Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Last Updated: 16 July 2026
Effective Date: 16 July 2026
2. Introduction
Notice for California Residents
The Guts Guide is a free educational website publishing printer troubleshooting guides, how-to articles, and diagnostic resources. We are committed to handling your personal information responsibly and transparently. This page explains what personal information we may collect, how it may be shared with third parties, and exactly what you can do if you are a California resident who wants to limit that sharing.
This notice is a supplement to our Privacy Policy, which provides a full account of our data practices for all visitors. Our Cookie Policy and Cookie Preferences page explain how to manage the individual cookies and tracking technologies involved in the data sharing described here.
3. Our Commitment to Privacy
Privacy is not an obligation we satisfy reluctantly — it is a principle we take seriously. The Guts Guide is built on the premise that people should be able to access free educational content without surrendering control of their personal data. Our commitment to privacy rests on four pillars:
Respect for Your Privacy
We collect the minimum amount of personal data necessary to operate our website, improve our content, and fund our free guides through advertising. We do not collect sensitive personal information beyond what is strictly needed, and we do not build personal profiles for purposes unrelated to operating this website.
Transparency
We publish clear, plain-language explanations of what data we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over it. We do not bury important disclosures in lengthy legal documents without explanation.
Responsible Data Practices
We select our third-party partners carefully, require them to handle data appropriately, and provide you with the tools to opt out of non-essential data sharing at any time. We never sell personal information for direct monetary consideration.
Compliance with Applicable Laws
We comply with the CCPA, CPRA, UK GDPR, EU GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, and other applicable privacy laws. Where laws impose different or higher standards, we apply the standard most protective of your privacy.
4. Do We Sell Personal Information?
Opt-Out Notice
Monetary Sale
We do not sell your personal information to data brokers or other third parties in exchange for payment. The Guts Guide does not operate a data marketplace and has no commercial arrangement under which personal information is exchanged for money.
Sharing for Cross-Context Behavioural Advertising
We do display advertising on our website, funded by third-party advertising networks. These networks may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your visit to our website and your activity on other websites in order to serve advertisements relevant to your interests. Under CCPA/CPRA, this practice may be classified as "sharing" personal information even though no monetary transaction occurs between us and the advertising network.
The categories of personal information that may be shared with advertising partners in this way include:
- Online identifiers (cookie IDs, device identifiers, IP address).
- Internet activity information (pages visited, time spent, interactions).
- General geographic location (at country or city level, not precise address).
- Inferred interest categories based on browsing behaviour.
Analytics Data Sharing
We share pseudonymised website usage data with Google Analytics for the purpose of understanding how our guides are used and improving our content. This sharing is conducted under a data processing agreement and is not classified as a sale under CCPA/CPRA, but we disclose it here in the interest of full transparency.
Your Opt-Out Options
You can opt out of the sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising at any time. See Section 6 (Right to Opt Out) and Section 12 (Managing Advertising Preferences) for specific instructions.
5. What Personal Information May Be Collected
The following table describes the categories of personal information we may collect about California residents who visit our website, along with specific examples and the purpose for which each category is collected.
