Privacy Policy

Welcome to WatchCompared ("we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at watchcompared.com (the "Site"). Please read this policy carefully. By using the Site, you consent to the practices described herein.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information when you use WatchCompared:

Account Information

When you sign in using Google via NextAuth, we receive and store your name, email address, and profile picture as provided by Google. We do not receive or store your Google password.

Analytics & Usage Data

We automatically collect analytics events to understand how visitors use the Site. This includes:

• Page views and navigation patterns
• Click events and interactions
• Search queries entered on the Site
• Watch comparison activity
• Device type, browser type, and operating system
• IP addresses (used for approximate geolocation and fraud prevention)
• Referring URLs and landing pages

Cookies & Local Storage

We use cookies and browser local storage to maintain session state, remember preferences, and support site functionality. See Section 4 for full details.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Personalization: Tailoring your experience by showing relevant watch recommendations based on your browsing and comparison history.
• Watch Recommendations: Suggesting watches you may be interested in based on your activity on the Site.
• A/B Testing: Running experiments to improve the Site's design, features, and user experience.
• Analytics: Aggregating usage data to understand trends, measure engagement, and improve the Site.
• Account Management: Authenticating your identity and managing your account settings.
• Communication: Sending service-related notifications such as price alerts you have opted into.
• Security: Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access.

3. Third-Party Services

WatchCompared integrates with the following third-party services that may collect or process your data:

• Amazon Associates: We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you click affiliate links, Amazon may collect data in accordance with their own privacy policy.
• eBay Partner Network: We participate in the eBay Partner Network. Clicking eBay affiliate links may result in data collection by eBay under their privacy policy.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) & DynamoDB: We use AWS infrastructure, including DynamoDB, to securely store user data, analytics events, and watch information.
• Vercel: The Site is hosted on Vercel. Vercel may collect standard server logs including IP addresses and request metadata.
• NextAuth / Google OAuth: We use NextAuth for authentication with Google as an identity provider. Your Google credentials are handled securely by Google and are never stored on our servers.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party services for details on how they handle your information.

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use the following cookies and tracking technologies:

• Session Cookies: Used by NextAuth to maintain your authenticated session. These are essential for sign-in functionality.
• Analytics Cookies: Used to track page views, clicks, and user interactions for analytics purposes.
• A/B Test Cookies: Cookies prefixed with ab_ are used to assign you to experiment groups so you receive a consistent experience during A/B tests.
• localStorage — Compare List: Your watch comparison list is stored in your browser's localStorage so it persists across sessions without requiring an account.
• localStorage — Sidebar State: Your sidebar open/closed preference is saved locally for a better browsing experience.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain features of the Site, such as authentication and personalization.

5. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal data and account information.
• Data Export: Request a portable copy of your data in a machine-readable format.
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate personal data.
• Opt-Out: Opt out of non-essential tracking and analytics.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@watchcompared.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

6. Data Retention

We retain your data according to the following schedule:

• Analytics Events: Page views, clicks, searches, and other analytics events are automatically deleted after 90 days via a time-to-live (TTL) policy in our database.
• Account Data: Your account information (name, email, profile picture) is retained for as long as your account exists. You may request deletion at any time.
• Cookies: Session cookies expire when you close your browser or after the session timeout period. A/B test cookies are retained for the duration of the experiment.
• localStorage: Data stored in localStorage persists until you clear your browser data or manually remove items.

7. Children's Privacy

WatchCompared is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at support@watchcompared.com.

8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you the following rights:

• The right to know what personal information is being collected about you.
• The right to know whether your personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom.
• The right to say no to the sale of personal information.
• The right to request deletion of your personal information.
• The right to equal service and price, even if you exercise your privacy rights.

We do not sell your personal information. To exercise your rights under the CCPA, please contact us at support@watchcompared.com.

9. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

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

• Legal Basis: We process your data based on legitimate interest (analytics, site improvement), consent (optional tracking), and contractual necessity (account management).
• Right to Access: Obtain a copy of your personal data.
• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data.
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data.
• Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your data.
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.

Data may be transferred to and stored in the United States via AWS and Vercel infrastructure. We rely on standard contractual clauses and industry-standard security measures to protect data during international transfers.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), encrypted storage, access controls, and automatic redaction of sensitive data in logs. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: support@watchcompared.com

Website: watchcompared.com