Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Welcome to CogForge.top (the “Site”), a blog dedicated to self-sufficient living, homesteading, and practical off-grid skills. Your privacy matters to us. This policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and your choices—including how advertising and analytics partners may use cookies and device identifiers.

This Site is a blog. We do not sell products, process payments, or maintain shopping carts. We do not require you to create an account to read or comment.

1. Who We Are

Site owner / operator: CogForge.top
Email: [email protected]
Postal address: 8535 Cedar Ln, Brookings, South Dakota 34793, USA

For any privacy-related questions, please contact us via the email above.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Voluntarily

• Contact form: When you send us a message, we collect your name, email address, and any details you include. We use this solely to respond to your inquiry.
• Comments: When you leave a comment on a blog post, we collect your name (or pseudonym), email address, and the content of your comment. Your name and comment are publicly visible; your email is kept private and used only for moderation or follow-up if needed.

We do not ask for payment information, credit card numbers, or billing details because this is not an online store.

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit CogForge.top, certain technical data is automatically collected via cookies, log files, and similar technologies:

• IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, and pages viewed.
• Usage patterns (e.g., time spent on pages, clicks).

3. Cookies & Similar Technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use cookies for the following purposes:

• Essential / functional cookies: To remember your comment preferences and ensure the site loads correctly.
• Analytics cookies: To understand how readers use our blog and improve content (see Section 4).
• Advertising cookies: To deliver relevant ads and measure ad performance (see Section 5).

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.

4. Analytics

We use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics) to collect aggregated data about site traffic and interaction. These services may use cookies and similar technologies to track your behavior across the web. The data collected (e.g., pages visited, time on site) is anonymized where possible and used only to improve our content and user experience.

To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

5. Third-Party Advertising (including Google AdSense)

We may display advertisements on this blog through Google AdSense or other ad networks. These third-party ad providers use cookies, web beacons, and device identifiers to:

• Show ads that are more relevant to you based on your browsing history and interests.
• Limit the number of times you see a particular ad.
• Measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

How ads use cookies / device identifiers: Ad networks may store a unique cookie or use your device’s advertising ID to build a profile of your interests. This enables personalized advertising. You may see ads on our site that reflect your previous visits to other websites.

5.1 Your Choices for Personalized Ads

• Google Ads Settings: Visit adssettings.google.com to manage or opt out of personalized ads from Google.
• AboutAds.info / YourAdChoices: Visit www.aboutads.info/choices to opt out of interest-based advertising from multiple participating companies.
• Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): Opt out at optout.networkadvertising.org.
• Mobile devices: Use your device’s “Limit Ad Tracking” (iOS) or “Opt out of Ads Personalization” (Android) setting.

Even if you opt out of personalized ads, you will still see non-personalized (contextual) ads based on the content of the page.

6. Third-Party Services & Links

Our blog may contain links to external websites (e.g., product recommendations, resource pages). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

7. Data Sharing & Disclosure

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

• Service providers: With trusted third parties (e.g., hosting, analytics, email delivery) who process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality agreements.
• Legal requirements: If required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, safety, or property.
• Advertising networks: As described in Section 5, ad networks may collect data via cookies for ad personalization.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary:

• Contact form submissions: Deleted within 12 months after the inquiry is resolved.
• Comments: Retained indefinitely unless you request removal. You may ask us to delete your comment and associated data by emailing [email protected].
• Analytics data: Aggregated and anonymized after 26 months.

9. Your Rights (GDPR & Similar Laws)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area, the UK, or other jurisdictions with similar data protection laws, you have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”).
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data.
• Data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests (including analytics and advertising).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

10. Children’s Privacy

CogForge.top is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or your data, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Postal mail: 8535 Cedar Ln, Brookings, South Dakota 34793, USA