Privacy Policy

Effective date: 2026-05-13
Last reviewed on: 2026-05-13

Who this policy applies to

This privacy policy explains how LinuxToday.net (the "website", "we", "us") handles information when you visit linuxtoday.net or any of its subpages. It applies to all visitors and is intended to be read alongside the Terms of Service and the Cookies Policy.

The site does not require account creation, does not host user comments and does not collect personal information directly through forms. The data described below is collected automatically by the website itself and by the third-party services it uses.

What data is collected automatically

Server logs

Our web host records standard request information for each page view: the requesting IP address, the user-agent string sent by your browser, the referring page (if any), the URL requested, the response status and the time of the request. These logs are retained for a limited period for security, abuse-prevention and operational purposes and are then deleted.

Google Analytics

The site uses Google Analytics (a service provided by Google LLC and, for users in the EEA and UK, by Google Ireland Limited) to understand aggregate visitor behaviour — which pages are read, how visitors find them, which devices and browsers are used. Google Analytics sets first-party cookies on your browser, processes IP addresses and assigns a pseudonymous identifier per browser. We have configured Google Analytics to anonymise the last octet of IP addresses where supported.

Google acts as our data processor for analytics. Their own data handling is described in the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Analytics privacy overview. You can opt out of Google Analytics across all sites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Google AdSense and third-party advertising

This website uses Google AdSense to display advertising. The way AdSense works is summarised below; the authoritative description is in Google's policies linked from this section.

  • Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on this site.
  • Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
  • You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings.
  • You may also opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting aboutads.info or, in the EU, youronlinechoices.com.

Google's advertising and privacy practices are described in the How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services notice. Google AdSense may share data with a list of third-party advertising vendors; the current list is published by Google at Google's certified ad partners.

If applicable consent rules apply to you (for example, the EU GDPR's ePrivacy requirements), Google's consent management mechanism may prompt you before personalised advertising cookies are set, and non-personalised ads may be served if consent is withheld.

What data is collected via email

If you contact us by email at one of the addresses on the contact page, your message and email address are stored by our mail provider so that we can read and reply to it. We don't add the address to any marketing list and we don't share it with third parties for commercial purposes. Email correspondence is deleted when it's no longer needed for the conversation.

What data is not collected

LinuxToday.net does not collect:

  • User accounts, passwords or authentication credentials (there are no accounts).
  • Payment details (no payments are taken on the site).
  • Names, addresses, phone numbers, or other personal information through web forms (there are no forms beyond the search box, which is processed only in your browser).
  • Precise location data.

Cookies

The site uses cookies set by Google Analytics, Google AdSense and Google's advertising partners. A full list, including purpose, type and retention, is on the Cookies Policy page. You can disable cookies in your browser settings; the site's editorial content remains readable without them.

Legal basis for processing (EU/EEA and UK users)

Where the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, our legal bases for processing are:

  • Legitimate interests for operating the website, maintaining security and understanding aggregate usage through analytics.
  • Consent, where required, for personalised advertising and any non-essential cookies. Consent is collected through the Google consent mechanism on first visit and can be withdrawn at any time.
  • Legitimate interests for replying to email you send us.

Your rights

Depending on your location, you have rights that include:

  • Access — ask what data we hold about you.
  • Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate information.
  • Erasure — ask us to delete information we hold about you.
  • Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Portability — receive a copy of your data in a portable format.
  • Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent.
  • Lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority.

In practice, the data we hold directly is minimal; most data is held by Google as described above, and the most effective way to exercise rights regarding analytics and advertising is through Google's own controls and your browser's cookie settings.

To exercise any of these rights against data we hold ourselves, email privacy@linuxtoday.net.

California users (CCPA / CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act, California residents have the right to know which categories of personal information are collected, to request deletion, and to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. We do not sell personal information for money. The use of third-party advertising cookies may constitute "sharing" under California law; users in California can opt out via Google Ad Settings as described above.

Children's privacy

The site is intended for general audiences interested in Linux and open source software. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or the applicable minimum age in your jurisdiction). If you believe a child has provided personal information through the site, please contact us so we can remove it.

Security

The site is served exclusively over HTTPS. We rely on our hosting and analytics providers' security measures for data they process on our behalf. Because the site does not run server-side application code or hold a user database, the attack surface for data loss is small.

International transfers

Some of the third-party services this site relies on (notably Google) are operated by companies based in the United States and may transfer data outside your country of residence. These providers rely on Standard Contractual Clauses and other transfer mechanisms approved by the European Commission and the UK ICO where applicable.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last reviewed on" date at the top of the page; continued use of the site after a change indicates acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For privacy-related questions, please write to privacy@linuxtoday.net. The contact page lists the other ways to reach us.

This policy is provided for informational purposes and is not legal advice. If you operate a website similar to this one, please consult a legal professional for advice on your specific obligations under the laws that apply to you.