Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

BenchPicked ("we," "us," "our") operates the website benchpicked.com. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our site.

Contact: contact at benchpicked dot com

2. What We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Email address — only if you voluntarily subscribe to our newsletter or download a resource. We never collect email addresses without explicit opt-in consent.
• Direct messages — if you email us, we store your message and email address long enough to respond and handle any follow-up.

Information collected automatically

• Affiliate click events — when you click an affiliate link, we record the click event (page, timestamp, anonymized session identifier) for analytics. This data does not contain personally identifiable information.
• Standard web server logs — IP address, browser type, referring URL, pages visited, and timestamp. These logs are used for security and aggregate analytics only.

Information we do NOT collect

• We do not use third-party advertising cookies.
• We do not use Facebook Pixel, Google Ads remarketing, or similar tracking technologies.
• We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
• We do not use browser fingerprinting.

3. How We Use Your Information

• Email subscribers: To send you the content you requested, such as newsletters, checklists, or test-data updates. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in every email.
• Affiliate analytics: To understand which products interest our readers, improve our content, and report aggregate click data to affiliate partners (no personal data is shared).
• Site improvement: Aggregate, anonymized analytics help us understand which pages are useful and which need improvement.

4. Cookies

BenchPicked is designed to use minimal cookies:

• Essential cookies — if a future account, checkout, or consent feature requires a cookie, it will be limited to that function.
• Analytics cookies — if we use a privacy-respecting analytics service, it may set a cookie to distinguish unique visitors. No personally identifiable information is stored in that cookie.
• Affiliate cookies — when you click an affiliate link, the destination retailer (e.g., Amazon) may set their own cookies under their own privacy policy. We do not control these cookies.

We do not use advertising or retargeting cookies.

5. Third-Party Services

We may use the following third-party services:

• Email delivery — If you subscribe to email content, a transactional email provider may store your email address securely and use it only to deliver content you requested.
• Affiliate networks — When you click an affiliate link, you may be redirected through an affiliate network or retailer. These services have their own privacy policies.
• Hosting — Our site is hosted on infrastructure that may log IP addresses for security purposes.

We do not share your personal information with these services beyond what is necessary to provide the services described above.

6. Data Retention

• Email addresses: Retained until you unsubscribe, at which point they are removed from active lists within 30 days and permanently deleted within 90 days.
• Affiliate click data: Anonymized aggregate data is retained indefinitely. Raw event logs with session identifiers are deleted after 12 months.
• Server logs: Retained for 90 days for security purposes, then deleted.

7. Your Rights

All visitors

• You can visit our site without providing any personal information.
• You can use browser settings to block cookies.
• You can unsubscribe from emails at any time.

EU/EEA residents (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

California residents (CCPA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect and how it is used
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale of personal information — we do not sell personal information
• Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact at benchpicked dot com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Email Communications (CAN-SPAM)

If BenchPicked sends marketing email, those messages must follow the CAN-SPAM Act:

• We only send emails to people who have explicitly opted in.
• Every email includes a working unsubscribe link.
• Unsubscribe requests are processed within 10 business days.
• Our emails include the required sender information.
• We do not use deceptive subject lines.

9. Children's Privacy

BenchPicked is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy when our practices change or when regulations require it. Material changes will be noted with an updated "Last updated" date at the bottom of this page. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.