Privacy Policy 10-Second Overview
- We gather comprehensive usage metrics (URLs, clicks, OS, browser) and approximate location (city/postal code).
- Inferred demographic data (age/gender) and device types are processed to personalize and improve services.
- Data drives feature enhancements, bug fixing, and ad-blocking performance.
- All information is stored securely, though no system is perfectly invulnerable.
- Processing depends on your consent, contract needs, legal duties, or our legitimate interests.
- You can access, correct, delete, or port your data at any time.
Privacy Dashboard
| Privacy Key | Our Policy at a Glance |
|---|---|
| Data We Collect | Full usage telemetry (URLs, referrals, user agents), approximate location, and inferred demographics (age/gender). |
| Data Purpose | Improving ad-blocking technology, bug fixing, performance monitoring, and fulfilling obligations. |
| Data Sales | Absolutely None. We do not resell any collected data, including domain information. |
| Legal Rights | You can access, correct, delete, or object to processing (GDPR & CCPA). |
| Legal Controller | Ad Block North |
Responsibility for Data (Data Controller)
The legal entity responsible for the collection, processing, and use of personal information in connection with our website and products (the "Controller") is Ad Block North.
What Constitutes Personal Information?
For the purposes of data protection, Personal Information is defined as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes identifiers such as name, identification number, location data, online identifier, or factors specific to physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity. This also specifically includes any information associated with payments or donations you may make.
1. User Data Collection and Types of Information Gathered
This section details the categories of data Ad Block North collects from users of its website and browser extension.
Automatically Collected Information
The Extension also collects certain data automatically to provide, personalize, and improve our services. This information includes:
- Browser type and version, as well as the Operating system details.
- IP address and approximate location (e.g., country, city, postal code).
- URLs visited and referral URLs, along with the Date and time of visits.
- User agent (comprehensive browser and OS details).
- Device type (e.g., desktop or mobile) and HTTP response codes.
- Inferred demographic data such as age range (e.g., 18–35) and inferred gender.
- Website usage statistics and feature interaction data.
Important Notice Regarding Domain Data
Note on Filtering Privacy: While the Extension collects the data points listed above for service improvements, our core filtering mechanism (used for ad-blocking updates and fraud prevention) follows a stricter protocol regarding domain logs:
1. Domains Present Upon Install: During your initial setup of the extension, we record the domains currently open or present in your active browser tabs (we collect strictly the domain name only, e.g., example.com, and never the specific URL paths or full addresses). This information is fundamentally required and utilized exclusively to monitor our ad network fraud, prevent malicious exploitation of our ecosystem, and ensure the integrity of the extension's deployment process.
2. Top Visited Sites: As you continually use the extension, we periodically collect knowledge about your most frequently accessed or top visited sites (again, just the domain is logged, entirely excluding the full URL or specific page paths). This ongoing domain data collection is critically required to improve our ability to block the domains you are visiting. We analyze this generalized traffic to adapt our centralized block lists to the actual patterns of modern advertising and tracking infrastructure.
3. API Transmissions & IP Addresses: Please note: when the extension periodically transmits this operational domain data to our servers via background API calls, our infrastructure inherently receives your originating IP address as a standard necessity of web communication. This IP address is logged securely alongside your telemetry data for operational monitoring.
Technical Telemetry:
Additional technical details collected for maintenance and security include:
- The version number of the extension, regional context, and language settings.
- Browser & Hardware Fingerprinting: Upon initial installation, we securely generate and collect a unique browser footprint (including hardware-level Canvas graphics rendering data). This is required to verify the authenticity of each installation and deter bot manipulation.
- Acceptable Ads Preferences: We securely log your ongoing toggle configurations regarding the 'Acceptable Ads' feature to gauge macro-level community sentiment.
- Aggregate performance metrics, such as the total number of intrusive ads and trackers blocked.
- A randomly generated unique ID assigned securely to each individual extension installation.
Personal Information and API Logs:
When interacting with our website or when the extension strictly requires communication with our API for blocking updates, certain identifying information may be logged:
- Your IP address, the unique installation ID, and logs related to functional button interactions (e.g., download or install events).
- Logs for payment processing purposes (for completed donations/subscriptions) may encompass your IP address, name, email address, physical billing address, browser profile, and partial credit card metadata (limited to card type, expiration date, and strictly the last four digits). Complete credit card numbers are never stored on our servers.
Analytics Data:
We selectively utilize Google Analytics to aggregate information regarding user traffic pathways. The data gathered about your navigational use is transmitted in encrypted channels to and archived on a Google server. For users in the EU/EEA: You can completely deactivate Google Analytics via this opt-out tool: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
2. Data Handling, Purpose of Use, and Sharing Principles
This section transparently details how Ad Block North explicitly uses the information it reliably collects and the legal frameworks governing this processing.
General Purpose and Use:
- Continuous Product Improvement: To maintain and optimize the core functionality, stability, and usability of the extension. This involves analyzing top visited site domains to refine filter lists.
- Security and Fraud Verification: To assess how services are utilized to rectify structural errors and security vulnerabilities.
- Administrative Accountability: Isolated payment logs are processed to compile required insight into financial health.
- Technical Troubleshooting: Error and crash reports empower our teams to neutralize software defects.
Legal Basis for Processing (For EU/EEA Users):
- Consent (Art. 6 (1) a GDPR): We request consent for specific purposes unless statutory laws permit processing without it. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Contractual Obligations (Art. 6 (1) b GDPR): Necessary for the execution of a contract (e.g., processing a donation).
- Legal Compliance (Art. 6 (1) c GDPR): Necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which Ad Block North is subject.
- Legitimate Interests (Art. 6 (1) f GDPR): Necessary for ensuring security, preventing fraud, and service optimization.
3. Data Storage, Security, and Retention
All collected personal and usage information is stored in our secured databases. We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational steps to protect it. However, it is crucial to understand that no database, server, or transmission system is 100% secure.
Data Retention:
We keep User Provided and Automatically Collected information for as long as you use the Extension and for a reasonable period thereafter. Identifiable information like raw IPs is hashed or purged after a reasonable period (typically 6 months). Some data may be retained if required by law.
Warrant Canary:
Ad Block North has never received a demand for user data under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, or any similar order from a governmental body anywhere in the world.
5. Your Data Protection Rights
In accordance with GDPR, CCPA, and applicable laws, you possess the following rights:
- Right to Information and Access: Request details about stored data and processing.
- Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate information.
- Right to Restriction of Processing: Request limits on how data is processed.
- Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request erasure of your information.
- Data Portability Right: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to Object: Object to collection based on legitimate interests.
- Right to Complaint: File a complaint with a supervisory authority.
California Residents (CCPA): You have the right to know categories of data collected, purposes, and to request deletion. We do not sell your personal data.
Children
We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to anyone under 18. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that a child has provided us information without consent, please contact us; we will delete it promptly.
Contact Us
For all inquiries, comments, or data requests, reach out to us at:
jose . restrepo . cuervo . solis [at] gmail [dot] com
Codera 5th Ave Taguig, Metro Manila 1634, PH