Shopping Cities
Privacy Policy
Effective date: 20 July 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Shopping Cities collects, uses, shares, and retains personal information when you use shoppingcities.com. It also explains the choices and rights that may be available to you.
1. Who is responsible for your information
Shopping Cities is the controller of the personal information described in this policy. You can contact Shopping Cities or make a privacy request through our contact page.
2. The service at launch
Shopping Cities is an editorial website that helps visitors discover shopping destinations, stores, and brands. At launch, the site does not offer user accounts, payment or checkout services, newsletters, targeted advertising, the sale of personal information, or public comments. Shopping Cities does not use personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
3. Information we process
The following table describes the principal information we process, why we process it, the legal basis generally relied on for visitors in the European Economic Area and United Kingdom, who may receive it, and our normal retention period.
| Information | Purpose and lawful basis | Recipients | Normal retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting, access, and security data, such as IP address, date and time, requested URL, referrer, response code, browser, device, and diagnostic or security events. | To deliver, operate, troubleshoot, and secure the site, prevent abuse, and investigate incidents. We generally rely on our legitimate interests in providing a reliable and secure service and, where relevant, compliance with legal obligations. | Our hosting, content delivery, security, and technical service providers, and site administrators. | No longer than 90 days, unless a record is needed for an active security incident, dispute, or legal obligation. |
| Site search data, including search terms, filters, and related request data that may appear in server logs. | To return requested results, maintain search quality, and protect the service. We generally rely on our legitimate interests in operating and improving the requested service. | Our hosting and technical service providers and site administrators. | Search request data in logs is retained no longer than 90 days. We do not intentionally build profiles of individual search activity. |
| Contact submissions, including first name, last name, email address, message, and information you choose to provide. | To answer you, review corrections or feedback, keep appropriate correspondence records, and protect against misuse or claims. We generally rely on steps taken at your request, our legitimate interests in responding and maintaining records, or a legal obligation where applicable. | Site administrators and our hosting, email, and technical service providers. Professional advisers or authorities may receive information when reasonably necessary. | 12 months after the last substantive exchange, unless we need it longer for a legal obligation, dispute, or safety reason. |
| Contact rate-limit data, consisting of a temporary technical record derived from the IP address and normalized email address. | To limit spam and automated abuse. We rely on our legitimate interests in securing the contact service. | The site and its hosting or security providers. | 10 minutes. |
Cookie consent choice, including the consent version, timestamp, and whether Analytics is allowed, stored in the sc_consent cookie. |
To remember and demonstrate your requested privacy choice. This cookie is necessary to provide the consent controls and comply with applicable privacy rules. | Shopping Cities and your browser. It is not used for Analytics or advertising. | 180 days, unless you replace or delete it sooner. |
| Google Analytics data after consent, which may include online identifiers, page views, referring page, approximate location, device and browser information, session information, and interactions with the site. | To understand aggregated site use and improve content and navigation. We rely on your consent. Google Analytics remains fully blocked unless and until you allow Analytics. | Google and its service providers, and Shopping Cities administrators who review Analytics reports. | Google Analytics user and event data is configured for 2 months. Analytics cookies may remain for up to 2 years unless you withdraw consent or delete them sooner. |
| Google Maps request data, such as IP address, device and browser data, the map or place requested, and interactions with Google Maps. | To display a map only when you explicitly request it. The request is made at your direction. Google processes the resulting information under its own terms and privacy policy. | Google and its service providers. | Shopping Cities does not intentionally retain a separate map-interaction record. Google applies its own retention practices. |
| Outbound affiliate-link data, which may include the destination selected, referral information, and an affiliate identifier in the link. | To send you to the third-party site you choose and, where disclosed, attribute a resulting purchase or action. Shopping Cities does not place affiliate scripts or pixels on this site. | The merchant or affiliate network you visit, which processes information under its own privacy notice. | Shopping Cities does not intentionally retain a separate affiliate-click profile. The destination and affiliate provider apply their own retention practices. |
| Privacy, abuse, and legal request records, including your request, correspondence, verification information where reasonably needed, and our response. | To handle the request, comply with law, prevent fraud, establish what action was taken, and protect legal rights. We rely on legal obligations and legitimate interests. | Site administrators, relevant service providers, professional advisers, and public authorities where legally required. | 24 months after the request is closed, unless a longer period is required for a legal obligation or active dispute. |
4. Google Analytics and consent
Shopping Cities uses Google Analytics only with your prior consent and implements Google Basic Consent Mode. Before consent, the Google tag is not loaded, no request is sent to Google Analytics, and Google Analytics cookies are not created. If you allow Analytics, Google Analytics may begin collecting the information described above and may set cookies such as _ga and _ga_<container-id>.
