Privacy policy

Who we are

Panamá Spot (panamaspot.com) is an independent travel guide to Panama. In this policy, "we" and "us" mean Panamá Spot. If you have a question about your data, write to hola@panamaspot.com.

What we collect

When you read the site

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used. It collects information such as the pages you view, how you arrived (for example from a search engine, a link or an ad), roughly where you are (country and city, worked out from your IP address), your device, browser, language and screen size, how long you stay, and clicks on some links, such as links to partner pages or to WhatsApp. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. It uses cookies to recognise a returning browser; it does not tell us your name or who you are.

When you arrive from an ad

Some of our pages are advertised on Google. When you click one of those ads, the link carries a click identifier. On a few pages about our local partners, the Google Ads conversion tag records whether someone who arrived from an ad then tapped the button to contact the partner on WhatsApp. This tells us whether the ad worked; it does not tell us who you are or what you wrote.

When you email us

If you write to us, we receive your email address, your name if you include it, and whatever is in your message.

To run the site

Our hosting provider processes technical information, such as your IP address and browser type, to deliver pages and protect the site from abuse. Some pages load fonts from Google Fonts, which means your browser connects to Google's servers to fetch them.

We don't have accounts, comment forms or payments, so we don't collect passwords or payment details.

How we use it

• To see which guides are useful, find broken pages and decide what to write or update next.
• To measure whether our ads bring readers and lead to enquiries.
• To reply to your messages and fix mistakes you report.
• To keep the site secure and working.

We don't sell or rent personal information, and we don't share it with our partners.

Cookies

Cookies are small files your browser stores. These are the ones set on panamaspot.com:

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site still works without them.

Other companies involved

• Google provides Google Analytics, Google Ads and Google Fonts. Google's use of this data is covered by the Google Privacy Policy; see also how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
• Our hosting provider serves the site and keeps technical logs.
• WhatsApp. Some pages have buttons that open WhatsApp to message a local business. That conversation happens on WhatsApp, under WhatsApp's privacy policy, and goes to that business, not to us.
• Other websites. Our guides link to official sites, operators and partners. Once you leave panamaspot.com, their privacy policies apply.

Where data is processed

Google and our hosting provider run servers in the United States and other countries, so the information described here may be processed outside the country you live in.

How long we keep it

Google Analytics keeps visit data for a limited period set in our account, and then deletes it automatically; reports only show totals. We keep emails for as long as we need them to deal with your message, and delete them when asked.

Your choices and rights

• Block or delete cookies in your browser.
• Install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
• Manage how Google personalises ads in My Ad Center.

Depending on where you live, including under Panama's Law 81 of 2019, the EU and UK GDPR and some US state laws, you may have the right to ask what personal information we hold about you, and to have it corrected or deleted, or to object to how it is used. Write to hola@panamaspot.com and we will respond. Analytics data is not linked to your name, so in most cases we can't find it from an email address alone. You can also complain to your data protection authority; in Panama, that is the Autoridad Nacional de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información (ANTAI).

Children

Panamá Spot is written for adults planning travel. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

If we change what we collect or how we use it, we will update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

Questions or requests about your data: hola@panamaspot.com. You can also reach us through our contact page.