Privacy Policy for The Keto Table

Effective Date: May 5, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to The Keto Table! This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, https://theketotable.com (the “Site”). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data transparently. By using our Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Who We Are

Our website address is: https://theketotable.com.
The Keto Table provides recipes, tips, and information related to the ketogenic diet.

3. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please use our contact form.

4. Information We Collect

We collect information about you directly when you provide it to us, automatically when you navigate through the Site, and potentially from third parties.

• Comments: When you leave comments on the Site, we collect the data shown in the comments form (like your name and comment text), your IP address, and browser user agent string to help detect spam. An anonymized string created from your email address (hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. (Gravatar privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/). If approved, your profile picture may be publicly visible with your comment.
• Newsletter & Email List: If you subscribe to our newsletter or email list (e.g., via Kit.com), we collect your name and email address to send you emails containing recipes, updates, promotions, or other information related to The Keto Table. We use Kit.com as a third-party provider for managing our email list. You can find their privacy practices on their website. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link provided in every email.
• Analytics: We use analytics services (like Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use our Site. This involves collecting data such as your IP address (which may be anonymized), browser type, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring websites. This helps us improve the Site and user experience.
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies (small files stored on your device) and similar technologies to operate the site, analyze performance, track affiliate links, and enhance your experience. See the “Cookies and Tracking Technologies” section below for more details.
• Media: If you upload images to the website (e.g., in comments if enabled), avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract location data from images on the Site.
• User Registration (If Applicable): If we offer user registration, we store the personal information you provide in your user profile (e.g., username, email address). You can usually see, edit, or delete your personal information at any time (username changes may be restricted). Administrators can also access and edit this information.
• Contact Forms (If Applicable): If you contact us via a contact form, we collect the information you provide (like name, email, message) to respond to your inquiry.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

• To operate, maintain, and improve our Site.
• To respond to your comments and inquiries.
• To send you newsletters and other communications you have opted into.
• To analyze website traffic and user behavior to understand our audience and improve content.
• To detect and prevent spam and security threats.
• To track affiliate link referrals for commission purposes.
• To comply with legal obligations.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your browser by websites you visit. We use them for several purposes:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the basic functioning of the Site (e.g., remembering if you’re logged in, comment functionality). WordPress core functions set cookies as described in the original policy (comment saving, login status, screen options, edited post ID).
• Analytics Cookies: Used by services like Google Analytics to collect anonymous data about site usage.
• Affiliate Cookies: When you click on an affiliate link (like those for Amazon Associates), a cookie may be placed on your browser to track the referral. This allows us to earn a commission if you make a qualifying purchase, at no extra cost to you.
• Third-Party Cookies: Embedded content (see below) or other third-party services may set their own cookies.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings, allowing you to refuse or delete them. However, disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the Site. For visitors from regions requiring explicit consent (like the EU/UK), we aim to provide mechanisms for managing cookie preferences (e.g., a consent banner).

7. Embedded Content from Other Websites

Articles on this Site may include embedded content (e.g., videos from YouTube, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you visited the other website directly.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, especially if you have an account and are logged in to that website. We do not control the data collection practices of these third-party sites.

8. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with third-party service providers who help us operate our Site and business, or when legally required. These include:

• Gravatar: If you use Gravatar, your email hash is shared to display your profile picture with comments.
• Spam Detection Services: Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection services (like Akismet).
• Email Marketing Provider (Kit.com): Your name and email are shared with Kit.com to manage our newsletter list and send emails.
• Analytics Provider (e.g., Google Analytics): Anonymized or pseudonymized data is shared to analyze site traffic.
• Affiliate Networks (e.g., Amazon Associates): Cookie data related to clicks on affiliate links is processed by these networks.
• Hosting Provider: Our website host stores site data, including server logs which may contain IP addresses.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process.

9. How Long We Retain Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

• Comments: Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely to recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.
• Analytics Data: Retained according to the policies of our analytics provider (e.g., Google Analytics typically retains data for a set period like 14-26 months).
• Newsletter Data: Retained as long as you remain subscribed. We remove your data upon un-subscription or periodically clean inactive subscribers.
• User Registration Data: Retained as long as your account is active.
• Other Data: Retained as long as needed for the specific purpose (e.g., contact form data until the inquiry is resolved).

10. How We Protect Your Data

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. This includes using technical measures like SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS) for data transmission. However, no internet transmission or electronic storage method is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on your location (especially if you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or California), you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): Request deletion of your personal data, under certain conditions.
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we use your data, under certain conditions.
• Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your data to you or another organization, under certain conditions.
• Right to Object: Object to our processing of your data, under certain conditions (e.g., for direct marketing).
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent to process your data (e.g., for the newsletter).
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: Contact a data protection authority about our collection and use of your data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the “Contact Information” section, or using this contact form. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. Note that certain data may be exempt from such requests due to legal obligations or other legitimate interests.

12. Affiliate Disclosure Reference

The Keto Table participates in affiliate marketing programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This means we may earn commissions on qualifying purchases made through links on our Site, at no extra cost to you. As required: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Please see our main Disclosures page for more details on our affiliate relationships.

13. AI Use Reference

As disclosed on our Disclosures page, we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in content research, generation, or editing. While AI aids our process, all content is reviewed and edited by humans before publication.

14. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 13 (or 16 in some jurisdictions like the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us so we can remove it.

15. Links to Other Websites

Our Site may contain links to other websites not operated by us. If you click a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content or privacy practices of any third-party sites or services.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Effective Date” at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

17. Legal Disclaimer

This Privacy Policy is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. While we strive to keep this policy accurate and compliant, data privacy laws are complex and change frequently. Consult with a qualified legal professional for advice specific to your situation.