| Category | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Cookie IDs, device identifiers, IP address, browser fingerprint, advertising IDs (e.g. Google Advertising ID) | Website security, analytics, and serving advertising through our advertising partners |
| Internet Activity | Pages visited, guides read, search queries entered, links clicked, time spent on each page, scroll depth, referral source | Analytics and content improvement; advertising partner measurement and targeting |
| Device Information | Browser type and version, operating system, screen resolution, device type (desktop, tablet, mobile) | Delivering correctly formatted content; analytics audience segmentation |
| Location Information (Approximate) | Country, region, city — derived from IP address. We do not collect precise GPS or street-level location. | Geographic audience analytics; serving regionally appropriate advertising |
| Contact Information | Name and email address — only when voluntarily submitted via our contact form or newsletter sign-up | Responding to enquiries; sending requested newsletter communications |
| Analytics Data | Aggregated traffic statistics, session counts, bounce rates, content engagement metrics — all pseudonymised | Understanding how our troubleshooting guides are used; improving content quality and relevance |
| Advertising Data | Ad impressions served, clicks recorded, frequency data, conversion signals shared with advertising networks | Funding free educational content through display advertising; measuring advertising effectiveness |
6. Your California Privacy Rights
Your Privacy Rights Under CCPA / CPRA
| Privacy Right | Description | How to Exercise | Response Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right to Know | Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom it is shared. | Email info@thegutsguide.com with subject "California — Right to Know" | 45 days (extendable by 45 days) |
| Right to Access | Request a copy of the specific personal information we hold about you in a portable, readable format. | Email info@thegutsguide.com with subject "California — Right to Access" | 45 days (extendable by 45 days) |
| Right to Delete | Request deletion of personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain legal exceptions. | Email info@thegutsguide.com with subject "California — Right to Delete" | 45 days (extendable by 45 days) |
| Right to Correct | Request correction of inaccurate personal information we hold about you. | Email info@thegutsguide.com with subject "California — Right to Correct" | 45 days (extendable by 45 days) |
| Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing | Direct us to stop selling or sharing your personal information with third parties for cross-context behavioural advertising. | Use our Cookie Preferences page, email us, or enable GPC in your browser | Effective within 15 business days |
| Right to Limit Sensitive Information | Request that we limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information to purposes permitted by the CPRA. (We collect very limited sensitive information — see our Privacy Policy.) | Email info@thegutsguide.com with subject "California — Sensitive Information" | 45 days (extendable by 45 days) |
| Right to Data Portability | Receive personal information you have previously provided to us in a structured, machine-readable format to transfer to another service. | Email info@thegutsguide.com with subject "California — Data Portability" | 45 days (extendable by 45 days) |
| Right to Non-Discrimination | We will never deny, degrade, or penalise you in any way for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights. | No action needed — this right is guaranteed automatically | Immediate |
7. How to Exercise Your Rights
Submitting a Request
You may submit a privacy rights request by any of the following methods:
- Email: Send a written request to info@thegutsguide.com. Include your full name, the specific right you wish to exercise, and sufficient information for us to locate your data.
- Cookie Preferences: For opt-out requests specifically relating to advertising cookies and cross-context behavioural advertising, you may use our Cookie Preferences page immediately — no written request required.
- Global Privacy Control: If your browser or browser extension sends a GPC signal, we will treat it as an automatic opt-out from data sharing for cross-context behavioural advertising.
Verification Process
To protect your privacy and prevent unauthorised access to your data, we are required to verify your identity before fulfilling most types of request. See Section 8 for full details on how verification works.
Authorised Agents
You may designate an authorised agent to submit a request on your behalf. See Section 9 for the requirements that apply to authorised agents.
Response Timelines
We will acknowledge your request within 10 business days and fulfil it within 45 calendar days of receipt. If we need additional time, we will notify you and may extend the response period by a further 45 days. See Section 10 for full details.
8. Identity Verification
Verification Process
Why Verification Is Required
The CCPA/CPRA requires us to verify your identity before fulfilling requests to access, delete, or correct personal information. This safeguard exists to ensure that third parties cannot obtain or erase your information without your knowledge or consent.
Information We May Request
The information we ask for during verification depends on the nature and sensitivity of the request. We will only ask for information that is reasonably necessary to confirm your identity, which may include:
- Your name and email address as provided to us (e.g. through a newsletter sign-up or contact form).
- The approximate date of your most recent interaction with our website.
- The nature of the information you believe we hold about you.
For requests relating to data collected solely through cookies and anonymous analytics (where we have no direct identifier for you), full verification may not be possible. In these cases, we will do our best to honour your request and provide relevant information about the data collected through our website in general.
Privacy Protections During Verification
We will not use the information you provide for verification for any purpose other than confirming your identity in connection with your privacy request. Verification information is handled securely and deleted after the request is resolved.
9. Authorised Agents
You may designate another person or organisation as your authorised agent to submit CCPA/CPRA privacy rights requests on your behalf. To do so, you must provide the following to us together with the agent's request:
- A signed written authorisation confirming that you have appointed the agent to act on your behalf in relation to this specific request.
- Sufficient information to verify your own identity (as described in Section 8), even where the agent is submitting the request.
