Privacy

Privacy Policy

What we collect, why, and the rights you have over it — in plain language.

The short version

  • No accounts, no sign-ups, no user database. You can use everything on TripGuards anonymously.
  • One analytics service (Google Analytics) — and it only loads if you accept it in the cookie banner.
  • Your preferences (theme, nationality) are stored on your own device and never sent to us.
  • We never sell, rent, or share your personal data with anyone for marketing.

Who we are

TripGuards (tripguards.com) is an independent travel-safety publication operated from Turkey. For anything related to your personal data, the data controller is TripGuards, reachable at feedback@tripguards.com.

What we collect, and why

Analytics — only with your consent
If you accept analytics in the cookie banner, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand which guides help travelers (pages visited, approximate location by country, device type). This data is aggregated — we do not identify individual visitors, and we do not use it for advertising. If you decline, Google Analytics never loads.
Preferences — stored on your device
Your theme choice and selected nationality are saved in your browser's local storage so the site remembers them. This data stays on your device; it is never transmitted to our servers.
Security logs — brief and automatic
To protect the site from automated abuse, our servers briefly process your IP address for rate limiting. These records expire automatically within seconds to minutes and are never used for profiling.

Cookies

TripGuards sets no cookies by default. If you accept analytics, Google Analytics sets its standard measurement cookies (such as _ga). Your consent choice itself is stored in your browser's local storage so we don't ask you on every visit.

Changed your mind? You can withdraw or change your choice at any time:

Third-party services

Google Analytics (Google LLC) processes analytics data on our behalf and may do so on servers outside your country, including the United States. See Google's privacy policy.

Affiliate partners (Wise, SafetyWing, GetYourGuide). Some links on TripGuards are affiliate links — clearly disclosed on our disclosure page. When you click one, you leave TripGuards and the partner's own privacy policy applies. We receive no personal data about what you do on their sites.

Unsplash serves some of the photography you see on our pages; loading an image from their servers is subject to their privacy policy.

Legal bases

Where the GDPR or Turkish Law No. 6698 (KVKK) applies, we rely on your consent for analytics, and on our legitimate interest in keeping the site secure and functional for rate limiting and error logging.

Your rights

Under the GDPR and Article 11 of the Turkish KVKK, you have the right to ask us: what personal data we hold about you, to correct it, to delete it, to restrict or object to its processing, and to withdraw any consent you've given — at any time, free of charge.

In practice, because we keep no user database, there is usually nothing for us to look up — but every request is welcome: email feedback@tripguards.com and we'll respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (in Turkey, the Personal Data Protection Authority — KVKK; in the EU, your national data protection authority).

Data retention

Analytics data is retained according to Google Analytics' standard retention settings and only in aggregated form. Rate-limiting records expire automatically within minutes. Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to handle your request.

Children

TripGuards is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16.

Changes to this policy

If we add features that change how data is handled (for example, an email newsletter), we'll update this page before they go live and adjust the consent flow accordingly.

Last updated: July 2026