Privacy Policy

Last updated 19 August 2026.

This policy explains what Labcritics collects, why, and what you can do about it. It describes our actual setup rather than generic boilerplate. Cookies are covered separately and in detail in our Cookie Policy.

Who we are

Labcritics publishes news and reviews about laboratory equipment and research software at labcritics.com. For privacy questions, contact info@labcritics.com.

What we collect

Reading the site. Our host records standard server logs — IP address, browser user agent, page requested and time — used to keep the site running and secure. They are not used to build a profile of you.

Analytics. If you allow Performance cookies, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used: pages viewed, approximate location, device and browser, and a truncated IP address. If you decline, measurement continues in a cookieless form that cannot identify you.

Forms. When you submit a contact, subscription or enquiry form we receive the details you provide — typically name, email address and your message. Forms are handled by Ninja Forms and stored in our WordPress database. Google reCAPTCHA protects them from automated abuse and processes your IP address and interaction signals for that purpose.

Newsletter. We store the email address you give us and a record of which messages were sent. Every email carries an unsubscribe link.

Accounts and comments. If you register or comment we store the username, email address and any profile details you provide. Comments and the name attached to them are published on the site by design.

Why we process it

  • Consent — analytics and any advertising measurement. You control these in the privacy panel and can change them at any time.
  • Legitimate interests — keeping the site available, secure and free of spam, and understanding in aggregate what readers find useful.
  • Contract — delivering a newsletter or an account you asked for.

Sharing

We do not sell your personal data, and we never pass reader data to sponsors or advertisers. Data is processed on our behalf by our hosting provider, by Google (Analytics and reCAPTCHA) and by our email delivery system. Some outbound links to vendors are affiliate links that may earn us a commission; our Disclosure explains how that is kept separate from editorial judgement.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export or delete the personal data we hold about you, to object to processing, and to withdraw consent. Write to info@labcritics.com and we will respond. If you are in the UK or EU and are unhappy with our response, you may complain to your national data protection authority.

Retention

Analytics data is retained according to our Google Analytics configuration. Newsletter records are kept until you unsubscribe. Form submissions and comments are kept while they remain useful for correspondence or context. Server logs rotate on our host’s schedule.

Changes

If this policy changes materially we will update the date at the top of this page.