Privacy Policy

Our Approach to Privacy

Given the sensitive nature of the content on this site, we take your privacy seriously. This policy describes exactly what data we collect through different features of the site, how it is stored, and your rights regarding that data. We do not sell data, run advertising networks, or use third-party tracking scripts.

Page View Analytics

When you visit a page on World Adult Guide, we log basic analytics data to understand site usage. For each page view we record:

• The page path visited (e.g., /countries/thailand)
• The HTTP referrer header, if your browser sends one
• Your browser's user agent string
• Your approximate country, derived from your IP address at the time of the request

We do not store your IP address itself. This data is stored in our Supabase database and used solely to understand which content is most useful to readers. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any other third-party analytics service.

Forum Account and Authentication Cookies

If you create a forum account, we collect your chosen username, email address, and a hashed (never plain-text) password. Upon login, we set two httpOnly cookies on your browser:

• forum_token — a short-lived session token, expires after 7 days
• forum_refresh — a refresh token used to extend your session, expires after 30 days

These cookies are httpOnly (inaccessible to JavaScript) and are used only for authenticating your forum session. They are not used for tracking or advertising. You can end your session at any time by logging out, which clears both cookies.

Admin Authentication Cookie

The site administration panel sets a single httpOnly cookie, admin_token, when an administrator logs in. This cookie is used only to authenticate admin panel requests and is not set for ordinary site visitors.

Newsletter Subscriptions

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address and a confirmation status flag in our database. Specifically:

• Your email address
• Whether you have confirmed your subscription via the confirmation email
• The date you subscribed

We use this data only to send you newsletters you have opted into. We will never share your email address with third parties. Every newsletter contains an unsubscribe link that immediately removes you from the list. You can also request deletion by contacting us directly.

Contact Form Submissions

When you submit the contact form, we store the following in our database:

• Your name (as provided)
• Your email address
• The subject line
• Your message

We use this information only to respond to your inquiry. We do not add contact form submitters to any mailing list. Upon request, we will delete your submission from our records after the matter is resolved.

Quiz Attempts and Certificates

If you complete a quiz and request a certificate, we store:

• Your email address (used to deliver the certificate)
• Your quiz score
• A unique certificate ID
• The date of the attempt

This data is used to generate and deliver your certificate and to allow certificate verification. It is not shared with third parties.

Story Submissions

Stories submitted through the Submit Your Story form are stored in our database for editorial review. Submissions are anonymous by design — we do not require an account or email address to submit a story. Any personal details included in the story text itself are your responsibility to omit.

No Advertising or Third-Party Tracking

We display no advertisements of any kind. There are no ad networks, programmatic advertising, affiliate tracking, or sponsored content on this site. We do not load any third-party tracking or analytics scripts. Our pages do not include:

• Social media widgets or share buttons that phone home
• Third-party comment systems
• External analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Hotjar, etc.)
• Any fingerprinting or device identification technology

Data Storage and Infrastructure

All data described in this policy — page view analytics, forum accounts, newsletter subscribers, contact submissions, quiz records, and story submissions — is stored in a self-hosted PostgreSQL database that we operate on our own dedicated server. It is not stored with a third-party database-as-a-service provider. Data is transmitted over encrypted (TLS) connections, and access to the database is restricted to our own application.

Our site and its database run on a dedicated virtual private server that we control. Standard server access logs (IP addresses, request timestamps, URLs) may be retained as part of normal infrastructure operations; they are not accessed or analyzed by us for tracking.

External Links

This site contains links to external websites — government legal databases, health organizations, advocacy groups, and other resources. When you click an external link, you leave our site and are subject to that website's own privacy practices. We have no control over and accept no responsibility for the privacy practices of external sites.

We recommend using a privacy-focused browser and/or a VPN when browsing sensitive content, including this site and any sites we link to.

Your Privacy Recommendations

While we do our part by minimizing data collection, you may want to take additional steps:

• Use a VPN to encrypt your connection and mask your IP address from your ISP
• Use a privacy-focused browser such as Brave, Firefox with enhanced tracking protection, or Tor Browser
• Use private/incognito mode to prevent local browsing history from being stored
• Be aware that your ISP can see which domains you visit unless you use a VPN or DNS-over-HTTPS

Data Deletion Requests

You have the right to request deletion of any personal data we hold about you. To do so, contact us at admin@worldadultguide.com with the subject line "Data Deletion Request". Please include enough detail to identify your records (e.g., the email address you used). We will process deletion requests within 30 days.

Changes to This Policy

If we change our data collection or privacy practices, we will update this page and note the change on our Changelog. We will never retroactively use existing data for new purposes without updating this policy first.

Contact for Privacy Concerns

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy or how your data is handled, contact us at:

Email: admin@worldadultguide.com