This Privacy Policy explains how Hoston Tech (“we”, “us”, “our”), operating at hoston-tech.com, collects, uses and protects information when you visit our website. We are an independent technology blog publishing articles for readers in India, and we take the privacy of our visitors seriously. By using this site, you agree to the practices described below.
Information We Collect
We collect information in a few different ways, depending on how you interact with the site.
Information You Provide Directly
If you contact us through our contact form or by email, we collect the information you choose to share — typically your name, email address and the content of your message. If you leave a comment on an article, we collect the name, email address and website (if provided) you enter in the comment form, along with the comment text itself.
Information Collected Automatically
Like most websites, we automatically collect certain technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring website. This data is collected through standard web server logs and analytics tools and is used in aggregate to understand how our site is used.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help websites function and remember preferences. Hoston Tech uses cookies for purposes such as remembering your preferences, keeping the site secure, and understanding aggregate traffic patterns. If you leave a comment, an optional cookie may save your name, email and website so you do not have to re-enter them next time. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies through their settings; doing so may affect how some parts of the site function.
Analytics
We use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to understand how visitors use Hoston Tech — for example, which articles are most read and how visitors arrive at the site. These tools use cookies and similar technologies to collect anonymised or pseudonymised usage data. This information helps us improve our content and site performance; it is not used to personally identify individual readers.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comment form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string, to help detect spam. An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be checked against services such as Gravatar to see if you are using it; the Gravatar service’s privacy policy governs how that image is displayed. After approval, your comment content and profile picture (if applicable) are visible to the public alongside your comment.
Embedded Content
Articles on this site may include embedded content, such as YouTube videos, tweets/posts, or other third-party media. Embedded content from other websites behaves exactly as if you visited that other website directly. These third-party sites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Third-Party Services and Advertising
We may work with third-party advertising networks and affiliate partners, now or in the future, to display ads or promotional links on Hoston Tech. These third parties may use cookies or similar technologies to serve relevant ads based on your visits to this and other websites. We do not control these third-party technologies directly and encourage you to review the privacy policies of any such providers for details on how they handle your data.
Data Retention and Security
We retain contact form submissions and comment data for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to enquiries, maintain site functionality, and comply with legal obligations. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the data we hold, but no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your Rights Under the DPDP Act
As an India-focused publication, we recognise the rights granted to individuals under India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act), 2023. Subject to applicable exceptions, you may have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, request correction of inaccurate data, request erasure of your data, withdraw any consent you previously gave, and raise a grievance regarding how your data is handled. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below and we will respond within a reasonable time.
Children’s Privacy
Hoston Tech is a general technology publication and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can remove it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please email us at ashifurrahman277@pm.me. We aim to respond to privacy-related enquiries within a reasonable timeframe.