Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 29, 2025 Last Updated: January 29, 2025

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Introduction

RTFM.guide (“we”, “our”, or “us”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services.

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Information We Collect

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Information You Provide

Account Information

• Name
• Email address
• Password (encrypted)
• Profile information (bio, location, social links - when available)

Content You Create

• Guides you write
• Comments you post
• Reactions you give
• Guides you save

Communications

• Support requests
• Feedback and surveys
• Reports and appeals
• Newsletter subscriptions (optional)

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Automatically Collected Information

Usage Data

• Pages visited
• Time spent on site
• Guides viewed
• Search queries
• Click patterns

Technical Data

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device information
• Operating system
• Referral source

Cookies and Tracking

• Session cookies (essential)
• Preference cookies (theme, content mode)
• Analytics cookies (optional)

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How We Use Your Information

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Primary Uses

Provide Our Services

• Create and manage your account
• Display your content
• Enable features (saving, commenting, reactions)
• Send transactional emails

Improve Our Services

• Analyze usage patterns
• Fix bugs and issues
• Develop new features
• Optimize performance

Communicate With You

• Service updates
• Security alerts
• Policy changes
• Response to inquiries
• Newsletter updates (only if you subscribe)

Ensure Security

• Prevent fraud and abuse
• Enforce our terms
• Protect user safety
• Comply with legal requirements

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We Do NOT

• ❌ Sell your personal information (including newsletter subscriber emails)
• ❌ Share data with advertisers or third-party marketers
• ❌ Track you across other websites
• ❌ Send unsolicited marketing emails
• ❌ Use your content for AI training without permission
• ❌ Share newsletter subscriber emails with anyone

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Information Sharing

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We Share Information With:

Service Providers

• Hosting providers (for infrastructure)
• Email service (for transactional emails)
• Analytics service (for aggregated statistics)
• Cloudflare (for Real-time User Monitoring worldwide, security, and performance)

All providers are contractually required to protect your data. Legal Requirements We may disclose information if required by:

• Law enforcement or court order
• Protection of our rights or property
• Prevention of fraud or abuse
• User safety or public interest

Business Transfers If we’re acquired or merged, your information may transfer to the new entity.

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We Will NEVER Share:

• Your email address publicly
• Your private guides
• Your saved guides
• Your personal messages (when implemented)

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Your Rights and Choices

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Access and Control

View Your Data

• Access your account information
• See all guides you’ve created
• View your comments and reactions
• Review your activity (coming soon)

Modify Your Data

• Update your profile
• Edit or delete your guides
• Delete your comments
• Change preferences

Delete Your Data

• Request account deletion
• Remove specific content
• Revoke permissions

Export Your Data (Coming Soon)

• Download your guides
• Export comments
• Get account data

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Cookies and Tracking

Essential Cookies (Cannot be disabled)

• Session management
• Security features
• Basic functionality

Optional Cookies (Can be disabled)

• Analytics
• Preferences
• Performance monitoring

Manage cookies through your browser settings.

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Email Communications

Transactional Emails (Cannot be unsubscribed)

• Account verification
• Password resets
• Security alerts
• Legal notices

Optional Emails (Can be unsubscribed)

• Notification emails
• Product updates
• Community digest
• Newsletter updates (weekly highlights, tips, and curated content)

Manage in your notification settings or use the unsubscribe link in any email.

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Data Security

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How We Protect Your Data

Technical Measures

• HTTPS encryption (all traffic)
• Password hashing (bcrypt)
• Secure session management
• Regular security updates
• Firewall protection

Access Controls

• Limited staff access
• Audit logs
• Two-factor authentication (coming soon)
• Regular access reviews

Data Backup

• Regular automated backups
• Encrypted storage
• Disaster recovery plan
• Geographic redundancy

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Data Retention

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How Long We Keep Data

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Deletion Requests

When you delete your account:

1. Immediate: Account disabled, data hidden
2. 30 days: Data marked for deletion
3. 90 days: Permanent deletion from backups

You can cancel deletion within 30 days.

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Children’s Privacy

RTFM.guide is not intended for users under 13 years old. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If we discover such data, we will delete it immediately. Parents: Contact us if you believe we’ve collected your child’s information.

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International Users

RTFM.guide is operated in the United Kingdom. If you’re accessing from elsewhere:

• Your data may be transferred to our servers
• Data protection laws may differ
• You consent to this transfer by using our service

EU Users: We respect GDPR rights including access, rectification, erasure, and portability.

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Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy to reflect:

• Changes to our practices
• Legal requirements
• New features

Notice of Changes:

• Prominent notice on website
• Email to registered users (for material changes)
• 30 days before taking effect

Your Options:

• Continue using the service (acceptance)
• Delete your account (before effective date)

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Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights including: Access: Request copies of your personal data Rectification: Correct inaccurate data Erasure: Request deletion (“right to be forgotten”) Restriction: Limit how we use your data Portability: Receive data in structured format Objection: Object to certain processing Withdraw Consent: Opt out of optional processing To exercise these rights, contact privacy@rtfm.guide.

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Contact Us

Privacy Questions: privacy@rtfm.guide Data Requests: privacy@rtfm.guide Security Issues: security@rtfm.guide General Support: support@rtfm.guide Response Time: Within 30 days

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California Privacy Rights

California residents have additional rights under CCPA:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt-out of sale (we don’t sell data)
• Right to deletion
• Right to non-discrimination

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Cookie Policy

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Types of Cookies We Use

Strictly Necessary (Always active)

• Authentication
• Security
• Load balancing

Functional (Can be disabled)

• Remember preferences
• Save language settings
• Store theme choice

Analytics (Can be disabled)

• Understand usage
• Improve performance
• Track errors

No Advertising Cookies: We don’t use cookies for ads or tracking across sites.

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Questions? Contact privacy@rtfm.guide Download PDF: Privacy Policy PDF (coming soon)