Privacy Policy - Stir & Smile

Effective Date: December 01, 2025

Welcome to Cookful Hub (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our website, cookfulhub.com (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Site.

We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the “Last Updated” date of this Privacy Policy. You are encouraged to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed of updates.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information You Provide

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

Subscribe to our email newsletter
Leave comments on recipes or blog posts
Contact us through contact forms
Participate in surveys or promotions
Create an account (if applicable)
Submit recipes or content

This personal information may include:

Name
Email address
Username
Any other information you choose to provide in comments or communications

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing actions, including:

Log Data:

IP address
Browser type and version
Operating system
Pages you visit on our Site
Time and date of your visit
Time spent on pages
Referring website addresses
Other diagnostic data

Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our Site and store certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data that may include an anonymous unique identifier. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Site.

Types of cookies we use:

Essential Cookies: Required for the Site to function properly
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our Site
Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements to you
Preference Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party services such as:

Social media platforms (if you interact with us through social media)
Analytics providers
Advertising networks
Email service providers

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect in the following ways:

2.1 To Provide and Maintain Our Service

Operate and maintain the Site
Improve, personalize, and expand our Site
Understand and analyze how you use our Site
Develop new products, services, features, and functionality

2.2 To Communicate with You

Send you newsletters and marketing communications (with your consent)
Respond to your comments, questions, and requests
Provide customer support
Send you technical notices, updates, security alerts, and administrative messages

2.3 To Display Advertisements

Show you relevant advertisements through Google AdSense and other advertising partners
Measure the effectiveness of advertisements
Understand your interests to provide more relevant content

2.4 To Comply with Legal Obligations

Comply with applicable laws and regulations
Respond to legal requests and prevent harm
Enforce our terms and conditions

2.5 Other Purposes

Detect, prevent, and address technical issues
Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities
Protect against fraudulent, unauthorized, or illegal activity

3. Google AdSense and Advertising

3.1 Third-Party Advertising

We use Google AdSense to serve advertisements on our Site. Google AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to collect information about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.

Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our Site and/or other sites on the Internet.

3.2 DoubleClick Cookie

Google uses the DoubleClick cookie to enable it and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to our Site and other sites on the Internet. The DoubleClick cookie is used by Google in the ads served on our Site and other sites on the Internet.

3.3 Third-Party Vendors

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our Site or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visit to our Site and/or other sites on the Internet.

3.4 Personalized Advertising

You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting the following:

Google Ads Settings: https://www.google.com/settings/ads
Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out: http://www.aboutads.info/choices/
Network Advertising Initiative opt-out: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/

3.5 Ad Partners

We may work with additional third-party advertising partners who may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your online activities across different websites and services. These partners may include:

Google AdSense
Media.net
Amazon Associates
Other affiliate marketing networks

For more information about how Google uses data when you use our Site, please visit: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

3.6 Ezoic Services

Ezoic Services
This website uses the services of Ezoic Inc. (“Ezoic”), including to manage third-party interest-based advertising. Ezoic may employ a variety of technologies on this website, including tools to serve content, display advertisements and enable advertising to visitors of this website, which may utilize first and third-party cookies.
A cookie is a small text file sent to your device by a web server that enables the website to remember information about your browsing activity. First-party cookies are created by the site you are visiting, while third-party cookies are set by domains other than the one you’re visiting. Ezoic and our partners may place third-party cookies, tags, beacons, pixels, and similar technologies to monitor interactions with advertisements and optimize ad targeting. Please note that disabling cookies may limit access to certain content and features on the website, and rejecting cookies does not eliminate advertisements but will result in non-personalized advertising. You can find more information about cookies and how to manage them here.
The following information may be collected, used, and stored in a cookie when serving personalized ads:

IP address
Operating system type and version
Device type
Language preferences
Web browser type
Email (in a hashed or encrypted form)

Ezoic and its partners may use this data in combination with information that has been independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements across various platforms and websites. Ezoic’s partners may also gather additional data, such as unique IDs, advertising IDs, geolocation data, usage data, device information, traffic data, referral sources, and interactions between users and websites or advertisements, to create audience segments for targeted advertising across different devices, browsers, and apps. You can find more information about interest-based advertising and how to manage them here.
You can view Ezoic’s privacy policy here, or for additional information about Ezoic’s advertising and other partners, you can view Ezoic’s advertising partners here.

4. Email Marketing and Communications

4.1 Newsletter Subscriptions

If you subscribe to our email newsletter, we will use your email address to send you regular updates, recipes, tips, and promotional content. You can unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email we send you, or by contacting us directly.

4.2 Email Service Providers

We may use third-party email service providers (such as Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or similar services) to manage and send our email communications. These providers have access to your email address and name solely for the purpose of sending emails on our behalf and are obligated to protect your information.

4.3 Transactional Emails

We may send you transactional emails related to your use of the Site, such as:

Comment notifications
Password reset emails
Important updates about our services

You cannot opt out of transactional emails as they are necessary for the operation of our services.

5. Social Media

Our Site may contain links to social media platforms and may include social media features such as share buttons. When you interact with these features, the social media platforms may collect information about you. Your interactions with social media features are governed by the privacy policies of the companies providing them.

We may also maintain social media accounts on platforms such as:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter/X
YouTube

Information you provide through these platforms is subject to their respective privacy policies.

6. Comments and User-Generated Content

6.1 Public Information

When you leave comments on our Site, the information you provide (such as your name and comment content) may be publicly visible. Please do not include sensitive personal information in your comments.

