I’ll keep as much of this in plain english as possible. Here’s the gist:
On Email:
Generally speaking, you shouldn’t have to enter any personal information to use this site. An exception is if you want to send in a review, technically you’re sending me your email address, write-up, and pictures in that case. Unless specifically asked to delete your email, I usually try to keep everything because it makes it easier if I need to go back and see all the input I’ve received on “Retailer X”. If you’ve sent a review to be placed on the site, obviously that information is made public. While I make every attempt to remove personal information from any pictures you include, if you have the expertise to do so, I would ask that you try to remove/cover it from the pictures beforehand rather than relying on me to always get this right. Beyond the aforementioned reviews, personal information isn’t sold, distributed, or otherwise passed on. To cover myself legally here though, I reserve the right to do whatever I want with that information.
On Server Logs:
Like most servers, the servers that Eyeglass Retailer Reviews run on log the standard stuff – IP addresses, pages that are visited, which website or search engine “referred” each visitor to this site, the time and date, whether the page was served successfully or whether there were any errors, etc. Normally that data isn’t generally used except when I’m troubleshooting problems with the site or trying to fend off hackers, but I reserve the right to use it for other purposes. As an example, if I were to decide that I’d like to know how many people from North America visit the site on friday afternoons based on the log data, I’m leaving that option open for myself.
On other tracking:
Google Analytics is currently used for tracking. This allows me to see an insane amount of information – the most beneficial including (but not limited to): how many visitors there are, what pages are visited, the average time spent on each pages, etc. This helps me identify which pages suck (that people don’t spend time on, presumably because they aren’t as helpful), and which are good. A whole slew of other data is being added to Google Analytics on a regular basis which may allow me to see demographics (age, interests, gender, etc) and many other creepy things Google knows about you.
Basically, by visiting the site, Google is learning more about you via javascript and cookies placed on your computer, and is passing on some of that information to me.
If all that just creeped you out, you can opt out of Google Analytics tracking stuff on Google’s website here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.
On Tracking and Advertisements:
This site may run ads through Google AdSense, DoubleClick, and other advertisers, and may run affiliate marketing programs. Assume that even if you somehow managed to stop all the Analytics stuff, Google and other 3rd parties may still be tracking what you do on this site through the advertising. This is usually done through a combination of javascript and cookies.
Google will allow you to customize some degree of ad settings here: https://www.google.com/settings/ads
On the NSA and other intelligence agencies worldwide
I have no reason to suspect that the NSA is collecting data on my visitors. However, in all likeliness that’s what they’d want me to think. So I make no guarantees or promises here.
In short
Assume that by visiting this site, your data may be collected by myself, Google, the NSA, Jack Bauer, or pretty much anyone. While it will probably be used simply to advertise to you more effectively, it could also be sold, used for positive purposes, or used for nefarious purposes.