Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-05-05

DeskGearHQ ("we", "us", "our") operates deskgearhq.com. This page explains what we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you have under California's Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA / CPRA) and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It also covers the cookies and third-party services that the site relies on. We try to keep this page short and direct — if a section is unclear, write us at editor@deskgearhq.com and we'll explain or correct it.

Who we are

DeskGearHQ is the data controller for personal information processed on this site. The site is operated by an independent editorial team based in the United States. Inquiries and data-rights requests should go to editor@deskgearhq.com; we respond within thirty days, and we do not require account creation to exercise a privacy right.

Information we collect

We collect only the information we need to operate the site and the newsletter:

Email address. When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect the email address you submit and the source of the signup (homepage, footer, in-guide). We use this only to deliver guide updates you opted into.
Optional message contents. If you email us at any of our published addresses (e.g., editor@deskgearhq.com), those messages are stored by our inbound email forwarder and our inbox provider for as long as we keep correspondence.
Anonymous analytics. Page views, referrer URLs, approximate location (country / region), device class, and browser, recorded only after you accept analytics cookies via the consent banner. We do not record your IP address or any personally-identifiable session data.
Server & security logs. Standard request logs from our hosting provider that include IP address, timestamp, and requested URL, retained briefly for abuse-prevention and outage diagnosis. These logs are not joined to newsletter or analytics data.
Consent preferences. Your cookie-banner choices (accept / reject analytics, do-not-sell) are stored in a first-party cookie or local storage on your own device so we can honor your preference on subsequent visits.

We do not collect names, postal addresses, phone numbers, payment information, or precise geolocation. We do not run accounts; there is no login, no profile, no order history.

How we use the information

To send you guide updates if you subscribe to the newsletter.
To understand which guides are read and which content topics merit refresh — strictly in aggregate, never tied to an individual.
To respond to email inquiries, corrections, source suggestions, and privacy-rights requests.
To prevent abuse and keep the site online (rate-limiting, bot-mitigation, outage diagnosis).

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We do not use personal information for behavioural advertising, profiling, or any form of automated decision-making with legal effect.

Cookies and similar technologies

The site uses a small number of cookies and equivalent storage mechanisms. We disclose them by purpose, not by name, because third-party libraries occasionally rename their cookies:

Strictly necessary. A first-party cookie or local storage entry that records your consent-banner choice. This cannot be disabled because the site needs it to remember your decision.
Analytics (consent-gated). Google Analytics 4 cookies, set only after you accept analytics in the consent banner. See Google's privacy policy.
Affiliate cookies. When you click an Amazon product link, amazon.com sets cookies on its own domain to attribute the visit to DeskGearHQ's Associates tag deskgearhq02-20. DeskGearHQ does not read or access those cookies. See Amazon's cookies notice.

You can withdraw analytics consent at any time by clicking Do Not Sell My Personal Information in the footer (US visitors) or by clearing this site's cookies in your browser. Both clear our analytics cookies and stop further collection.

Third-party services we rely on

DeskGearHQ runs on a small set of well-known service providers. Each processes a narrow slice of data and operates under its own privacy policy:

Vercel — hosting and content delivery. Server-side request logs and global edge delivery. Vercel privacy policy.
Google Analytics 4 — anonymous traffic analytics, consent-gated and IP-anonymized. Google privacy policy.
Brevo — newsletter delivery and subscriber list storage. Receives your email address and source-of-signup when you subscribe. Brevo privacy policy.
ImprovMX — inbound email forwarding. Forwards messages sent to *@deskgearhq.com addresses to our mailbox. ImprovMX privacy policy.
Amazon Associates Program — affiliate click-tracking. Receives only the click event when you follow a product link from this site. Amazon privacy notice. See our affiliate disclosure for the commercial relationship.

Lawful bases (GDPR)

Consent — for analytics cookies and for newsletter subscription. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
Legitimate interests — for operating the site, preventing abuse, and responding to inquiries. We have weighed this against your privacy interests; if you disagree with our assessment, contact us.
Legal obligation — for retaining records when a statutory duty applies.

International data transfers

Some processors (Google, Vercel, Brevo, ImprovMX) are US-headquartered or operate global infrastructure. Where personal data of EU/UK visitors is transferred outside the EEA/UK, we rely on the relevant Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards published by the processor. Documentation is available on request at editor@deskgearhq.com.

California rights — CCPA / CPRA

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

Know what categories of personal information we have collected about you and how we use them (this page is the standing answer).
Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Request deletion of your personal information, subject to statutory exceptions (e.g., legal records).
Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. DeskGearHQ does not sell or share personal information for that purpose; the Do Not Sell My Personal Information control in the site footer also disables analytics cookies as a one-click stronger preference.
Be free of retaliation for exercising any of the rights above.

To exercise any right, email editor@deskgearhq.com with the subject line CCPA request. We do not require identity verification beyond confirming the email address tied to the data we hold (typically the newsletter address).

If you are in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with equivalent protections, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, port, or object to the processing of your personal information, and to withdraw consent at any time. Send requests to editor@deskgearhq.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

Children's privacy

DeskGearHQ is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted personal information through this site, write to editor@deskgearhq.com and we will delete it.

Data retention

Newsletter email addresses are retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion. Every email we send contains a one-click unsubscribe link.
Analytics records are retained for 14 months in Google Analytics' configured retention setting.
Server & security logs are retained for up to 30 days, then rotated.
Email correspondence is retained as long as we have a reasonable need to refer back to it (typically 24 months).

Security

The site is delivered over HTTPS only. Newsletter and inbound-email processing run on managed third-party platforms that maintain their own SOC 2 or equivalent assurances. We don't store payment information or run user accounts, which materially limits the attack surface.

Changes to this policy

When the site's data practices change in a material way, we update the Last updated date at the top of this page and (for newsletter subscribers) include a one-line note in the next dispatch. Older versions are available on request.

Contact

Privacy requests, complaints, and corrections go to editor@deskgearhq.com. The companion documents are our affiliate disclosure (commercial relationships, FTC compliance) and the methodology page (how we evaluate products without first-hand testing). Editorial questions are handled by Nick Miles.