Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Country Living Guide (“Country Living Guide,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), an editorial website affiliated with Mason Genie, collects, uses, discloses, and protects information when you visit our website or interact with our content.
This policy is intended for visitors in the United States and Canada. Privacy rights vary by location, and some sections apply only where required by law.
A Short Summary
- We do not offer user accounts or an email newsletter.
- We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site.
- We may use Google Ads measurement tools to understand whether advertising leads to visits or other actions.
- These services may receive information such as your IP address, device and browser details, page URLs, approximate location, and cookie or similar identifiers.
- We do not sell personal information for money.
- Depending on applicable law and how advertising tools are configured, certain advertising-related disclosures may be considered “sharing” or targeted-advertising processing.
- You can use the cookie controls presented on the site, where available, or your browser and Google settings to manage certain technologies.
Information We Collect
Information Collected Automatically
When you use the site, we and our service providers may automatically collect:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device type, operating system, and screen information
- Approximate location derived from IP address
- Referring page or advertising campaign
- Pages viewed and links clicked
- Date, time, and duration of visits
- Interaction and performance data
- Cookie identifiers and similar online identifiers
- Advertising measurement or conversion data
This information may be considered personal information under some privacy laws even when it does not directly identify you by name.
Information You Choose to Provide
We do not currently offer accounts, checkout, or newsletter registration on Country Living Guide. If you contact us, we may receive your name, message, and any information you choose to include.
Do not send sensitive personal information when contacting us.
How We Use Information
We may use information to:
- Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the site
- Understand how readers find and use our content
- Measure site performance and diagnose technical problems
- Evaluate the effectiveness of Google Ads campaigns
- Prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
- Respond to questions, correction requests, or privacy inquiries
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms
- Create aggregated or de-identified reports
We do not use Country Living Guide to make decisions about employment, credit, housing, insurance, healthcare, or another legally significant matter.
Google Analytics and Google Ads
We use Google Analytics, which helps us understand site traffic and interactions. Google Analytics may use cookies or similar technologies and may process page URLs, IP addresses, device information, approximate location, and interaction data.
We may also use Google Ads conversion measurement or related advertising features to understand whether an ad led to a visit or other action. Depending on our configuration and your choices, Google may set or read cookies and process online identifiers for measurement, fraud prevention, and advertising services.
Google explains how it uses information from sites that use its services at:
You may manage certain Google advertising settings at Google’s My Ad Center and may learn about Google Analytics browser opt-out options at Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Cookies and Similar Technologies
Cookies are small text files stored on a browser or device. We may use:
- Essential technologies to operate, secure, and remember basic site choices
- Analytics technologies to measure visits and understand use
- Advertising-measurement technologies to attribute visits or actions to campaigns
Where required, we ask for consent before using non-essential technologies. You can use the cookie controls presented on the site to change your choice. Browser settings may also allow you to block or delete cookies, although doing so may affect some functions or measurement.
For more detail, see our Cookie Policy.
When We Disclose Information
We may disclose information to:
- Google, for analytics and advertising measurement
- Website hosting, security, and technical providers, to operate and protect the site
- Professional advisers, such as lawyers, auditors, and consultants, when reasonably necessary
- Government authorities or other parties, when required by law or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, and security
- A buyer or successor, in connection with a merger, reorganization, financing, sale, or transfer of all or part of the business
- Mason Genie and affiliated companies, for site administration, analytics, advertising measurement, and business operations consistent with this policy
Service providers are permitted to process information for the services they provide and subject to their contracts and applicable law.
Selling and Sharing
We do not sell personal information for money.
Some U.S. state laws define “sale,” “sharing,” or “targeted advertising” broadly. Depending on how Google Ads or similar tools are configured, making online identifiers or activity data available for advertising measurement or personalized advertising may fall within one of those definitions.
Where required by law, we provide a method to opt out through the site’s cookie controls or another rights-request process. We do not knowingly sell or share personal information of individuals under 16.
Retention
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including analytics, security, legal, accounting, and dispute-resolution needs.
Retention periods vary by data type and service configuration. We may keep aggregated or de-identified information for longer when it can no longer reasonably identify an individual.
Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the information we handle. No website, network, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure, and we cannot promise absolute security.
International Processing
Country Living Guide serves visitors in both the United States and Canada. We and our service providers may process information in the United States, Canada, or other countries where privacy laws may differ from those in your province, state, or country.
When information is processed in another jurisdiction, it may be accessible to courts, law-enforcement agencies, or other authorities under that jurisdiction’s laws.
Your Privacy Choices and Rights
Depending on where you live and subject to legal exceptions, you may have the right to:
- Know whether we process your personal information
- Request access to personal information
- Request correction or deletion
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- Object to or restrict certain processing
- Opt out of sale, sharing, or targeted advertising where applicable
- Receive information about our privacy practices
- Appeal our response where applicable
- Complain to a privacy regulator
Because Country Living Guide does not maintain user accounts and much of the data is held under cookie or device identifiers, we may be unable to connect a request to specific information without additional details. We will not discriminate against you for exercising an applicable privacy right.
To submit a request, contact us through this website and include the words “Privacy Request.” Describe your request and the state, province, or country where you live. We may need to verify your identity and authority before responding.
An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted by law. We may ask for proof of authorization and identity.
Canadian Visitors
Canadian visitors may request access to or correction of personal information under applicable federal or provincial privacy law and may withdraw consent, subject to legal and contractual restrictions.
Our Privacy Officer can be reached through this website. If a concern is not resolved, you may have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the applicable provincial privacy regulator.
United States Visitors
Residents of certain states may have additional rights under state privacy law. These rights apply only when the law covers our activities and the relevant information.
We will process verifiable requests as required by applicable law. If we deny a request, we will explain the reason when legally required and provide appeal instructions where available.
Children’s Privacy
Country Living Guide is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13.
If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, contact us through this website so we can review the matter.
External Links
Our articles may link to Mason Genie, affiliated companies, government resources, manufacturers, or other websites. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies, not this one.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, technology, or legal obligations. We will post the revised policy on this page and update the date above. Material changes may be highlighted in another reasonable way.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests, contact the Privacy Officer, Country Living Guide, through this website.