On This Page
1. Who We Are
InternetAdvice.ca is an independent Canadian website that helps Canadians compare internet service providers, understand their options, and make better decisions about home and business internet. The site is operated independently and is not owned by or affiliated with any Canadian ISP or telecommunications company.
Our website address is https://internetadvice.ca. For privacy-related inquiries, contact us at hello@internetadvice.ca.
2. What Information We Collect
Information you give us directly
- ISP reviews: When you submit a review of your internet provider, we collect your name (or chosen display name), your general location (province or city), your ISP, your rating, and the text of your review. We do not require an email address to submit a review.
- Contact form and email: When you contact us via email or a contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the contents of your message.
- Comments: If you leave a comment on an article, we collect your name, email address, and comment text. Your email address is never displayed publicly.
- Calculator and tool inputs: Our Business Internet Calculator and Internet Cost Calculator collect the answers you provide (such as team size, province, and usage type) to generate your recommendation. This information is processed locally and is not stored or linked to your identity.
Information collected automatically
- Log data: Our web server automatically records your IP address, browser type, referring URL, and pages visited when you access the site. This is standard for all websites and is used for security and performance monitoring.
- Analytics data: We use analytics software (described in Section 5) to understand how visitors use the site, including which pages are popular, how long people spend on them, and what devices and browsers are used. This data is aggregated and anonymised.
- Cookies: We use cookies as described in Section 6.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes only:
- To display submitted ISP reviews on the site so other Canadians can read them
- To respond to your emails and contact form messages
- To moderate and publish comments on articles
- To detect and prevent spam, abuse, and fraudulent submissions
- To understand how the site is used so we can improve it
- To maintain the security and technical operation of the site
We do not use your information for marketing purposes. We do not send promotional emails. We do not build advertising profiles. We do not share your information with ISPs, telecom companies, or any third party for commercial purposes.
4. Submitted Reviews and Comments
Reviews submitted through the Review Your Internet Provider page are published publicly on this site. Your display name and general location (for example, “Toronto, ON”) are shown alongside your review. Your email address, if provided, is never displayed publicly and is used only for moderation purposes.
All submitted reviews go through a moderation process before being published. We reserve the right to decline to publish reviews that contain spam, personal attacks, or information that appears to be false or misleading.
If you want your review removed after publication, contact us at hello@internetadvice.ca and we will remove it within a reasonable timeframe.
Comments on articles are also moderated before publication. We use an automated spam detection service to help filter out spam submissions. A hashed version of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to check for a profile picture; the Gravatar privacy policy is available at automattic.com/privacy.
5. Analytics and Tracking
We use analytics tools to understand how visitors use InternetAdvice.ca. This helps us identify which guides are most useful, where people get stuck, and what content to prioritise. Analytics data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.
If you use a browser extension that blocks analytics tracking, that is completely fine and will not affect your experience on the site.
6. Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored in your browser. InternetAdvice.ca uses cookies for the following purposes:
- Essential cookies: Required for the site to function, including session management and security. These cannot be disabled without breaking site functionality.
- Analytics cookies: Used to collect anonymised usage data as described in Section 5. These can be blocked using browser settings or extension tools.
- Comment and review cookies: If you leave a comment, you can opt in to saving your name and email in a cookie so you do not have to re-enter them next time. These cookies last one year and are only set with your explicit consent.
We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies that follow you across other websites.
7. Third-Party Services
InternetAdvice.ca uses a small number of third-party services to operate the site. Each handles your data according to their own privacy policies:
- WordPress (Automattic): Our content management system. Privacy policy
- Gravatar (Automattic): Used to display profile pictures on comments if you have a Gravatar account linked to your email address.
- Web hosting provider: Our hosting provider processes server log data including IP addresses for security and performance purposes.
- Spam detection services: Comment and review submissions may be checked through automated spam detection.
We do not embed content from social media platforms or use social sharing tracking pixels.
8. Advertising
InternetAdvice.ca does not currently run third-party advertising. We are not paid by ISPs to recommend their services, and we do not accept sponsored placements.
If we introduce advertising in the future (for example, through Google AdSense), we will update this policy to reflect that and describe how advertising cookies and data processing work. Any advertising will not change our editorial independence or the objectivity of our reviews and recommendations.
9. Data Retention
We retain information for as long as it is needed to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected:
- Published reviews: Retained indefinitely unless you request removal
- Published comments: Retained indefinitely unless you request removal
- Email correspondence: Retained for up to two years for reference purposes, then deleted
- Server logs: Automatically deleted after 30 days
- Analytics data: Retained in aggregated, anonymised form
10. Your Rights Under PIPEDA
As a Canadian website serving primarily Canadian users, we operate in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Under PIPEDA, you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate information
- Deletion: Request that we delete personal information we hold about you, subject to any legal obligations to retain it
- Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent to our use of your information at any time, understanding this may affect our ability to provide certain services (such as keeping your review published)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@internetadvice.ca. We will respond within 30 days.
11. Children’s Privacy
InternetAdvice.ca is not directed at children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time as the site evolves or as legal requirements change. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Continued use of InternetAdvice.ca after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact Us
For any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal information, contact us at:
- Email: hello@internetadvice.ca
- Website: internetadvice.ca/contact-us
We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 48 hours.