In short: We collect as little as possible. If you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address. We use analytics cookies to understand how the site is read, and affiliate cookies are set when you click through to a retailer. We never sell your email address, and you can ask us to delete your data at any time.
1. Who we are
Meridian ("we", "us", "our") is an independent editorial publication about watches, available at meridian-watches.blog. For the purposes of the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation, Meridian is the data controller of the personal data described in this policy.
Operator details (legal name and postal address) are available on request at the address below.
Privacy contact: travelkam872@gmail.com
2. Data we collect
2.1 Data you give us
- Email address — when you subscribe to "The Meridian Letter". This is the only personal data we ask you for.
- Correspondence — your name, email address and message content if you write to us through our contact page or by email.
2.2 Data collected automatically
When you browse Meridian, and only if you consent where consent is required, analytics tools collect technical information such as:
- Pages visited, time on page and referring website;
- Approximate location (country/city, derived from a truncated IP address);
- Device type, browser, operating system and screen size.
We do not attempt to identify individual visitors from this information.
2.3 Data we do not collect
We do not sell products directly, so we never receive your payment details, shipping address or order information. Purchases you make through our links are completed on the retailer's website and governed by that retailer's privacy policy.
3. How we use your data
| Purpose | Data | Legal basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Sending our newsletter | Email address | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a) |
| Replying to your messages | Name, email, message | Legitimate interest — Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Measuring site usage | Analytics data | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a) |
| Attributing affiliate referrals | Affiliate cookies | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a) |
| Showing advertising | Advertising cookies, device identifiers | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a) |
| Security and legal compliance | Server logs | Legal obligation / legitimate interest — Art. 6(1)(c), (f) |
4. Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored in your browser. We use the following categories:
4.1 Strictly necessary cookies
Used to remember your cookie preferences. They do not require consent and cannot be switched off.
4.2 Analytics cookies
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which articles are read and how visitors navigate the site. Google Analytics sets cookies such as _ga and _ga_*, which may last up to two years. IP addresses are not logged or stored by Google Analytics 4. These cookies are only placed if you accept them.
4.3 Affiliate cookies
When you click an affiliate link, the destination retailer or its affiliate network (Amazon, Awin, LastLink or CJ Affiliate) places a cookie to record that you were referred by Meridian. These cookies are set on the third party's domain, typically last between 24 hours and 30 days or more, and are governed by that party's privacy policy. See our Affiliate Disclosure for details.
4.4 Advertising cookies
We use Google AdSense to show advertisements. Google and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this and other websites, to limit how often you see an ad and to measure ad performance. In the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, personalised ads are only shown if you consent; otherwise, Google may show non-personalised ads, which still use cookies for frequency capping, aggregated reporting and fraud prevention.
You can learn how Google uses data at How Google uses information from sites that use its services (opens in a new tab), and opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ads Settings (opens in a new tab) or aboutads.info (opens in a new tab).
4.5 Managing cookies
You can change your choices at any time through our cookie preferences, and you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. You can also install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (opens in a new tab).
5. Third parties we share data with
We share personal data only with the service providers needed to run Meridian, under contracts that limit their use of it:
- Google LLC / Google Ireland Ltd. (Google Analytics) — website analytics. Google Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).
- ConvertKit (Kit) — newsletter delivery and subscriber management. Your email address is stored on its servers. Kit Privacy Policy (opens in a new tab).
- Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon Associates) — affiliate referral tracking when you click a link to Amazon. Amazon Privacy Notice (opens in a new tab).
- Awin, LastLink and CJ Affiliate — affiliate referral tracking for Tsar Bomba and Creation Watches.
- Google LLC / Google Ireland Ltd. (Google AdSense) — display advertising, as described in section 4.4.
- Our hosting provider — stores server logs needed to deliver and secure the site.
We may also disclose data if required by law, or to protect our rights or the safety of others. We never sell or rent your email address.
6. International transfers
Some of our providers are located in the United States. Where personal data of EU, EEA or UK residents is transferred outside those regions, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework, where the provider is certified, or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.
7. Data retention
- Newsletter email: until you unsubscribe, after which it is deleted or anonymised within 30 days.
- Correspondence: up to 24 months after our last exchange.
- Analytics data: up to 14 months, as configured in Google Analytics.
8. Your rights (EU, EEA and UK — GDPR)
If you are in the European Union, European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have the right to:
- Access — obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- Rectification — have inaccurate data corrected;
- Erasure — ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten");
- Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data;
- Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format;
- Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interest;
- Withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal;
- Complain — lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
9. Your rights (California — CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, gives you the right to:
- Know what categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the sources, the purposes and the categories of third parties we share it with;
- Delete personal information we have collected from you;
- Correct inaccurate personal information;
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information;
- Non-discrimination — we will not treat you differently for exercising any of these rights.
Categories collected in the last 12 months
- Identifiers (email address);
- Internet or network activity (analytics and affiliate cookie data);
- Approximate geolocation (derived from IP address).
Sale and sharing
We do not sell personal information for money. However, analytics and affiliate cookies may be considered "sharing" for cross-context behavioural advertising under California law. You can opt out by declining these cookies in our cookie preferences. We also honour Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signals as a valid opt-out request.
10. How to exercise your rights
To exercise any of the rights above, email us at:
Please state which right you wish to exercise. To protect your data, we may need to verify your identity, normally by confirming the email address in question. We will respond within 30 days under the GDPR and within 45 days under the CCPA, extendable where the law permits. You may also use an authorised agent; we may ask for proof of authorisation.
To stop receiving our newsletter, simply click "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any email.
11. Security
We use HTTPS encryption across the site and rely on reputable providers with strong security practices. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your data against loss, misuse and unauthorised access.
12. Children's privacy
Meridian is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be announced on this page and, where appropriate, in our newsletter.