Privacy Policy - Irma Cooks

Effective date: October 1, 2025

Welcome! Your privacy matters to me. This Privacy Policy explains how irmacooks.com (“we”, “our”, “I”) collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you visit or interact with this website. Please read it so you know what’s happening with your data. If you have questions, email: contact@irmacooks.com.

1. Information we collect

Personal information you give us (voluntary)

Name, email address and any other details you send when you subscribe to the newsletter, leave a comment, contact us, or sign up for freebies.
Payment information only if you purchase something directly from us (we recommend using trusted third-party payment processors; see “Third-party services” below).

Automatic / technical information (collected automatically)

IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring/exit pages, and timestamps.
Pages you view and how long you spend on the site (analytics).
Cookie identifiers and similar tracking technologies.

Content you create or upload

Comments, recipe reviews, photos you share in comments, or any user-generated content you submit.

Aggregated / anonymized data

Usage patterns and aggregated statistics that do not identify you personally, used to improve the site.

2. How we collect information

When you sign up for our newsletter, leave a comment, contact us, or otherwise submit info.
Automatically when you browse the site via cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies.
From third parties (for example: analytics providers, social networks you use to log in or share content).

3. How we use your information

We use the information to:

Operate, maintain, and improve the website and user experience.
Send newsletters, recipe updates, or other communications if you’ve opted in.
Respond to your questions and comments.
Personalize content and recommend recipes.
Analyze site usage and performance (analytics).
Serve relevant advertising through partners (e.g., Google AdSense).
Comply with legal obligations and protect the site from abuse.

We only send marketing emails if you’ve opted in, and each email includes a simple unsubscribe link.

4. Legal bases for processing (if you’re in the EU / GDPR stuff)

If you are in the European Economic Area, our lawful basis for processing your personal data may include:

Consent (e.g., if you subscribe to our newsletter).
Performance of a contract (e.g., processing orders).
Legitimate interests (e.g., site analytics, fraud prevention, and improving services), balanced against your rights.
Legal obligations (if required by law).

5. Cookies, tracking & advertising

What are cookies? Cookies are small files saved to your device to help the site remember preferences, enable functions, and collect analytics data.

We use cookies for:

Essential site functionality (session cookies).
Analytics (to understand site usage and improve content).
Advertising (to show relevant ads via third parties).
Preferences (language, display settings).

Control cookies

You can usually manage cookies through your browser settings (delete or block cookies).
For Google ads personalization settings, visit: https://www.google.com/settings/ads.
To opt out of many ad network cookies, you can visit the industry opt-out page (example: opt-out tools like the Digital Advertising Alliance or Network Advertising Initiative).

6. Third-party services & links

We may use and/or link to third-party services such as:

Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics).
Advertising networks (e.g., Google AdSense).
Email delivery services (e.g., Mailchimp, ConvertKit).
Social media platforms (for sharing or login).
Affiliate networks / merchants (Amazon, etc.).

These third parties have their own privacy policies and practices. We are not responsible for their behavior. Use caution when leaving our site and read their policies if you’re concerned.

7. Affiliate links & sponsored content

Some pages may include affiliate links or sponsored posts. If you purchase through an affiliate link, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We try to be transparent and only recommend products we genuinely like. Affiliate links help support the site and keep content free.

8. Data sharing & disclosure

We may share personal information:

With service providers who help operate the site (hosting, email, analytics, payment processors).
To comply with laws or respond to lawful requests (e.g., court order).
To protect rights, property, or safety (site security, preventing fraud).
In connection with a business transfer (e.g., sale of the site) — if that happens, we’ll notify you if your personal data are transferred.

We do not sell your personal information for money.

9. Data retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described (e.g., to send you newsletters while you’re subscribed, or to keep comments you posted). We’ll delete or anonymize data when it’s no longer needed, unless retention is required by law.

10. Your rights (GDPR, CCPA & similar)

Depending on where you live, you may have rights:

Access — request a copy of your personal data.
Correction — ask us to update inaccurate data.
Deletion — request we delete your personal data.
Portability — request a copy of your data in a portable format.
Restriction / objection — ask us to limit processing or stop certain processing (e.g., direct marketing).
Opt-out of sale — where applicable (e.g., California’s CCPA). We do not sell personal information for money, but you may still have opt-out rights for certain data uses.

To exercise any rights or make a privacy request, email contact@irmacooks.com. Please include enough detail to find your data (email used to subscribe, etc.). We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling requests.

11. Children’s privacy

The site 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 information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

12. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect your personal information. However, no internet transmission or storage is 100% secure — we can’t guarantee absolute security. If a data breach occurs, we’ll follow applicable laws and notify affected users as required.

13. International transfers

Data may be processed or stored in countries other than your own (e.g., where our service providers operate). If you are in the EU or another region with special rules, we will take steps to protect your data consistent with applicable law (standard contractual clauses, etc., where required).

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we’ll update the Effective date at the top. If we make material changes, we may notify subscribers by email or post a prominent notice on the site.

15. How to contact us / privacy requests

If you have questions, want to request access, correction, deletion, or opt out of certain processing, email: contact@irmacooks.com. You can also contact us via the site’s Contact page.

16. A quick friendly note

This Privacy Policy is written to be helpful and clear, but it’s not legal advice. If you need legal guidance tailored to your jurisdiction (GDPR, UK, CCPA, etc.), consider talking with a privacy attorney or compliance specialist.