Last updated: October 24, 2026
CFLPlayoffs.com is an independent fan website about the CFL playoffs and the Grey Cup. It is not affiliated with the Canadian Football League or any team. This policy explains, in plain words, what information the site collects when you visit, why, and the choices you have.
On this page: The short version · Information we collect · Google Analytics · Advertising · Cookies we use · Your choices · Third-party services · How long we keep data · Your rights · Security and transfers · Children · Changes · Contact us
The short version
- You can read everything on this site without an account. We never ask for your name or email to use it.
- We use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are useful. Reports show totals, not who you are.
- Ads are served by Google AdSense, which may use cookies to show ads based on your interests. You can switch personalised ads off.
- The fan poll, bracket predictor and time-zone switch keep their settings in your own browser, not in our database.
- We do not sell personal information, and we do not run a mailing list.
Information we collect
Server and security logs
Our hosting provider records standard technical details when a page is requested: IP address, page requested, date and time, browser and device type, and the referring page. These logs keep the site running, block abuse and help us find errors. They are kept for a limited time by the host and are not combined with other information about you.
Fan polls
When you vote in a poll, we store the vote count and a one-way scrambled code (a hash) made from the poll name and your IP address, so each device votes once. The code cannot be turned back into your IP address and is deleted automatically after 30 days.
Settings saved in your browser
Some features use your browser’s local storage, which stays on your device and is not sent to us: the time zone you pick for kickoff times, your bracket predictor picks and your poll choice. Clearing your browser data removes them.
Messages you send us
If you email us through the contact page, we receive your email address and your message. We use them only to reply.
Comments
If comments are open and you leave one, we collect the name, email address and text you enter, plus your IP address and browser details for spam detection. Comments may be checked by an automated spam filter, and an anonymised hash of your email may be sent to Gravatar to show a profile picture.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to see how many people visit, which pages they read, how they found the site and how pages perform on different devices. This tells us what to improve and what to cover next.
Google Analytics uses cookies and collects details such as pages viewed, time on page, the site or search that referred you, device, browser and screen size, and approximate location (country and city) derived from your IP address. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses in our reports. We do not use it to identify individual visitors, and we do not combine it with other personal information. Reports are kept for no longer than 14 months.
To stop Google Analytics collecting data about your visits on any site, install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Advertising (Google AdSense)
This site shows ads from Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and to other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are asked for consent before personalised ads or analytics cookies are used, and can change that choice at any time from the privacy link in the consent message.
Cookies we use
We do not set tracking cookies of our own. These are the main cookies you may see, set by the services named. Providers can change their cookies, so treat the lifetimes as typical rather than exact.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Typical lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Count visits and pages viewed | Up to 2 years |
__gads, __gpi | Google AdSense | Show ads and limit how often you see them | Up to 13 months |
__eoi | Google AdSense | Ad security and fraud prevention | Up to 6 months |
IDE, NID and similar | Google (google.com, doubleclick.net) | Personalised advertising and preferences | Around 6 to 24 months |
| Security and performance cookies | Hosting and content-delivery network | Protect the site and load pages quickly | Session to a few days |
comment_author_* | WordPress | Remember your name and email if you comment | About 1 year |
Your choices
- Google Ads Settings: turn personalised ads off for your Google account and browser.
- aboutads.info (US) and youronlinechoices.eu (Europe): opt out of interest-based ads from many companies.
- Google Analytics opt-out add-on: stop Analytics on every site you visit.
- Your browser settings: block or delete cookies and local storage. The site keeps working without them.
- How Google uses data from sites like ours: policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Third-party services and links
- Google Fonts. Our typefaces load from Google’s servers, which receive your IP address to deliver the files.
- Calendar links. “Add to Google Calendar” opens Google. The .ics download is made in your browser and nothing is sent to us.
- Embedded content. Articles may embed videos or posts from other sites (for example YouTube or X). Those sites may set cookies as if you had visited them.
- Outbound links. We link to broadcasters, ticket sellers and news sources. Their privacy policies apply once you leave this site.
How long we keep information
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics reports | No longer than 14 months |
| Poll vote codes | 30 days; poll totals (no personal data) for the season |
| Emails you send us | As long as needed to answer, then deleted |
| Comments | Kept with the article; we remove them on request |
| Server logs | A limited period set by our hosting provider |
Your rights
Depending on where you live, including under the GDPR in the European Union, the UK GDPR, PIPEDA in Canada and US state laws such as the CCPA, you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to get a copy, to have it corrected or deleted, to object to or restrict its use, and to opt out of targeted advertising. Because we hold almost nothing that identifies you, most requests are quick: email us and we will reply within 30 days. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Security and international transfers
The site is served over HTTPS, and access to its back end is limited to the people who run it. Google, our hosting provider and other services may process information in countries outside your own, including the United States, under their own safeguards for international transfers.
Children
This is a general-audience sports site and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you think a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change how the site handles information, we will update this page and the date at the top.
Contact us
Questions or requests about privacy on CFLPlayoffs.com? Email Patrick Thomas at pt210952@gmail.com or use the contact page.