Privacy Policy

NotesFromChina (notesfromchina.com) is a static travel blog. We do not collect personal data through forms, run newsletter signups, or embed social media trackers. This page explains the limited ways data passes through our server and third-party services, and what we do with it.

What we collect

Server access logs

Like every website on the internet, our web server (nginx) records each request in an access log. Each entry includes: your IP address, the date and time of your visit, the page you requested, your browser type (User-Agent), and the referring page if you clicked a link to reach us.

These logs exist for one reason: to keep the server running. We use them to diagnose errors, understand which articles people actually read, and block the occasional bot that tries to scrape the entire site in five minutes. Logs are stored on our own server in Malaysia, rotated daily, and never shared with anyone.

Self-hosted analytics (GoAccess)

We run GoAccess, a command-line log analyzer, directly on our server. It reads the nginx access logs described above and generates summary statistics: pages viewed, referring sites, browser and country breakdowns. We use this to understand which guides people find useful and where our readers come from.

GoAccess does not set cookies. It does not inject JavaScript into your browser. It does not create user profiles or track you across sites. It simply counts what our server already records. No data leaves our machine.

Google Analytics (GA4)

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use this site — which articles are read, which countries our readers come from, and how people discover us through search. GA4 is a service provided by Google LLC.

GA4 uses first-party cookies and JavaScript to collect information about your visit: the pages you view, how long you stay, your approximate location (country/city level), and technical details like browser type and screen resolution. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.

We have implemented Google Consent Mode v2. By default, advertising-related cookies (ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization) are set to denied. Only basic analytics measurement is enabled. Google may process this data on servers outside your country. You can read Google's privacy policy for details on how they handle analytics data.

What we do not collect

• We do not collect email addresses. There is no newsletter signup, no contact form, and no user-submitted data of any kind on this site.
• We do not embed social media widgets, tracking pixels, or behavioral advertising scripts.
• We do not use Facebook Pixel, Twitter tracking, or any social media retargeting.

Third-party content

Images

Article images are served from our own domain. Cover photos and body images are downloaded locally and optimized for fast loading. No third-party image hosts are used, and no external cookies or scripts are loaded through our images.

Advertising (planned)

We plan to display Google AdSense advertisements. When activated, Google will serve ads via adsbygoogle.js and may use cookies to personalize or measure ad performance. AdSense operates under its own privacy policy, and you can manage your ad preferences at adssettings.google.com. This section will be updated with specific publisher and slot details before any ads go live. In the meantime, no advertising cookies or scripts are present on this site.

Affiliate links (future)

Some outbound links may eventually include affiliate identifiers (for services like Trip.com, eSIM providers, or VPNs). Clicking an affiliate link does not change your experience or price; it simply tells the retailer that you arrived from our site. Affiliate links do not place cookies on our domain, and we do not receive any personally identifiable information from affiliate partners.

Data retention

Nginx access logs are rotated daily and retained for 7 days on the server. GoAccess aggregate statistics are regenerated each minute from the current day's log. We do not archive or back up raw log data to external storage.

Your rights

Since we do not collect or store personal data beyond transient server logs, there is no user profile to access, correct, or delete. If you have questions about the limited data described above, you can reach us through the contact page.

Jurisdiction

This server is operated from Malaysia. By visiting this site, you agree to the terms outlined here. If any provision conflicts with local law in your jurisdiction, the applicable local standard takes precedence for you, but does not affect how we operate the server.

Changes to this policy

When we add advertising or other features that change how data flows through this site, this page will be updated before those changes go live. The last-updated date at the top tells you when the current version was published.