Privacy policy

FamilyShield Online is a free, independent educational resource about family online safety, written for English-speaking families wherever they live. This policy explains, in plain language, what information this site collects, how cookies and advertising work here, how payments are handled if you choose to support the site, and the rights you have depending on where you live. It applies to visitors everywhere, with region-specific detail called out for the US, UK, EU (including Ireland), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa where the law differs.

1. Who we are

FamilyShield Online ("we," "us," "our") operates www.familyshieldonline.com. For the purposes of GDPR and UK GDPR, FamilyShield Online is the data controller for the information described in this policy.

FamilyShield Online is operated by an individual, not a registered company. Contact: [email protected]

2. Information we collect

Information you provide directly. If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message. If you make a donation or payment through Stripe, Stripe collects your payment details directly; see "Payments" below.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, when you visit, we and our advertising partners may automatically collect standard technical information such as browser type, device type, approximate location derived from your IP address, pages viewed, and the site that referred you, usually through cookies or similar technologies.

Kids Corner. Nothing is collected here. The interactive safety-mission game and printable certificate run entirely in your browser. Any name typed into the certificate field is never sent to us or stored anywhere except your own browser, and disappears if you clear your browser data.

3. Cookies and advertising

This site uses cookies. Some are strictly necessary, like remembering the US/UK/EU region you selected. Others are used by third-party advertising partners, including Google AdSense, to show ads and, where you've given consent, to personalize them based on your visits to this and other sites.

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 based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet. You can:

• Opt out of personalized advertising through Google using Google Ads Settings
• Opt out of participating third-party vendors' use of cookies at aboutads.info/choices (US)
• Opt out of behavioral advertising at youronlinechoices.eu (EU/UK)

If you're visiting from the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, we ask for your consent before any non-essential cookies are set, through the consent banner shown on your first visit. You can change your choice at any time using the "Cookie preferences" link in the site footer.

Kids Corner and advertising. We don't show any advertising inside the Kids Corner section, in line with Google's protections for content aimed at children.

4. Payments (Stripe)

FamilyShield Online is free to use. If you choose to make a voluntary donation to help cover hosting and maintenance costs, that donation, whether one-time or recurring, is processed by Stripe, Inc., not by us directly. We never see or store your full card number.

• Stripe collects the billing information you enter (name, email, billing address, card details) directly, and processes it under its own privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy
• We receive limited transaction information back from Stripe, such as the donation amount, date, and a payment reference, to keep our own records and, if you choose a recurring donation, to manage that subscription
• Stripe may transfer and store data internationally and retain it as required by financial and tax regulation, independent of our own retention practices
• If Stripe's identity-verification tools are ever used, you may be asked to share additional sensitive information directly with Stripe under its own policy, not ours
• Donations are not payment for goods or services; no personal data collected during a donation is used for advertising

5. How we use information

• To operate, maintain, and improve the site
• To respond to messages sent to [email protected]
• To process donations or payments, if applicable, through Stripe
• To serve advertising that helps keep this resource free, personalized only where you've consented to it

We do not sell personal information, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. See "Kids Corner" above.

6. Your rights in the European Union (GDPR)

If you're located in the EU/EEA, you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, request correction or deletion, object to or restrict certain processing, receive a copy of your data in a portable format, and lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority, findable through the European Data Protection Board.

Our legal bases for processing are consent (for advertising cookies), legitimate interest (for basic site operation and security), and contract (for any payment you make).

7. Your rights in the United Kingdom (UK GDPR)

UK visitors have the same set of rights as EU visitors, under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. If you believe we've mishandled your data, you can lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

8. Your rights in the United States

Depending on your state, you may have rights under laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) and similar laws in other states, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request deletion, and the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information, which under these laws can include some forms of ad personalization.

We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a valid opt-out request. To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected].

8a. Your rights in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

If you're located in one of these countries, similar rights generally apply under your own national law: Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), overseen by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada; Australia's Privacy Act 1988, overseen by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC); New Zealand's Privacy Act 2020, overseen by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner; and South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), overseen by the Information Regulator. To exercise any rights you have under these laws, email [email protected], or contact your national authority directly.

9. Data retention

We keep contact-form emails only as long as needed to respond to and resolve your question. Stripe retains payment records independently, as required by financial and tax law.

10. International transfers

Because our advertising and payment partners (Google, Stripe) operate globally, your information may be processed outside your home country. Those partners maintain their own safeguards for international transfers, such as Standard Contractual Clauses; see their respective privacy policies for details.

11. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect this site. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to this policy

We'll update the "last updated" date above whenever this policy changes. We encourage you to check back periodically, especially before making a payment or donation.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data: [email protected]