Privacy Policy
Last updated June 27, 2026
Halloweenwise ("we," "us") respects your privacy. This policy explains what we collect, why, and what you can do about it. Halloweenwise is an independent site operated from North Carolina, USA.
The short version
We collect little, and we tell you exactly what. Most of our analytics is cookieless; one tool, Microsoft Clarity, records anonymized session activity — and masks anything you type into a form — so we can improve the guides. We only store your email if you subscribe, and we never sell your data.
What we collect
Analytics. We use Plausible Analytics to see which pages people visit and which retailer links get clicked. It's cookieless — it doesn't set cookies, doesn't fingerprint your device, and doesn't track you across other sites. What we see is aggregate (page views, referrers, country-level location, outbound clicks), not tied to you personally.
Session analytics. We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how our guides actually get used — where people click, scroll, and pause — through heatmaps and anonymized session recordings. A recording captures our page content and how you move through it; Clarity masks anything you type into a form, so your own details never appear in one. (The only thing you can enter on the site is your email, if you subscribe — and that's masked.) It sets one cookie to tie a single visit together, and Microsoft processes that data under its own privacy terms. For visitors in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, Clarity won't set that cookie or fully record unless local consent rules are met.
Email, if you subscribe. If you give us your email — to get the DIY costume cheat-sheet, or to sign up for our newsletter — we collect it and store it with Buttondown, our email provider. We use it only to send you what you asked for and our newsletter. You can unsubscribe from any email, and we'll remove you.
Technical and security data. Like any site, our host and content-delivery network (Cloudflare) automatically process basic technical data — such as your IP address and browser type — to deliver the site and protect it from abuse.
Cookies and affiliate links
Our main analytics (Plausible) sets no cookies. Microsoft Clarity sets a single cookie to tie one visit together — you can block or clear it like any cookie. The other place cookies come in is affiliate links: when you click through to a retailer, that retailer or its affiliate network may set a cookie so a purchase can be credited to us — at no extra cost to you (see our affiliate disclosure). Those cookies are set and controlled by the retailer or network under their own privacy policies, not ours. You can block or clear cookies in your browser at any time.
Services we rely on
Plausible (cookieless analytics), Microsoft Clarity (session analytics), Cloudflare (hosting and content delivery), Buttondown (newsletter email), and the affiliate networks and retailers you reach through outbound links. Each has its own privacy policy governing the data it handles.
What we don't do
We don't sell or rent your data. We don't run ad networks or third-party ad tracking. We don't require an account, and we don't process payments — any purchase you make happens on the retailer's own site.
Your choices
Unsubscribe from the newsletter anytime through the link in any email. To ask what data we hold about you, or to have it deleted, email editor@halloweenwise.com and we'll take care of it.
Children
Halloweenwise isn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their personal information.
Changes
We may update this policy as the site grows; we'll change the date above when we do.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email editor@halloweenwise.com.