This page holds the privacy policy, terms of use and cookie policy for ArsalanMasood.com, in plain language. It explains what information the site collects when you read, comment, rate a review, sign up for the newsletter or send a message, what it’s used for, who else is involved (such as Google for ads), how long it’s kept, and the choices and rights you have. It also sets out the simple rules for using the site’s content. Last updated 12 October 2026.
Looking for how the site earns money? See the affiliate disclosure. For the limits of the advice here, see the disclaimer.
Privacy policy: who runs this site
ArsalanMasood.com is run by Arsalan Masood from Lahore, Pakistan, for readers around the world. “I”, “me” and “this site” on this page mean the site and its owner. If you have a question about your information, use the contact page or email contact@arsalanmasood.com.
What information is collected
When you simply read the site
You can read every page without giving any personal details. Like almost every website, the server keeps standard technical logs (such as your IP address, browser type, the page you asked for and the time) to keep the site running and secure. Analytics and advertising services may also collect information through cookies, as explained in the cookie policy below.
When you send a message
The contact form asks for your name, email address, a topic and your message, and asks you to agree that these details are used to reply to you. The message is emailed to me and a private copy is kept in the site’s dashboard, which only administrators can see. To stop spam, the form uses a hidden field, a timing check and a daily limit per network; for the limit, the site stores a one-way scrambled code made from your network address, not the address itself, for one day. Message copies are deleted automatically after the period set in the site’s settings, currently one year, unless you ask for them to be deleted sooner.
When you rate a review
On reviews you can give a star rating and, optionally, a short comment and your first name. To allow one rating per person, the site stores a one-way scrambled code made from your network address rather than the address itself. Comments are checked before they appear. Your browser also remembers that you’ve rated the page, so the form doesn’t ask again.
When you comment
If comments are open, the comment form collects your name, email address and comment, and your IP address and browser details to help detect spam. Comments may be checked by an automatic spam-detection service. An anonymous code made from your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to see whether you have a profile picture there; see Automattic’s privacy policy for details. Approved comments, with your name and picture, are public.
When you subscribe to the newsletter
The newsletter asks for your email address. You then get one email asking you to confirm, so nobody can sign you up without your permission. Your address, the date you signed up and confirmed, and a record of the emails sent to you are stored privately on this site and used only to send the newsletter. Emails are delivered through the site’s email provider. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link; after you unsubscribe, your address is kept only as “unsubscribed” so you’re never emailed again, and you can ask for it to be deleted completely.
Analytics
This site uses Google Analytics, connected through Google’s Site Kit plugin, to count visits and see which pages are useful. Google Analytics sets cookies such as _ga to tell visits apart; Google says these last up to 2 years. The reports show statistics, not who you are. You can block these cookies in your browser or with Google’s opt-out browser add-on, and visitors from the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland are asked first, as explained below.
How your information is used
- To reply to your messages and questions.
- To send the newsletter you asked for.
- To publish ratings and comments you choose to share.
- To keep the site secure and free of spam.
- To understand which pages are useful, using statistics rather than individual profiles.
- To show advertising that helps keep the guides free.
Your personal information is never sold. It’s shared only with the services that help run the site (hosting, email, analytics, advertising and spam protection), or when the law requires it.
Advertising and Google
This site may show ads from Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a visitor’s prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the internet. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings, or opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at www.aboutads.info. To learn more, read Google’s page on how it uses information from sites that use its services.
If you visit from the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, you’ll see Google’s own consent message (Google’s certified “European regulations” message) the first time you visit. It lets you choose whether cookies are used for personalised ads and measurement, and you can change your choice at any time from the privacy link it shows. Until you choose, Google is told not to use advertising or analytics cookies for you.
Links to other websites
Pages link to other websites, including through affiliate links (addresses starting with /go/). When you follow a link, the other site may collect information about you under its own privacy policy. On this site, an affiliate link click is counted only as a total per link, page and day, with no personal details attached.
How long information is kept
- Contact messages: deleted automatically after the period in the site’s settings (currently one year).
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe.
- Comments and ratings: kept while the page they belong to is online, unless you ask for removal.
- Spam-protection codes: one day for the contact form.
Your rights
You can ask for a copy of the personal information this site holds about you, ask for it to be corrected, or ask for it to be deleted, unless it must be kept for legal or security reasons. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time with the link in any email. To make a request, contact me through the contact page or at contact@arsalanmasood.com, and I’ll reply as soon as I can. Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
The site isn’t aimed at children under 16, and doesn’t knowingly collect their personal information.
Cookie policy
Cookies are small text files a website stores in your browser. Some are needed for the site to work; others help measure visits or show ads. The site itself doesn’t need cookies to show its pages, and AM Core, the software that runs it, sets none. A few small notes are kept in your browser’s own storage only for convenience: that you’ve dismissed an announcement, voted on “Was this helpful?”, or rated a review, so you aren’t asked again.
- Comment cookies: if you leave a comment, you can choose to save your name and email in your browser for next time.
- Analytics cookies: Google Analytics (
_gaand_ga_followed by a code, up to 2 years) counts visits and shows which pages are popular. You can block them with your browser settings or Google’s opt-out browser add-on. - Advertising cookies: set by Google and its partners to show and measure ads, as explained above.
- Embedded content: videos and posts embedded from sites such as YouTube or X behave as if you visited those sites, and may set their own cookies.
You can delete or block cookies in your browser’s settings. Blocking some cookies may change how ads or embedded content appear, but every guide stays readable.
Terms of use
By using this site, you agree to these simple terms.
- Personal use: you’re welcome to read, share links to and print pages for your own use. Please don’t copy whole articles, images or downloads to other websites, products or courses without written permission. Quoting a short passage with a link back is fine.
- Your contributions: when you post a comment or rating, you confirm it’s your own honest opinion and doesn’t break anyone’s rights, and you let the site show it. Spam, abuse, personal attacks and illegal content are removed.
- Information, not professional advice: guides are written carefully and checked against official sources, but they’re general information. See the disclaimer for details.
- Third-party products: tools, hosts and services mentioned here are run by other companies, under their own terms and prices, which can change at any time.
- Names and logos: the ArsalanMasood.com name, logo and design belong to the site owner; other brands belong to their owners.
- Where the site is run: from Pakistan, for readers worldwide. These terms are governed by the laws of Pakistan, but nothing here removes rights that the law where you live gives you.
- Changes: these policies may be updated as the site or the law changes. The date at the top shows the latest version, and important changes will be explained on this page.
Contact about this policy
If anything on this page is unclear, or you’d like to use any of your rights, please get in touch through the contact page or email contact@arsalanmasood.com. You can also read how the site works on the about page.