Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 19, 2026

This policy explains what personal data CityLifeBytes (citylifebytes.com) collects when you visit, why, who receives it, and what choices you have. We have tried to keep it short and readable.

Who is responsible

CityLifeBytes is published by CityLifeBytes, United States. For any privacy question or request, write to [email protected].

The short version

  • You can read CityLifeBytes without creating an account or giving us your name.
  • We use Google Analytics 4 to understand, in aggregate, how the site is used.
  • The site is funded by advertising from Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
  • You can opt out of personalised advertising at any time (see “Your advertising choices” below).
  • If you visit from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, analytics and advertising cookies are only used with your consent.
  • We do not sell your personal data for money, and we do not build profiles of individual readers ourselves.

What we collect and why

Server and security logs

Like every website, our servers record technical data when you load a page: IP address, date and time, the page requested, the referring page, and your browser and device type. We use this to keep the site running and to detect and stop abuse. The site is delivered through Cloudflare, which processes the same data to protect the site against attacks and may set a strictly necessary security cookie. Logs are kept for up to six weeks.

Messages you send us

If you email us or use the contact page, we receive your name, your email address and whatever you write. We use this only to deal with your message (for example to correct an article) and keep it for up to 24 months.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We use three kinds.

1. Necessary

Cookies needed to deliver the site securely and to remember your privacy choice. They do not need consent and cannot be switched off here.

2. Analytics: Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics tells us which articles are read, roughly where in the world readers are (country and city, derived from the IP address, which Google Analytics 4 does not store), what kind of device they use and which site referred them. It uses first-party cookies (_ga and _ga_*, lasting up to two years) to tell visitors apart. We see statistics, not individuals, and we do not send Google names, email addresses or similar data. Analytics data is kept for 2 months, the Google Analytics default.

You can block Google Analytics on all websites with Google’s opt-out browser add-on.

3. Advertising: Google AdSense

Advertising pays for this site. Ads are served by Google AdSense:

  • Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
  • Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
  • Even when ads are not personalised, cookies or similar identifiers are still used for things like limiting how often you see an ad, measuring ad performance in aggregate, and preventing fraud.

Google explains this in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and in its advertising policies.

Your advertising choices

  • Opt out of personalised advertising from Google in Google Ads Settings.
  • Opt out of many other advertising companies’ cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info/choices (United States) or youronlinechoices.com (Europe).
  • You can also delete or block cookies in your browser settings. The site still works; ads will simply be less relevant.

Consent for visitors from the EEA, the United Kingdom and Switzerland

For visitors from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland we are introducing a consent message, shown when you first arrive. It is provided by Google’s certified consent management platform and follows the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework. Analytics and advertising cookies are only set, and ads are only personalised, if you agree. If you decline, you may still see ads, but they are not based on your data.

You can change or withdraw your choice at any time using the “Privacy and cookie settings” link at the bottom of every page. Your choice is remembered for up to 13 months.

Visitors from the United States

Some US state laws treat the use of advertising cookies as “selling” or “sharing” personal information, or as “targeted advertising”. You can opt out through the choices listed under “Your advertising choices” above and, where shown, through the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link at the bottom of the page. We do not treat you differently for using these rights.

Legal bases (GDPR / UK GDPR)

  • Consent: analytics and advertising cookies, and personalised ads.
  • Legitimate interests: keeping the site secure and working (server logs, Cloudflare), and answering messages you send us.
  • Legal obligation: where the law requires us to keep or disclose information.

Who receives your data

  • Google (Google Ireland Limited and Google LLC, USA): analytics, advertising and the consent message.
  • Cloudflare: content delivery and security.

Some of these companies process data outside your country, including in the United States. Where that happens, transfers rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or on standard contractual clauses. We do not pass your data to anyone else unless the law requires it.

How long we keep data

  • Server and security logs: up to six weeks.
  • Google Analytics data: 2 months (the Google Analytics default).
  • Emails and contact messages: up to 24 months after the matter is closed.
  • Your cookie consent choice: up to 13 months.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have the right to ask us for a copy of your personal data, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to its use, to receive it in a portable format, and to withdraw consent at any time. To use these rights, write to [email protected]. We will answer within one month.

You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority: the authority where you live. In the United States you can also contact the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) or your state attorney general.

Children

CityLifeBytes is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data.

Links to other websites

Our articles link to their sources, and ads lead to advertisers’ websites. Those sites have their own privacy policies, which we do not control.

Changes to this policy

When we change how we handle personal data, we update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

CityLifeBytes, United States. Email: [email protected]. See also our Terms of Use and About page.