Payette Forward Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 11, 2026

Payette Forward, Inc. (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates payetteforward.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website.

By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our website.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

Contact Forms (Gravity Forms): When you submit a contact form, we collect your name and email address.
Comments (wpDiscuz): When you leave a comment on an article, we collect your name, email address, and IP address.
Forum Accounts (bbPress): When you register for our forums, we collect your username, email address, and any profile information you choose to provide.
Newsletter Signup (Sendy): When you subscribe to our email newsletter, we collect your email address.

Information Collected Automatically

Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics 4 (via Google Tag Manager) to collect information about how you use our website, including pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and general device and browser information.
Advertising Data: We use Google Ads (via Google Tag Manager) to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. This may involve collecting data related to ad interactions.
Security and Performance Data: Cloudflare, our content delivery network and security provider, may collect your IP address, browser type, and the country you are visiting from (via the CF-IPCountry header) to provide security, performance optimization, and page caching (Cloudflare APO).
Server-Side Caching: We use Redis for server-side object caching to improve website performance. Redis does not store any personal user data.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. For detailed information about each cookie, please see our Cookie Policy.

Cookies We Use

gtm_consent (localStorage): Stores your cookie consent preferences.
_ga, _gid (Google Analytics): Used to distinguish users and track website usage. Set only when analytics consent is granted.
Cloudflare cookies (__cf_bm, cf_clearance): Used for security, bot detection, and content delivery.
WordPress session cookies (wordpress_*, wp-settings-*): Used for logged-in forum users to maintain session state.

Cookie Consent

We use a cookie consent banner powered by Google Consent Mode v2:

EU/EEA/UK visitors: All non-essential cookies are denied by default. You must actively opt in before any analytics or advertising cookies are set. This complies with GDPR requirements.
Non-EU visitors: Analytics cookies are enabled by default. Advertising storage is denied by default. You may change your preferences at any time using the consent banner.

How We Use Your Information

To respond to your inquiries submitted through contact forms
To provide and maintain our forums and comment features
To send newsletter emails you have subscribed to
To analyze website usage and improve our content and user experience
To measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns
To protect our website from spam, abuse, and security threats
To send transactional emails (via Post SMTP) such as forum notifications and password resets
To track affiliate link clicks (via Pretty Links) to measure referral performance

Lawful Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the EU, EEA, or UK, we process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

Consent: For setting analytics and advertising cookies, sending marketing newsletters, and processing comment data. You may withdraw consent at any time.
Legitimate Interest: For website security (Cloudflare), spam prevention (Akismet), server-side performance caching (Redis), and affiliate link tracking.
Contract: For providing forum account services you have registered for.

Third-Party Services

We share data with the following third-party service providers:

Google LLC (Analytics, Ads, Tag Manager): Collects website usage data and advertising interaction data. Google Privacy Policy
Cloudflare, Inc. (CDN, Security, APO): Processes IP addresses and request data for content delivery and security. Cloudflare Privacy Policy
Automattic Inc. / Akismet: Comment data (name, email, IP address, comment content) is sent to Akismet’s servers for spam detection. Automattic Privacy Policy
Sendy / Amazon SES: Email addresses provided for newsletter subscriptions are stored and processed for email delivery.

Affiliate Links and Advertising

Our website contains affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, the destination site may set its own cookies and collect data according to its own privacy policy. We track affiliate link clicks internally using Pretty Links to measure referral performance. We may also display advertisements through Google AdSense or Google Ad Manager.

Data Retention

Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 2 years, then deleted.
Comments: Retained indefinitely as part of the published discussion, unless you request deletion.
Forum accounts: Retained as long as your account is active. You may request account deletion at any time.
Newsletter subscriptions: Retained until you unsubscribe.
Analytics data: Retained by Google Analytics according to our data retention settings (14 months).
Server logs: Retained for up to 90 days for security and debugging purposes.

Your Rights Under GDPR (EU/EEA/UK Residents)

If you are a resident of the EU, EEA, or UK, you have the following rights:

Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data.
Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your data.
Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time by adjusting your preferences in the cookie consent banner or contacting us directly.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

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

Your Rights Under CCPA (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

Right to Know: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
Right to Delete: You may request that we delete personal information we have collected from you.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days.

Children’s Privacy (COPPA)

Our website is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected] and we will promptly delete that information.

Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including SSL/TLS encryption, Cloudflare security services, and secure server infrastructure. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your own, including the United States and Germany (where our servers are located). These transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards including standard contractual clauses where applicable.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us:

Payette Forward, Inc.
Email: [email protected]
Owner: David Payette