Privacy Policy

Last Updated: February 21, 2026

 

 

 

Privacy Policy

 

House of American Cars (“we,” “us,” “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website houseofamericancars.com (the “Site”).

 

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Site.

 

 

 

1. Information We Collect

 

Information You Provide Directly

 

Contact Forms & Comments If you use our contact form, submit comments, or interact with our Site, we may collect:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Any information you choose to include in your message or comment

 

Donations If you make a voluntary donation through our Site, we collect:

  • Payment information (processed by third-party payment processors – we do not store full credit card numbers)
  • Name and email address
  • Donation amount and date

 

Newsletter Subscriptions – We offer email newsletters, we collect:

  • Email address
  • Name (optional)
  • Subscription preferences

 

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing activity:

Device & Browser Information:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
  • Screen resolution
  • Time zone and language settings

 

Usage Information:

  • Pages viewed and time spent on pages
  • Referring website or search engine
  • Links clicked
  • Date and time of visit
  • Search queries on our Site

 

Location Information:

  • General geographic location (city, state, country) based on IP address
  • We do NOT collect precise GPS location data

 

 

 

2. How We Use Your Information

 

We use the information we collect to:

 

Operate And Improve Our Site

  • Provide, maintain, and improve our automotive content and website functionality
  • Analyze how visitors use our Site to improve user experience
  • Debug technical issues and optimize performance
  • Develop new features and content

 

Communicate With You

  • Respond to your comments, questions, and requests
  • Send newsletters (only if you opt in)
  • Notify you about important updates to our policies or Site
  • Thank you for donations

 

Display Relevant Advertising

  • Show targeted advertisements based on your interests and browsing behavior
  • Measure advertising effectiveness
  • Understand which topics interest our audience

 

Legal Compliance & Safety

  • Comply with legal obligations and respond to legal requests
  • Protect against fraud, spam, and abuse
  • Enforce our Terms of Service
  • Protect the rights, property, and safety of our Site, users, and others

 

Analytics & Research

  • Understand audience demographics and interests
  • Identify trending automotive topics
  • Measure content performance
  • Create aggregated, anonymized statistics

 

 

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

 

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by websites you visit. We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience and understand how you use our Site.

 

Types Of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies (Required)

  • Enable basic Site functionality
  • Remember your preferences (e.g., language)
  • Maintain your session if you leave comments
  • These cannot be disabled without breaking Site functionality

 

Analytics Cookies

  • Google Analytics: Tracks how visitors use our Site, including pages viewed, time spent, and navigation patterns
  • Purpose: Help us understand what content is popular and how to improve our Site
  • Data is anonymized and aggregated

 

Advertising Cookies

  • Google AdSense: Delivers targeted ads based on your interests and browsing history
  • Third-Party Ad Networks: May set cookies to serve relevant ads
  • Purpose: Show you ads that may interest you and fund our free content

 

Social Media Cookies

  • Social Sharing Buttons: Facebook, Twitter/X, Pinterest, LinkedIn buttons may set cookies
  • Purpose: Enable easy sharing of our content and track social engagement
  • These are set by the social media platforms, not by us

 

Managing Cookies

Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to:

  • View and delete cookies
  • Block all cookies
  • Block third-party cookies only
  • Receive alerts when cookies are being set

 

Note: Blocking cookies may limit Site functionality.

Opt-Out Tools:

 

 

 

4. Third-Party Services

 

We use third-party services to operate our Site. These services may collect, use, and share your information according to their own privacy policies.

 

Advertising Networks

Google AdSense

 

We do not control third-party advertisers’ data practices. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

 

Analytics Services

Google Analytics

  • What They Do: Track website traffic and user behavior
  • Data Collected: Pages viewed, time spent, device info, anonymized IP addresses
  • Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
  • Data Retention: We configure Google Analytics to retain data for 26 months

 

Social Media Plugins

Facebook, Twitter/X, Pinterest, LinkedIn

  • What They Do: Enable content sharing and social engagement
  • Data Collected: May track your visit even if you don’t click the buttons
  • Your Control: Log out of social networks or use browser privacy modes

 

Payment Processors (For Donations)

If we accept donations, we use third-party payment processors (such as PayPal, Stripe, or similar services).

  • Data Collected: Payment information, name, email
  • Our Access: We do NOT have access to your full credit card numbers
  • Privacy Policies: Refer to the payment processor’s privacy policy

 

Email Services 

We send newsletters, we may use email marketing services (such as Mailchimp, SendGrid, or similar).

  • Data Collected: Email address, name, open rates, click rates
  • Your Control: Unsubscribe links are included in every email

 

 

 

5. How We Share Your Information

 

We do NOT sell your personal information to third parties. We may share information in the following circumstances:

 

Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers who help us operate our Site:

  • Hosting providers
  • Analytics services
  • Advertising networks
  • Payment processors
  • Email service providers

 

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us.

 

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to:

  • Comply with legal obligations (subpoenas, court orders, government requests)
  • Protect our rights, property, or safety
  • Prevent fraud or abuse
  • Protect the rights and safety of our users or the public

 

Business Transfers

If House of American Cars is acquired, merged, or undergoes a business restructuring, user information may be transferred to the new owners as part of the transaction. You will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our Site of any change in ownership or use of your information.

