Legal

Privacy Policy

How we collect, use, and protect your personal data — in plain English.

Last Updated: May 15, 2026
Plain English Summary: We collect basic analytics data to understand how people use our site, we serve ads via Google AdSense, we use Impact.com to track affiliate link clicks, and if you subscribe to our newsletter we store your email with Beehiiv. We never sell your personal data. You can request deletion of your data at any time by emailing privacy@bestsportsmag.com.
Contents

1. Who We Are

BestSportsMag.com ("we", "us", "our") is an independent sports media website publishing news, analysis, gear reviews, and collectibles coverage across football, cricket, volleyball, and related sports categories. We operate globally and serve readers primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, and South Asia.

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK GDPR, BestSportsMag.com acts as the data controller for personal data collected through this website.

For all data protection enquiries, contact us at: privacy@bestsportsmag.com

2. What Data We Collect & Why

Data You Provide Directly

  • Contact form submissions — name, email address, and message content. Used to respond to your enquiry. Retention: up to 12 months.
  • Newsletter subscription — email address and subscription date. Used to send our daily sports briefing. Retained until you unsubscribe.

Data Collected Automatically

  • IP address — collected automatically when you visit our site. Used for security, fraud prevention, and geographic analytics. Anonymised within Google Analytics.
  • Browser and device information — browser type, operating system, screen resolution, device type. Used for site optimisation.
  • Pages visited and time on site — used via Google Analytics to understand content performance and improve the site.
  • Referring URL — the website that directed you to ours, used to understand traffic sources.
  • Affiliate click data — when you click an affiliate link, Impact.com records a click event linked to a session identifier. See Section 6.
  • Ad interaction data — Google AdSense records ad impressions and clicks for billing and optimisation purposes. See Section 5.

Data We Do Not Collect

  • We do not collect payment card or banking information
  • We do not collect government-issued identification numbers
  • We do not collect sensitive personal data (health, religion, ethnicity, political views)
  • We do not collect data related to sports betting, gambling, or wagering activity
  • We do not create user accounts or collect login credentials

Under the GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The following table sets out the legal basis we rely on for each type of processing:

  • Newsletter emails — Consent (Article 6(1)(a)). You opt in when subscribing. You may withdraw consent by unsubscribing at any time.
  • Contact form responses — Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)). We have a legitimate interest in responding to enquiries directed to us.
  • Google Analytics — Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)). We have a legitimate interest in understanding how our content performs. Analytics data is anonymised and aggregated.
  • Google AdSense personalised ads — Consent (Article 6(1)(a)). Where required by applicable law, we obtain consent before serving personalised advertisements.
  • Affiliate click tracking — Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)). We have a legitimate interest in tracking affiliate referrals to accurately attribute commissions for content we produce.
  • Security and fraud prevention — Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)). We have a legitimate interest in protecting our website from abuse and attack.

4. Third-Party Services & Data Processors

We use a number of third-party services that may process your personal data on our behalf. Each operates under its own privacy policy and is bound by data processing agreements where required by GDPR:

We do not authorise any third-party processor to use your personal data for their own purposes beyond the services they provide to us, except where they act as independent controllers under their own privacy policies (for example, Google's use of data for its own advertising network).

5. Google AdSense & Advertising

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on this website. Google AdSense is operated by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to serve advertisements based on your browsing history and interests. This is known as interest-based or personalised advertising. Google may combine data from your visits to our website with data from other websites in the Google Display Network to build an advertising profile linked to your browser or device.

How to Opt Out of Personalised Advertising

Note that opting out of personalised advertising does not mean you will stop seeing ads on this website — it means the ads you see will be less tailored to your interests.

6. Affiliate Tracking (Impact.com)

When you click an affiliate link on BestSportsMag.com, you are redirected through Impact.com's tracking infrastructure. Impact.com places a cookie on your device to record the referral and attribute any subsequent purchase to our website. This allows us to receive the commission described in our Terms & Conditions.

The data recorded by Impact.com when you click an affiliate link typically includes:

  • A unique click identifier (not personally identifiable)
  • The date and time of the click
  • The referring page on our website
  • Your IP address (processed by Impact.com, not stored by us)
  • Whether a purchase was subsequently made and the transaction value

We do not receive or store your payment details, name, or address from any affiliate purchase. For more information on how Impact.com processes this data, see the Impact.com Privacy Policy.

7. Analytics (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect anonymised information about how visitors use this website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect data including pages visited, time on site, traffic source, and device type.

We have enabled IP anonymisation in Google Analytics, meaning your full IP address is never stored by Google on our behalf. Data is aggregated and used solely to improve the website and understand audience demographics.

Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months by default. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

8. Newsletter (Beehiiv)

If you subscribe to the BestSportsMag daily briefing, your email address is stored and managed by Beehiiv Inc., our email marketing platform. Beehiiv is based in the United States and processes data in accordance with its own Privacy Policy.

By subscribing, you consent to receiving email communications from us and agree to the processing of your email address by Beehiiv for the purpose of delivering these emails. Beehiiv may use tracking pixels in emails to record open rates and click-through rates. This data is used by us solely to understand newsletter performance.

Unsubscribing

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link in any email we send. Your email address will be removed from our active mailing list within 10 business days. Unsubscribed addresses may be retained on a suppression list to prevent accidental re-subscription.

9. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use the following categories of cookies:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be disabled. They include session management and security cookies set by WordPress and Hostinger. No personal data is collected beyond what is technically necessary.

Analytics Cookies

Set by Google Analytics (cookies: _ga, _ga_*, _gid). These collect anonymised information about how visitors use our site. Duration: up to 2 years. You can opt out via the Google Analytics opt-out tool.

Advertising Cookies

Set by Google AdSense and the Google Display Network. These cookies track your browsing activity to serve relevant advertisements. They may include: IDE, DSID, __gads, __gpi. Duration: up to 13 months. Opt out via Google Ad Settings.

Affiliate Tracking Cookies

Set by Impact.com when you click an affiliate link. These cookies allow Impact.com to attribute purchases to our referral. Duration: typically 30 days. For more information see the Impact.com Privacy Policy.

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or be notified when a cookie is set. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of this website. For instructions, visit your browser's help documentation or allaboutcookies.org.

10. How We Share Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

  • With service providers — as described in Section 4, we share data with processors including Google, Impact.com, Beehiiv, and Hostinger, solely to enable them to provide their services to us
  • For legal compliance — where required by law, court order, or government authority, we may disclose data to comply with our legal obligations
  • To protect rights — where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of BestSportsMag.com, our users, or others
  • Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our business, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you in advance where required by law

11. How Long We Keep Your Data

  • Contact form data — 12 months from submission, or longer if required for ongoing correspondence
  • Newsletter subscriber email — retained until you unsubscribe, then moved to a suppression list
  • Google Analytics data — 14 months (Google's default retention period)
  • Server access logs — up to 30 days, retained by Hostinger for security purposes
  • Affiliate click data — processed and retained by Impact.com per their data retention policy

When data is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

12. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party processors are located outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and United Kingdom, including Google LLC and Beehiiv Inc., which are based in the United States.

Where personal data is transferred from the EEA or UK to a country that does not provide an equivalent level of data protection, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
  • The EU-US Data Privacy Framework (where applicable)
  • The UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA)

13. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or any other jurisdiction with equivalent data protection laws, you have the following rights:

  • Right of access (Article 15) — you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, free of charge
  • Right to rectification (Article 16) — you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data
  • Right to erasure (Article 17) — you can request deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling reason for us to continue processing it
  • Right to restrict processing (Article 18) — you can request that we limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances
  • Right to data portability (Article 20) — you can request your data in a structured, commonly-used, machine-readable format
  • Right to object (Article 21) — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes
  • Right to withdraw consent (Article 7) — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal
  • Right not to be subject to automated decision-making — we do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@bestsportsmag.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may request proof of identity before processing your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority:

  • EU: Your national data protection authority (see EDPB Members)
  • UK: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — ico.org.uk
  • USA: Federal Trade Commission — ftc.gov

14. Children's Privacy

BestSportsMag.com is a general sports news website intended for users aged 16 and over (or 13 and over in the United States, in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act — COPPA).

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 16 (or 13 in the US). If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at privacy@bestsportsmag.com and we will take steps to delete the information as quickly as possible.

Our advertising is served through Google AdSense, which has its own policies regarding advertising to minors. We do not intentionally target advertising at children.

15. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

  • SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website (HTTPS)
  • Secure hosting via Hostinger with regular security updates
  • Access controls limiting who can access website administration systems
  • Regular WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates to address security vulnerabilities
  • Spam protection via Akismet on contact and comment forms

Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your data to the best of our ability. In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours as required by GDPR.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page whenever we make material changes.

For significant changes that affect how we process your personal data, we will take reasonable steps to notify you — for example by sending an email to newsletter subscribers or displaying a prominent notice on the website.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

17. Contact & Data Requests

For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the personal data we hold about you, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all data-related requests within 30 days. Complex requests may take up to 3 months, in which case we will notify you of the reason for the delay within the initial 30-day period.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of May 15, 2026. It applies to all personal data collected by BestSportsMag.com through our website, newsletter, contact form, and affiliate link activity. For a summary of our affiliate relationships, see our Terms & Conditions and Affiliate Disclosure.