We may decline to process a request from a purported authorised agent if we cannot verify that the agent is duly authorised. This is a legal safeguard, not an attempt to prevent legitimate requests — it protects your data from being accessed or erased by an unauthorised third party.
Authorised agent requests should be submitted by email to info@thegutsguide.com with the subject line "California — Authorised Agent Request", along with all relevant documentation.
10. Response Time
We take privacy rights requests seriously and are committed to responding promptly and within the periods required by law.
| Stage | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement of receipt | Within 10 business days of receiving a valid request |
| Full response (standard) | Within 45 calendar days of receiving a verifiable request |
| Extended response (complex requests) | Up to 45 additional calendar days, with notice provided before the initial 45-day period expires |
| Opt-out of sale / sharing (advertising) | Within 15 business days of receiving a valid opt-out request |
| Opt-out via cookie preferences or GPC | Immediate — takes effect as soon as you update your preferences |
If we are unable to fulfil your request — for example, because an exception applies or we cannot verify your identity — we will notify you in writing and explain the basis for our decision. Where a request is denied, you have the right to appeal by contacting us and requesting that the decision be reviewed.
11. Non-Discrimination
Your Rights Will Not Affect Your Access
Exercising any privacy right described on this page will never result in:
- Being denied access to any of our free troubleshooting guides or articles.
- Receiving a lower quality of content or service.
- Being charged a different price or being subject to different terms.
- Being penalised, disadvantaged, or treated differently in any way.
Our website is free and always will be. Its content is available to all visitors equally, regardless of the privacy choices they make. If you opt out of advertising cookies, you will still see non-personalised advertisements — the only thing that changes is that those ads will not be targeted based on your browsing history.
12. Managing Advertising Preferences
Advertising Cookies
The most direct way to opt out of cross-context behavioural advertising on our website is to decline advertising cookies. You can do this immediately, without submitting a formal request, by visiting our Cookie Preferences page and switching off the "Advertising Cookies" toggle.
Analytics
If you also wish to opt out of analytics data collection, you can decline analytics cookies in the same Cookie Preferences panel or install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On.
Browser Settings
Your browser's built-in privacy settings allow you to block or delete cookies from specific websites or all websites. Blocking third-party cookies in your browser will prevent most advertising tracking across websites. Instructions for common browsers:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data → Block third-party cookies
- Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Enhanced Tracking Protection → Strict
- Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Prevent cross-site tracking
- Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies → Block third-party cookies
Global Privacy Control (GPC)
Enabling GPC in your browser sends an automatic opt-out signal to every website you visit, including ours. We recognise and honour GPC signals as a valid exercise of your right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. You do not need to take any other action once GPC is enabled.
Industry Opt-Out Tools
- Your Online Choices (EU/UK)
- Digital Advertising Alliance — opt out (US)
- Network Advertising Initiative — opt out (US)
- Google Ad Settings
13. Children's Privacy
The Guts Guide is not directed at children and is intended for a general adult audience seeking help with printer and technology problems. We do not knowingly collect personal information from any person under the age of 13.
Under the CPRA, we do not sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age without their affirmative authorisation, or the authorisation of a parent or guardian for consumers under 13. We do not knowingly collect sufficient personal information to identify the age of our visitors, and our advertising partners are instructed not to serve interest-based advertisements to users they identify as minors.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has submitted personal information to us, please contact us at info@thegutsguide.com and we will take immediate steps to delete it.
14. Changes to This Notice
We review and update this notice at least annually, and whenever our data practices change or applicable law requires an amendment. Material changes will be communicated by:
- Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
- Posting a notice on our homepage where changes are significant.
- Notifying newsletter subscribers by email where changes directly affect their rights.
California law requires us to retain records of consumer privacy requests and our responses to them for a period of at least 24 months. This is solely for compliance record-keeping and does not affect your substantive rights.
15. Contact Information
To submit a CCPA/CPRA privacy rights request, opt out of data sharing, or ask a question about this notice, please contact us using the details below.
Company: BKT SOLUTIONS LLC
Website: thegutsguide.com
Address: 14801 Panatela Pkwy, Little Rock, AR 72206, United States
Email:info@thegutsguide.com
Please include "California Privacy Request" in your subject line for fastest processing.