 

Aggregated Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized data that cannot identify you personally, such as:

  • “Our website had 50,000 visitors last month”
  • “The most popular car brand among our readers is Chevrolet”
  • “70% of our traffic comes from mobile devices”

 

With Your Consent

We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

 

 

 

6. Data Retention

 

How Long We Keep Your Information

Contact Form Submissions & Comments: Retained indefinitely unless you request deletion

Analytics Data: Google Analytics data is retained for 26 months

Donation Records: Retained for 7 years for tax and legal compliance purposes

Email Subscriptions: Retained until you unsubscribe

Server Logs: Automatically deleted after 90 days

Cookies: Expire according to their individual settings (ranging from session-only to 1 year)

 

When We Delete Data

We will delete your information:

  • Upon your request (see “Your Privacy Rights” below)
  • When no longer needed for the purposes described in this policy
  • When required by law
  • When technically feasible (some backups may retain data temporarily)

 

 

 

7. Your Privacy Rights

 

Depending on your location, you may have specific rights regarding your personal information.

 

For All Users

Access & Correction You may request to know what information we hold about you and request corrections to inaccurate data.

Deletion You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal and operational limitations.

Opt-Out of Marketing You may unsubscribe from marketing emails using the unsubscribe link in any email we send.

Cookie Management You may disable cookies through your browser settings (though this may affect Site functionality).

Do Not Track Signals We currently do not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) browser signals, but you can use the opt-out tools described above.

 

 

 

For European Union Users (GDPR Rights)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or UK, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Right to Access Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Right to Rectification Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.

Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) Request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Right to Restrict Processing Request that we limit how we use your data.

Right to Data Portability Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format for transfer to another service.

Right to Object Object to our processing of your data for direct marketing or legitimate interests.

Right to Withdraw Consent If we process your data based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time.

Right to Lodge a Complaint File a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have violated your rights.

 

Legal Basis For Processing (GDPR):

  • Consent: When you opt in to newsletters or provide information voluntarily
  • Legitimate Interests: To operate and improve our Site, prevent fraud, and analyze usage
  • Legal Obligation: To comply with laws and regulations

 

 

 

For California Residents (CCPA/CPRA Rights)

 

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Right to Know Request disclosure of:

  • Categories of personal information collected
  • Sources of personal information
  • Purposes for collecting or selling personal information
  • Categories of third parties with whom we share information

Right to Delete Request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions.

Right to Opt-Out of Sale We do NOT sell your personal information as defined by CCPA. However, our use of advertising cookies may be considered “sharing” under the law. You can opt out using the cookie management tools described above.

Right to Non-Discrimination We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information We do not collect or use sensitive personal information (e.g., precise geolocation, health data).

California “Shine the Light” Law We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes without your consent.

 

 

 

For Other U.S. State Residents

 

Similar privacy laws exist in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and other states. If you are a resident of these states, you may have comparable rights to access, delete, and opt out of certain data uses. Contact us to exercise these rights.

 

 

 

How To Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us:

Email: contact@houseofamericancars.com
Contact Form: https://www.houseofamericancars.com/contact/

We will respond within:

  • GDPR requests: 30 days (may extend to 60 days for complex requests)
  • CCPA requests: 45 days (may extend to 90 days for complex requests)
  • General requests: 30 days

Verification: We may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling your request to protect against fraudulent requests.

No Fee: We will not charge a fee to process your request unless it is excessive or manifestly unfounded.

 

 

 

8. Children’s Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

 

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Age Restriction: You must be at least 13 years old to use our Site.

Parental Notice: If we discover that we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it immediately.

If You Are a Parent: If you believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at contact@houseofamericancars.com so we can delete it.

COPPA Compliance: We comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

 

 

 

9. Data Security

 

How We Protect Your Information

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and destruction:

 

Technical Measures:

  • SSL/HTTPS encryption for data transmission
  • Secure hosting with reputable providers
  • Regular security updates and patches
  • Firewalls and intrusion detection systems

Administrative Measures:

  • Limited employee access to personal data
  • Confidentiality agreements with service providers
  • Regular security training
  • Incident response procedures

Physical Measures:

  • Secure data center facilities
  • Access controls and monitoring

 

Limitations

No Absolute Security: While we strive to protect your information, no internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Responsibility: Use strong passwords, keep your devices secure, and be cautious about sharing personal information online.

Breach Notification: If a data breach occurs that affects your information, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by law.

 

 

10. International Data Transfers

 

Our Site is operated in the United States. If you access our Site from outside the U.S., your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

Data Protection Standards: The United States may not have the same data protection laws as your country. However, we take steps to ensure your information receives an adequate level of protection.

EU-U.S. Data Transfers: If you are in the EU, we rely on legal mechanisms such as Standard Contractual Clauses to ensure lawful data transfers.

By using our Site, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States.

 

 

 

11. External Links

 

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including:

  • Car manufacturer websites
  • Automotive retailers
  • News sources
  • Social media platforms
  • Affiliate partners

We Do NOT Control Third-Party Sites: These websites have their own privacy policies and practices. We are not responsible for their content, privacy policies, or data handling.

Your Protection: Review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit. We encourage you to be cautious about providing personal information to third parties.

 

 

 

12. Changes To This Privacy Policy

 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors.

How We Notify You:

  • We will post the updated Privacy Policy on this page with a new “Last Updated” date
  • For material changes, we may provide additional notice (such as a banner on our homepage or an email notification if we have your email)

Your Acceptance: Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

Review Regularly: We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

 

 

 

13. Contact Us

 

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

House Of American Cars

General Contact:
Email: contact@houseofamericancars.com
Contact Form: https://www.houseofamericancars.com/contact/

We will respond to your inquiry as promptly as possible, typically within 30 days.

 

 

 

14. Consent

 

By using our Site, you consent to this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.

How to Withdraw Consent:

  • Stop using our Site
  • Clear cookies from your browser
  • Unsubscribe from emails (if applicable)
  • Request deletion of your information (see “Your Privacy Rights” above)

 

 

 

Thank you for trusting House Of American Cars with your information. We are committed to protecting your privacy while providing you with valuable automotive content.