You can reject Analytics without losing access to the site. You can also revisit Cookie settings in the footer and withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal blocks future Analytics loading and removes known first-party Google Analytics cookies on the Shopping Cities domain. It does not require Google to erase information lawfully processed before withdrawal, but you may make a deletion request where applicable.
5. Google Maps
Google Maps is blocked by default. A map is requested from Google only after you choose to load or open it. That action may allow Google to receive personal information and use cookies or similar storage under Google's own terms and privacy policy. If you do not want to connect to Google Maps, do not activate the map.
6. Affiliate and other third-party links
Shopping Cities may include clearly disclosed outbound affiliate links. If you follow one, the destination merchant or affiliate network may receive referral information and use cookies or similar technologies under its own privacy notice. Shopping Cities does not run affiliate scripts or pixels on its pages. Other third-party sites linked from Shopping Cities are also responsible for their own privacy practices. We encourage you to review their notices.
7. When we share information
We share personal information only as described in this policy, including with providers that host, protect, maintain, or measure the site; with professional advisers; in connection with a business reorganization; or when disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights or safety, investigate abuse, or respond to a lawful request.
Shopping Cities does not sell personal information for money and does not use or share personal information for cross-context behavioral or targeted advertising. If those practices change, we will update this policy and provide any legally required opt-out mechanism before beginning them.
8. International transfers
Shopping Cities and its service providers may process information in countries other than the country where you live. Those countries may have different data protection laws. Where European Economic Area or United Kingdom law requires transfer safeguards, we rely on an applicable adequacy decision, approved contractual protections, or another lawful transfer mechanism offered by the relevant provider. The exact safeguard can depend on the provider and transfer. You may contact us for information about the safeguards relevant to your information.
9. How long we keep information
We use the normal retention periods in the table above. We may keep a specific record longer when reasonably necessary to comply with law, investigate a security incident, resolve a dispute, enforce an agreement, or protect a person or legal right. When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it where reasonably practicable. Backup copies may remain for a limited period until overwritten through normal backup cycles.
10. Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures intended to protect personal information, including access controls, secure connections, maintenance, backups, and abuse prevention. No website, transmission, or storage system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Your privacy rights
Depending on your location and subject to legal conditions and exceptions, you may have the right to:
- ask whether we process your personal information and obtain access to it;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to delete information;
- ask us to restrict processing;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- receive information you provided in a portable format where the right applies;
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier lawful processing; and
- appeal a refusal where applicable law provides an appeal right.
Residents of certain US states may also have rights to know, access, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of personal information, and to opt out of sale, targeted advertising, or certain profiling. Shopping Cities does not currently sell personal information, use it for targeted advertising, or conduct profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. We will not discriminate against you for exercising an applicable privacy right.
To exercise a right, use our contact page and describe your request. We may ask for information reasonably necessary to verify the request and protect your information. An authorized agent may submit a request where local law permits, but we may require proof of authority and appropriate verification. We respond within the period required by applicable law.
12. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Some browsers offer a Do Not Track signal, but there is no consistent legal or technical standard for responding to it, so the site does not respond to that signal. Our Cookie settings control optional Analytics. Because Shopping Cities does not sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising, there is currently no sale or targeted-advertising activity for a Global Privacy Control signal to stop. We will review this position if our practices or applicable law change.
13. Children
Shopping Cities is a general-audience information service and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. A parent or guardian who believes a child has provided personal information can contact us through our contact page so we can review and, where appropriate, delete it.
14. Comments if enabled in the future
Public comments are disabled at launch. If Shopping Cities enables comments, they will be limited to people aged 16 or older and reviewed before publication. We may collect the commenter's name, email address, comment, IP address, and browser user-agent string for submission, moderation, security, abuse prevention, and legal compliance. The approved name and comment would be public. The email address, IP address, and user-agent string would not be published.
We do not plan to use public avatars or commenter accounts. We will not enable comment-author convenience cookies without first updating this policy and our Cookie Policy. Published comments would normally be kept while they remain relevant and published. After an approved removal request, we would remove the live comment within 30 days, subject to legal exceptions and normal backup cycles. Additional terms would apply to commenters and would be presented before comments are enabled.
15. Complaints
Please contact Shopping Cities first through our contact page so we can try to resolve your concern. If European Economic Area data protection law applies, you may complain to the data protection authority where you live, work, or believe an infringement occurred. If United Kingdom data protection law applies, you may complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office. US residents may also contact the regulator or state attorney general authorized to handle complaints under applicable state law.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, providers, or legal obligations change. We will post the revised policy with a new effective date. If a change materially affects how we use information based on consent, we will request consent again where required.
17. Contact
For questions, privacy requests, or complaints, contact Shopping Cities through our contact page.