6.2 Comment Moderation

We reserve the right to monitor, edit, or remove comments that we determine to be inappropriate, offensive, or in violation of our terms of use.

6.3 Gravatar

If you leave a comment, we may use the Gravatar service to display your profile picture. Gravatar is operated by Automattic and is subject to their privacy policy.

7. Analytics and Performance

7.1 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit the Site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our Site.

Google Analytics uses cookies to collect this information. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Site will be transmitted to and stored by Google. Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the Site, compile reports on Site activity, and provide other services relating to Site activity and internet usage.

For more information on Google Analytics privacy practices, visit: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

7.2 Other Analytics Tools

We may use additional analytics tools such as:

Hotjar (heatmaps and user behavior tracking)
Cloudflare Analytics
WordPress Statistics (if applicable)

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

SSL/TLS encryption for data transmission
Secure servers and databases
Regular security assessments
Access controls and authentication
Regular backups

However, please note that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

9. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Email subscriber information: Retained until you unsubscribe
Comments: Retained indefinitely unless you request deletion
Analytics data: Retained according to our analytics providers’ policies (typically 26-50 months)
Log files: Typically retained for 30-90 days

When we no longer need your personal information, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

10. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

10.1 Right to Access

You have the right to request copies of your personal information.

10.2 Right to Rectification

You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.

10.3 Right to Erasure

You have the right to request that we erase your personal information, under certain conditions.

10.4 Right to Restrict Processing

You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information, under certain conditions.

10.5 Right to Object to Processing

You have the right to object to our processing of your personal information, under certain conditions.

10.6 Right to Data Portability

You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

10.7 Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

10.8 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact information provided below. We will respond to your request within one month.

10.9 Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

We process your personal information under the following legal bases:

Consent: When you have given us explicit consent (e.g., newsletter subscriptions)
Legitimate Interests: For analytics, improving our Site, and marketing (where not overridden by your rights)
Legal Obligation: To comply with applicable laws
Contract: To provide services you have requested

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

11.1 Right to Know

You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.

11.2 Right to Delete

You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

11.3 Right to Opt-Out of Sale

We do not sell your personal information. However, we use third-party advertising that may be considered a “sale” under CCPA. You can opt out of personalized advertising as described in Section 3.4.

11.4 Right to Non-Discrimination

You have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your CCPA rights.

11.5 Shine the Light Law

California residents may request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

11.6 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise your CCPA rights, please contact us using the information provided below. We will verify your identity before processing your request.

12. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from children without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

13. International Data Transfers

Your information, including personal information, may be transferred to and maintained on computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those of your jurisdiction.

If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the information, including personal information, to the United States and process it there.

For users in the EEA, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers, such as:

Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
Adequacy decisions
Other legally approved mechanisms

14. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, plugins, and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our Site, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Third-party services we may link to or use include:

Recipe sharing platforms
Social media platforms
Affiliate merchant websites
Payment processors (if applicable)
Cloud storage services

15. Affiliate Links and Sponsored Content

15.1 Affiliate Programs

Our Site may contain affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. We are participants in affiliate programs including:

Amazon Associates
ShareASale
Other merchant affiliate programs

15.2 Sponsored Content

We may publish sponsored content or reviews. All sponsored content will be clearly disclosed. Our opinions remain our own, and we only promote products and services we believe will be valuable to our readers.

15.3 Your Information

When you click on affiliate links, the merchant may collect information about your visit according to their own privacy policy. We do not have access to or control over the information collected by these third parties.

16. Do Not Track Signals

Some web browsers and devices permit you to broadcast a preference that you not be “tracked” online. At this time, we do not respond to “Do Not Track” signals.

17. Cookie Consent and Management

17.1 EU Cookie Consent

For visitors from the European Union, we use a cookie consent banner to obtain your consent before setting non-essential cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through our cookie settings.

17.2 How to Control Cookies

You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed. However, if you do this, you may have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit our Site, and some services and functionalities may not work.

Browser-specific instructions:

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
Updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy
Sending an email notification to our newsletter subscribers (for material changes)

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

19. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Cookful Hub

By Email: contact@stirandsmile.com

Website: https://stirandsmile.com

Response Time: We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days of receipt.

20. Data Protection Officer

For EU residents, if you have questions about how we handle your personal information or wish to exercise your GDPR rights, you may contact us at: GPDR@stirandsmile.com

21. Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority:

For EU Residents: You can contact your local data protection authority. A list of EU data protection authorities is available at: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/board/members_en

For UK Residents: Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

For California Residents: California Attorney General’s Office Website: https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company

Summary of Key Points

For your convenience, here is a summary of the key points of this Privacy Policy:

✓ What We Collect: Name, email, comments, and automatic information (IP address, browser data, cookies)

✓ How We Use It: To provide our service, send newsletters, display ads, improve our Site, and comply with laws

✓ Advertising: We use Google AdSense and may use other ad networks; you can opt out of personalized ads

✓ Your Rights: You can access, correct, delete your data, and opt out of marketing communications

✓ Cookies: We use cookies for functionality, analytics, and advertising; you can control cookies in your browser

✓ Third Parties: We use service providers for email, analytics, and advertising who may access your information

✓ Security: We implement appropriate security measures to protect your data

✓ Children: Our Site is not intended for children under 13 (or 16 in the EEA)

✓ Contact: You can contact us with any questions or to exercise your privacy rights

Consent

By using our Site, you consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.

Additional Resources:

Disclaimer: https://stirandsmile.com/disclaimer

Cookie Policy: https://stirandsmile.com/cookie-policy