapshot of Cookies & Storage Items
| Item | Category | Lifespan | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Analytics | 24 months | Counts unique visitors (Google Analytics) |
_gads | Marketing | 13 months | Measures ad interactions (AdSense) |
ez_pub_site | Marketing | persistent | Tests ad layouts and revenue (Ezoic) |
ssn_cookie_choice | Essential | 6 months | Saves your cookie-consent status |
A full, always-current vendor list is available in our CMP panel.
Thank you for reading. We’re committed to keeping our recipes inventive and your data carefully protected.