Last updated: July 12, 2026
HiFi & Beat (“we”, “us”) operates hificlub.ca, an independent Canadian publication covering vinyl and turntables, DJ gear, and hearing protection. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit the site, how we use it, and the choices you have. We collect as little personal information as we can get away with: you can read everything on this site without creating an account or handing over any personal details.
Information we collect
- Comments. If you leave a comment, we store the name and email address you provide, the comment text, and your IP address (used for spam prevention).
- Contact form. If you write to us, we receive the name, email address, and message you submit, and we keep the correspondence for as long as we need it to help you.
- Technical data. Like almost every website, our server keeps standard access logs (IP address, browser type, pages requested). We also use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how the site is used: it reports aggregated statistics such as page views, referral sources, approximate location (city level, derived from your IP address), and device and browser type. GA4 does not store full IP addresses, and we do not use it to identify individual visitors.
We do not run user accounts, newsletters, or paid subscriptions, and we never buy or sell personal data.
How we use information
- to publish and moderate comments and keep spam out;
- to reply when you contact us;
- to understand, in aggregate, which guides and reviews people find useful so we can plan better content;
- to keep the site secure and diagnose technical problems.
Affiliate links
Our reviews and buying guides contain affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, the retailer may set cookies in your browser so the purchase can be attributed to this site, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our partners currently include the Amazon Associates program. We never see your name, payment details, or what else you bought. How each retailer handles your data is governed by its own privacy policy. For the full picture of how we earn money, see our Affiliate Disclosure.
Cookies
hificlub.ca uses a small number of cookies: functional cookies (for example, remembering your name for the comment form if you ask it to), analytics cookies set by Google Analytics (they contain a random identifier used to tell visits apart, not your name), and third-party cookies set by affiliate partners when you follow an outbound product link. You can block or delete cookies at any time in your browser settings, or opt out of Google Analytics entirely with Google’s opt-out browser add-on; the site remains fully readable without them.
Your rights
Under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA) you may ask us what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it (for example, removing a comment you posted). Visitors from the EU and other regions have equivalent rights under their local law. To exercise any of these, reach us through the contact page and we will respond within a reasonable time. We do not send marketing email, so there is nothing to unsubscribe from.
Data retention
Comments stay published alongside the article for as long as the article exists, unless you ask us to remove yours. Contact-form correspondence is kept only while we are dealing with your question. Server logs rotate automatically on a short schedule.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
Third-party websites
Articles link to outside websites, including retailers and manufacturers. Once you leave hificlub.ca, this policy no longer applies; please review the privacy policy of any site you visit.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle personal information, we will update this page and revise the date at the top. Significant changes will be noted on the page itself.
Questions
Anything unclear, or want your data removed? Use the contact page and a human (specifically, our editor) will get back to you.