Overview
HeadphonesMatch ("we," "our," "the site") is an independent headphone recommendation website run by Horace, based in New City, New York. We're committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who visits the site or uses our tools.
This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what rights you have over your own data. We've written it in plain English rather than legal jargon, because most privacy policies are deliberately confusing — and we'd rather be clear than be lawyered.
If anything below isn't clear or you have questions, contact us at our contact page.
What we collect
Information you give us directly: If you contact us by email, we receive your email address and the content of your message. If you use the headphone matcher tool, your selections (budget, use case, preferences) are processed in your browser to give you recommendations — but those answers aren't saved or transmitted to us.
Information collected automatically: When you visit the site, our hosting provider (Netlify) automatically logs basic technical information: your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, the pages you viewed, the time of your visit, and the website that referred you (if any). This is standard for almost every website on the internet and is used for security, performance monitoring, and traffic analytics.
Information from cookies: See the Cookies & tracking section below for what cookies we use and why.
What we do NOT collect: We don't ask for your name, phone number, mailing address, payment information, or any sensitive personal data. We don't have user accounts. We don't track you across the web. We don't sell or share your data with data brokers.
How we use your information
We use the information we collect for a small number of specific purposes:
- To operate and improve the site — understanding which articles are popular, which pages have problems, and how visitors navigate the site
- To respond to your messages — if you email us at horace@headphonesmatch.com, we use your email address to reply
- To prevent abuse — IP addresses help us detect spam, bots, and security threats
- To comply with legal obligations — if we receive a valid legal request, we may be required to provide information
We do not use your information to train AI models, build advertising profiles about you, sell to third parties, or anything else not listed above.
Cookies & tracking
A cookie is a small text file stored in your browser when you visit a website. Some cookies are necessary for the site to function; others are used for analytics or marketing. Here's what we use:
Essential cookies: These keep the site working correctly (such as remembering your accept-cookies preference). They don't track you.
Analytics cookies: If you've consented to analytics, we use privacy-friendly tools to understand traffic patterns. These cookies tell us things like "10,000 people viewed the under-$100 article this month" — not who you are individually.
Affiliate cookies: When you click an Amazon affiliate link on our site, Amazon places a cookie that credits us with the referral if you make a purchase within 24 hours. This is how we earn money. We never see your purchase details — just that a referral happened.
You can disable cookies entirely in your browser settings. Most browsers also let you delete cookies any time. Disabling cookies won't break the core site experience.
Third-party services we use
We rely on several third-party services to operate. Each has its own privacy policy that applies when you use their services:
- Netlify — our website hosting provider. Handles all traffic and logs basic technical data. Netlify Privacy Policy
- Amazon Associates — our affiliate program. When you click an Amazon link and make a purchase, Amazon shares the referral with us (but never your personal purchase details). Amazon Privacy Policy
- Google Fonts — we load our typography from Google's font CDN. Google may log your IP address when fonts are loaded. Google Privacy Policy
We do not use Facebook Pixel, Google Ads remarketing, or any cross-site tracking technology designed to follow you around the web.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you have specific rights over your personal information. We honor these rights regardless of where you live, as a matter of policy.
For everyone:
- Access — request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
- Correction — ask us to fix incorrect information
- Deletion — ask us to delete any information associated with your contact emails to us
- Opt-out — refuse non-essential cookies any time via your browser settings
For EU/UK residents (GDPR): You additionally have the right to data portability, the right to object to processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
For California residents (CCPA/CPRA): You additionally have the right to know what personal information has been collected, sold, or shared in the past 12 months. We don't sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, but you have the right to confirm this.
To exercise any of these rights, email us through our contact page. We'll respond within 30 days.
Data security
We take reasonable steps to protect the limited information we collect. The site is served over HTTPS (encrypted in transit), and our hosting provider Netlify maintains industry-standard security practices.
That said, no internet transmission is 100% secure. If you're worried about a particular piece of information being exposed, the safest answer is to not share it with us in the first place. We don't need most personal information to recommend headphones.
Children's privacy
HeadphonesMatch is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices, in the services we use, or in legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
We recommend reviewing this page periodically. Your continued use of the site after changes means you accept the updated policy.
Contact us
Questions about this privacy policy, requests to exercise your rights, or concerns about how your data is handled — reach us at our contact page.
HeadphonesMatch is operated by Horace, based in New City, New York, United States.