Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to The Car Guy Online ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website and use our services.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide, including:

• Account Information: Email address, username, and password when you register
• Profile Information: Display name and other optional profile details
• Forum Content: Posts, topics, and comments you create in our community forum
• Communications: Messages you send to us or other users

Information from Third-Party Authentication

If you choose to register or log in using a third-party service (Google, Facebook, or Microsoft), we may receive your name, email address, and profile information as permitted by your settings on those services.

Automatically Collected Information

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, navigation patterns
• Cookies: Session cookies for authentication and site functionality

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain our website and services
• Create and manage your user account
• Enable participation in our community forum
• Send you important notifications about your account or our services
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Monitor and analyze usage patterns to improve our services
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues or security threats
• Enforce our terms of service and community guidelines

4. Vehicle Complaint Data

Our website displays vehicle complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is publicly available government data and does not contain personal information that we collect from users. We present this data for informational purposes to help consumers make informed vehicle purchasing decisions.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Public Forum Content: Posts and topics you create in the community forum are publicly visible
• Service Providers: Third-party vendors who assist in operating our website (e.g., email services, hosting)
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or governmental authority
• Protection of Rights: To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

• Essential Cookies: Required for authentication and security
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
• Analytics: Understand how visitors interact with our website

You can control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling them may affect site functionality.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information, including encryption, secure connections (HTTPS), and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal information
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from non-essential communications

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the form below.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please use the form below: