1. Who we are
Tom's Weight Loss Rankings (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates tomsweightlossrankings.com. For the purposes of the UK and EU General Data Protection Regulation, we are the data controller for personal data collected through this site.
Postal address: available on request — email the privacy contact below
Privacy contact: privacy@tomsweightlossrankings.com
2. The short version
- You can read every page on this site without giving us any personal information.
- We do not sell your personal information for money, and we never will.
- We use analytics to understand which pages are read. We use affiliate tracking so sellers can attribute purchases to us.
- If you email us or subscribe to something, we keep what you send us.
- You can ask us to show you, correct, or delete what we hold. Write to privacy@tomsweightlossrankings.com.
3. Information we collect
Information you give us
- Email correspondence. If you contact us, we receive your email address, your message, and anything else you choose to include.
- Newsletter signup. If we operate a mailing list and you subscribe, we store your email address and your subscription status.
- Feedback and corrections. Anything you send us about a review, which we may retain as part of our editorial record.
Please do not send us information about your health. We are not clinicians, we cannot advise you, and we would rather not hold sensitive data we have no use for.
Information collected automatically
- Usage and device data. Pages viewed, time on page, referring site, approximate location derived from IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system.
- Server logs. Our hosting provider records requests to the site, including IP address and timestamp, for security and operational purposes.
- Affiliate click data. When you click an outbound commercial link, the destination seller and their affiliate network record the click so a later purchase can be attributed to us.
What we do not collect
We do not collect payment information — no purchases happen on this site. We do not ask for your name, address, date of birth, weight, health conditions or medication. We do not knowingly collect anything from children (see section 10).
4. Why we use it, and our legal basis
| Purpose | Data used | Legal basis (UK/EU GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Serving the website and keeping it secure | Server logs, IP address | Legitimate interests |
| Understanding which content is useful | Analytics and usage data | Consent, where required by law |
| Attributing affiliate purchases so we get paid | Click and referral data | Consent, where required by law |
| Replying to your message | Email address, message content | Legitimate interests |
| Sending a newsletter you asked for | Email address | Consent |
| Meeting legal and record-keeping obligations | As required | Legal obligation |
5. Cookies and similar technologies
We and our partners use cookies and similar technologies for the purposes described above. Our cookie policy sets out the categories in use and how to control them, including how to refuse non-essential cookies.
Where required by law, non-essential cookies are set only after you consent, and you can withdraw that consent at any time.
6. Who we share information with
We share personal information only with service providers who help us run the site, and only for the purposes described here. Categories of recipient:
- Hosting and content delivery providers, who process requests to the site.
- Analytics providers, who process usage data on our behalf.
- Affiliate networks and merchants, who receive click and referral data in order to attribute purchases. Their handling of your data is governed by their own privacy policies, not this one.
- Email service providers, if you have subscribed to a mailing list or contacted us.
- Professional advisers and authorities, where we are legally required to disclose information.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising in exchange for money. Note that under some U.S. state privacy laws, the term “sale” or “sharing” is defined broadly enough to capture certain analytics and affiliate tracking. Where that applies, you have the right to opt out (see section 9), and we honour Global Privacy Control signals where our tooling supports them.
7. International transfers
We are based in the United States and our service providers may process data in the United States and elsewhere. If you are in the UK, EEA or Switzerland, this means your information may be transferred outside your home country.
Where such transfers occur, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, or a finding of adequacy. You may request further detail at privacy@tomsweightlossrankings.com.
8. How long we keep it
- Analytics data: retained in aggregated or pseudonymous form, typically for no more than 26 months.
- Server logs: typically retained for up to 90 days.
- Email correspondence: retained while relevant to an ongoing matter and for a reasonable period afterwards, normally no more than three years.
- Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe, plus a short record of the unsubscribe so we do not contact you again.
9. Your rights
If you are in the UK, EEA or Switzerland
Under the GDPR you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Have inaccurate data corrected
- Have your data erased in certain circumstances
- Restrict or object to our processing
- Data portability
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting prior processing
- Complain to your supervisory authority — in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office
If you are in California
Under the CCPA as amended by the CPRA, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it, to request deletion, to request correction, to opt out of any “sale” or “sharing”, to limit the use of sensitive personal information (we do not collect any), and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
Other U.S. states
Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws — including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Montana, among others — have broadly similar rights of access, correction, deletion, portability and opt-out. We apply the same process to all such requests regardless of where you live.
How to make a request
Email privacy@tomsweightlossrankings.com from the address you used with us, and tell us what you would like. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law — generally one month under the GDPR and 45 days under the CCPA. We may need to ask a question to verify your identity. You may use an authorised agent, and we may ask for proof of their authority.
There is no charge for making a request, and we will not treat you differently for having made one.
10. Children
This site is intended for adults and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 as defined by the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact privacy@tomsweightlossrankings.com and we will delete it.
Separately: weight loss products are not appropriate for children and adolescents without medical supervision. See our medical disclaimer.
11. Security
We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and limiting access to the small number of people who need it. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
12. Do Not Track
There is no consistent industry standard for responding to browser Do Not Track signals, so we do not currently respond to them. We do honour Global Privacy Control signals where our tooling supports them.
13. Links to other sites
This site links to third-party sellers and other websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and this policy does not apply to them. Read the privacy policy of any site you visit — particularly before entering payment or health information.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site changes or the law does. The “last updated” date at the top of this page always reflects the current version. Where changes are material, we will make that clear on the site rather than quietly editing the page.
15. Contact
Privacy questions, requests and complaints: privacy@tomsweightlossrankings.com, oror by post — write to the address above for our postal details.