Related Documents
- Privacy Policy — full account of how we collect, use, and protect personal information.
- Cookie Policy — technical detail on every cookie and third-party service we use.
- Cookie Preferences — manage your cookie choices immediately, including opting out of advertising.
- Terms of Use — the terms and conditions governing your use of this website.
- Disclaimer — limitations on our educational content.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "sell" mean under California law?
Under the CCPA/CPRA, "selling" personal information is defined very broadly. It covers any disclosure of personal information to a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration. It also covers "sharing" — which means transferring personal information to a third party for cross-context behavioural advertising, even if no payment is involved. This is why advertising cookies can technically constitute a "sale" or "sharing" under California law, even though we receive advertising revenue rather than selling your data directly.
Do you actually sell my personal data to anyone?
No, we do not sell personal information for direct monetary consideration. We do not run a data marketplace or transfer personal information to data brokers. However, we do share certain identifiers and browsing activity with advertising networks for the purpose of serving interest-based advertisements, which may meet the CCPA/CPRA definition of "sharing." You can opt out of this at any time.
Can I opt out of data sharing right now?
Yes, immediately. Visit our Cookie Preferences page and switch off "Advertising Cookies." Alternatively, if your browser supports the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, enable it and we will automatically treat your visit as an opt-out. For a formal written opt-out request, email info@thegutsguide.com.
How do I submit a formal privacy rights request?
Email info@thegutsguide.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request." State clearly which right you are exercising (e.g. Right to Know, Right to Delete) and provide enough information for us to locate your data and verify your identity. We will acknowledge within 10 business days and respond in full within 45 days.
Will opting out affect my ability to use the website?
No. You will still have full access to every troubleshooting guide, how-to article, and resource on The Guts Guide. Advertisements will still appear if you opt out of advertising cookies, but they will be contextual (based on the page content) rather than interest-based. No content is gated behind cookie acceptance.
How long will it take to get a response to my request?
We will acknowledge your request within 10 business days. The full response will be delivered within 45 calendar days of receiving a verified request. For complex requests we may extend this by an additional 45 days, in which case we will notify you before the initial period expires. Opt-out requests via cookie preferences or GPC take effect immediately.
Can someone else submit a request on my behalf?
Yes. You can designate an authorised agent to submit a CCPA/CPRA request on your behalf. The agent must provide a signed written authorisation from you alongside the request, and you must still pass identity verification. Email info@thegutsguide.com with the subject "California — Authorised Agent Request" and include all required documentation.
How can I manage my cookies directly?
Visit our Cookie Preferences page to adjust your settings by category — including switching off advertising and analytics cookies individually. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings, use the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On, or use industry opt-out tools like the Digital Advertising Alliance's opt-out page.
What happens if you cannot verify my identity?
If we are unable to verify your identity with a reasonable degree of certainty, we may be unable to fulfil your request to access or delete specific personal data. In these cases, we will notify you in writing and explain why, and offer whatever assistance we can. For opt-out requests, identity verification is generally not required — you can opt out via cookie preferences without verification.
Does The Guts Guide collect sensitive personal information?
We collect very limited personal information overall, and very little that meets the CPRA definition of "sensitive personal information." We do not collect government ID numbers, financial account details, health data, biometric data, precise geolocation, or information about racial or ethnic origin. The only sensitive information we might hold is an email address you voluntarily provided when signing up for our newsletter.
Can I ask you to correct inaccurate information about me?
Yes. Under the CPRA, you have the right to request that we correct personal information we hold about you that is inaccurate. Email info@thegutsguide.com with the subject "California — Right to Correct" and explain what you believe is incorrect. We will review and respond within 45 calendar days.
How do I contact you about a California privacy matter?
Email info@thegutsguide.com with "California Privacy Request" in the subject line. For urgent matters or follow-ups on an existing request, include your original request date and the reference number if one was provided. We aim to respond to all privacy enquiries promptly and within the timelines required by law.
This notice was last reviewed on 16 July 2026. The Guts Guide — Free Educational Printer Troubleshooting Guides. Not affiliated with any manufacturer or brand.