GearBug - Privacy policy
Last update : September 5, 2026
This policy explains what information GearBug.com collects, why we collect it, who we share it with, and what you can do about it. If anything here is unclear, please contact us and ask.
Information you give us
- Account information. If you register, we ask for your first name, last name, email address and a password. We also ask for your Zip Code, or your city and country if you are outside the USA, so that we can show where a reviewer is from.
- Content you post. Product reviews, the good and bad points you list, the price you paid and where you bought an item, your bookmarks and the private notes you attach to them.
- Messages. If you use our contact form, we receive the email address and the message you enter so that we can reply.
What is shown publicly
Reviews are public. When you post one, the site displays your first name only, your general location (city, state or country), your reviewer points, the date, and the text of your review. Your last name, your email address, your Zip Code and the notes you attach to your bookmarks are never displayed to other visitors.
Information collected automatically
- Session cookie. We set one cookie to keep you logged in as you move between pages. It is required for the site to work and holds no personal information itself.
- Server logs. Our Web server records ordinary request information such as IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. We use this to keep the site running and to block abuse.
- Analytics and advertising. Third parties we use set their own cookies and identifiers, as described in the next section.
Third parties we use
- Google AdSense. We show ads on this site. Google and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other Web sites, and to measure how ads perform. You can review and change how Google personalizes ads at Google Ads Settings, and you can opt out of personalized advertising from many companies at optout.aboutads.info.
- Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand which pages are visited and how the site is used. You can prevent this with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
- Facebook. Pages include a Facebook Like button. Facebook may know that you visited a page that contains it, whether or not you click it, according to their own policy.
These companies are independent of GearBug.com. Their use of your information is governed by their own privacy policies, not this one.
How we use your information
- To create and maintain your account and keep you signed in
- To publish the reviews you choose to post
- To send account email such as your registration confirmation and password reset messages
- To answer messages you send us
- To moderate content, prevent abuse and keep the site secure
- To fund the site through advertising
We do not sell your personal information for money, and we do not send marketing email.
How long we keep it
We keep your account information for as long as your account exists. Reviews you post are intended to stay on the site as a lasting resource for other musicians. If you ask us to delete your account, we will remove your personal details; tell us in your request if you also want your reviews removed. Messages sent through the contact form are kept as email.
Security
Passwords are stored in hashed form, never as readable text. No Web site can promise perfect security, but we take reasonable measures to protect the information we hold.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has given us information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Your choices
- You can view and change your name, email address, location and password at any time from your profile page.
- You can remove any bookmark and its note yourself.
- You can block or delete cookies in your browser. If you block our session cookie you will not be able to log in.
- You can ask us to access, correct or delete your information by using the contact form.
If you are in the European Economic Area or the UK
Under the GDPR you have the right to access your personal data, to have it corrected or erased, to restrict or object to how we process it, and to receive a copy of it in a portable form. You also have the right to complain to your national data protection authority.
We process your data on these legal bases: to perform the service you asked for when you registered (contract), for our legitimate interests in running, moderating and funding the site, and on your consent where consent is required for advertising and analytics cookies. Where consent is the basis, you may withdraw it at any time using the controls linked above.
GearBug.com is operated from the United States and your information is stored there.
If you are a California resident
Under the CCPA and CPRA you have the right to know what personal information we collect and why, to request a copy of it, to request deletion of it, to correct it, and not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights. The categories we collect are identifiers (name, email address), commercial information (the prices you report in reviews), internet activity (pages viewed, ad and analytics identifiers) and approximate geographic location.
We do not sell personal information for money. However, the advertising cookies described above may count as "selling" or "sharing" personal information under California law. You can opt out of that by using the Google Ads Settings and industry opt-out links above, and by enabling a Global Privacy Control signal in your browser.
To exercise any of these rights, use our contact form. We will verify your request through the email address on your account before acting on it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page. Please check back from time to time.
Contact
Questions, requests or complaints about privacy? Please click here to write to us. See also our terms of use.