1. Introduction

Welcome to London Comic Shops ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website londoncomicshops.com.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Submit a comic shop through our "Add a Shop" form
• Contact us via email or contact form

Automatically Collected Information: When you visit our website, we may automatically collect basic technical information:

• IP address and browser type (for security and analytics)
• Pages you visit and time spent on pages (anonymous analytics)
• Referring website information

Note: We do not collect payment information, sensitive personal data, or track individual users across websites.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the limited information we collect to:

• Maintain and improve our comic shop directory
• Respond to your inquiries and shop submissions
• Analyze website usage to improve user experience
• Prevent fraudulent activities and ensure security

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information with third parties.

4. Cookie Policy & GDPR Compliance

Mandatory Cookie Consent System

Our website uses a mandatory cookie gate that blocks ALL site access until you make an explicit choice. This is a true "opt-in" system that goes beyond standard cookie banners.

Your Two Options:

How Your Choice Works:

• Your preference is stored locally in your browser (localStorage)
• Your choice applies across ALL pages of our site
• If you choose "Essential Only", third-party resources (Font Awesome, Google Fonts, Google Analytics) are NEVER loaded
• You can change your choice at any time by clearing browser data
• Essential-only users see emoji fallbacks and system fonts consistently on all pages

Technical Implementation:

• All pages (except this privacy policy) check for cookie consent
• If no consent exists, users are redirected to index.html to make a choice
• This page (privacy.html) and terms.html are accessible without cookies
• All other pages require cookie consent to access

Managing Your Preferences: To change your cookie preference:

• Clear your browser cookies and localStorage
• Visit index.html to see the cookie gate again
• Make a new choice based on your preferences
• Contact us if you need assistance: londoncomicshops@gmail.com

5. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. This helps us improve user experience and site performance.

What Google Analytics collects (when you choose "Accept All"):

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Geographic location (country, city) - not exact address
• Device type (mobile, desktop, tablet)
• Browser type and operating system
• Referring websites and search terms

Important: Google Analytics is ONLY loaded if you choose "Accept All Cookies". If you choose "Essential Only", Google Analytics is never loaded and no tracking occurs.

Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

6. Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services for essential functions:

• Cloudinary: For image hosting and optimization
• Google Maps/OpenStreetMap: For location services and maps
• Font Awesome/Google Fonts: For icons and typography (only with "Accept All" choice)
• WordPress: For blog content management
• Swiper.js: For hero slider functionality
• Leaflet Maps: For interactive shop maps

These third parties have their own privacy policies addressing how they use such information.

7. Your Rights (GDPR Compliance)

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

• Right to Access: Request access to any information we have about you
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of any inaccurate data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request we limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a usable format
• Right to Object: Object to how we use your data
• Right to Cookie Choice: Choose between "Accept All" or "Essential Only" cookies

To exercise these rights, please contact us at: londoncomicshops@gmail.com

We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information. However, please note that no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure.

Since we collect minimal data, the risk is significantly reduced compared to sites that collect extensive personal information.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Last Updated" date at the bottom of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

11. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our GDPR compliance, please contact us:

• By email: londoncomicshops@gmail.com
• Via Discord: Join Our Community
• Twitter: @LComicShops
• Instagram: @londoncomicshops