Privacy policy

This policy explains what information InsuranceAgencyTools.com (“InsuranceAgencyTools”, “we”, “us”) collects when you use insuranceagencytools.com (the “site”), how we use it and the choices you have.

Information we collect

Information you send us. When you email us, submit a correction or ask to claim a listing, we receive what you choose to include, such as your name, email address, company, role and the details of your request.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, our hosting provider records basic technical information when you load a page: your IP address, browser type, the page requested, the referring page and the time of the request. We use it to keep the site running, secure and fast.

Links to vendors. Links to other websites go through a short redirect on our site. When you click one, we record which link was clicked, the page it was on, the time, your approximate location (country and state) and your device type (phone, tablet or computer). We don’t record your IP address or any ID with it. We use this to see which vendors readers look at. Some of these links are affiliate or referral links, which means the vendor may pay us if you buy (see our terms of use).

Information stored in your browser. The site stores a small note in your browser’s local storage with the last page you viewed, so it can offer a “pick up where you left off” link. It stays on your device and is not sent to us. You can clear it at any time in your browser settings.

Newsletter. If you sign up for our newsletter, we store your email address, the page you signed up from, your approximate country and the date. We send one email to confirm the address, and you are not on the list until you click the link in it. To stop people from using the signup form to send email to others, we keep a scrambled version of the IP address a signup came from for one day. We count which links in each issue are clicked so we can tell which topics are useful. We don’t use tracking pixels to see when you open an email. Every issue has a one-click unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing takes effect immediately. If an address bounces or you mark an issue as spam, we stop sending to it. Addresses that have not clicked anything in 180 days get one email asking if they still want the newsletter, and are removed if they don’t respond within 30 days.

Account and listing emails. If you claim a listing, sign in to manage one or send us a correction, we email you a code, a sign-in link or a receipt. These emails are about your request, so they are sent even if you are not on the newsletter.

Calculators. Numbers you enter in a calculator are processed in your browser. We don’t receive or store them.

How we use information

We use information to:

review and respond to corrections, listing claims and messages
send the email updates you signed up for
verify that a person claiming a listing represents the business
operate, secure and improve the site
comply with the law and enforce our terms of use

We don’t sell your personal information and we don’t share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

We share information with service providers that help us run the site, under terms that limit their use of it. They are Cloudflare (hosting, security and storage), Amazon Web Services (sending account, listing and newsletter emails) and Google (analytics, received only through our server). We also share it when the law requires it or when we need to protect the rights and safety of our users, our business or others. If InsuranceAgencyTools is ever sold or merged, information may transfer to the new owner under this policy.

Analytics

We measure how the site is used so we can improve it. Pages load a small script from our own domain that sends our server the page you viewed and its title, how long the page was open, the page that sent you here, which outbound links you clicked, your browser language, screen size and device type, and your approximate location (country, region and city, worked out from your IP address by our hosting provider). Our server passes that to Google Analytics. Google never receives your IP address directly and no Google code runs in your browser. The script stores a random visitor ID and a session ID in your browser’s local storage so we can count visits and return visits. They are not tied to your name or email. We don’t use advertising cookies and we don’t use analytics for advertising. You can clear these IDs at any time in your browser settings, and the script sends nothing if your browser has Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control turned on.

How long we keep information

We keep messages, corrections and listing claims for as long as we need them to handle the request and keep an accurate record of changes to our pages, then delete them. Server logs are kept for a limited period by our hosting provider.

Analytics events and link clicks we store ourselves are kept for 25 months, then deleted. Google Analytics keeps its data for 14 months. Newsletter addresses are kept until you unsubscribe, after which we keep only the address on a do-not-send list so we never email it again. Signups that are never confirmed are deleted after 14 days.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us to access, correct or delete personal information you have sent us by writing to editor@insuranceagencytools.com. Depending on where you live, including California and other US states with privacy laws, you may have additional rights. We will respond as the law in your state requires and won’t treat you differently for using them.

Children

The site is for insurance professionals and is not directed to children under 16. We don’t knowingly collect information from them.

Links to other sites

Vendor profiles link to vendors’ own websites. Their privacy practices are their own, so review their policies before you share information with them.

Changes to this policy

When we change this policy we will update the date at the top of the page. Significant changes will also be noted on this page.

Contact

InsuranceAgencyTools.com editor@insuranceagencytools.com