Privacy & Cookie Policy

1. Who We Are (Data Controller)

PennyGuideUK.com ("we", "us", or "our") is an independent consumer finance publication owned and operated by PennyGuide Media Ltd, registered in England and Wales. We take the privacy and security of our British readers very seriously.

If you have any questions regarding your personal data or this policy, our Data Protection Lead can be contacted directly at: pennyguide.support@gmail.com.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect the minimal personal data necessary to operate our service safely and effectively:

• Contact Information: Your name and email address when you voluntarily submit our contact form or subscribe to our free weekly briefing.
• Technical Data: Anonymised IP addresses, browser types, device identifiers, time zones, and operating systems collected automatically via server logs and analytics.
• Cookie Data: Information gathered through cookies regarding your browsing habits, advertisement clicks, and page interactions.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing (UK GDPR Article 6)

Under the UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Consent: When you subscribe to our newsletter or agree to non-essential analytics and marketing cookies via our Google Certified CMP banner.
• Legitimate Interests: To detect spam, prevent fraud, troubleshoot technical glitches, and protect the security of PennyGuideUK.com.

4. Google AdSense & Third-Party Advertising

PennyGuideUK displays advertisements served by Google AdSense and accredited digital advertising partners to fund our independent journalism.

• Google uses cookies to serve ads based on prior visits to our website or other websites across the Internet.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visits to PennyGuideUK and/or other sites.
• You may opt out of personalised advertising at any time by visiting Google Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of third-party vendor cookies via aboutads.info.

5. Your Legal Rights (UK GDPR)

Under UK data protection laws, you possess comprehensive statutory rights:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: Ask us to rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to Erasure ('Right to be Forgotten'): Request the permanent deletion of your personal records.
• Right to Restrict or Object: Object to our processing of your personal information.
• Right to Complain to the UK ICO: If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.