Privacy Policy
Last Updated: April 9, 2026
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
The Plant Manual (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is operated by Joakim Becker and Emilie, based in Aarhus, Denmark. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with transparency, care, and full respect for your legal rights.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit https://www.theplantmanual.com (the “Site”), how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over your data. It applies to all visitors, users, and individuals who interact with the Site.
By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Site.
1. Who We Are
For the purposes of applicable data protection law — including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — the data controller is:
The Plant Manual Operated by Joakim Becker and Emilie Aarhus, Denmark Email: support@theplantmanual.com Website: https://www.theplantmanual.com
If you have any questions about how we handle your personal data, or wish to exercise any of your data rights, please contact us at the email address above.
2. Information We Collect
We collect two types of information: information you voluntarily provide to us, and information collected automatically when you visit the Site.
A. Information You Voluntarily Provide
Contact form submissions: When you use the contact form on the Site, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry.
Email newsletter: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your first name and email address. We use a GDPR-compliant third-party email service provider to manage our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email we send.
Comments: If you leave a comment on any page or post, we collect the name, email address, and any information included in the comment form, as well as your IP address and browser user agent string for spam detection purposes.
B. Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and similar tracking technologies. This includes:
- Your IP address, approximate geographic location (country and city level), browser type and version, device type, and operating system.
- The pages you visit on the Site, the time and date of your visit, the amount of time spent on each page, and the sequence in which you navigate through the Site.
- Referring URLs — the website or search engine that directed you to the Site.
- Interaction data relating to advertisements displayed on the Site, including whether an ad was viewed or clicked.
This automatically collected data does not directly identify you by name, but it may constitute personal data under applicable law, particularly when combined with other information.
C. Affiliate Link Interactions
If you click an affiliate link on this Site and proceed to make a purchase on a third-party retailer’s website, that retailer may share limited transaction data with us (such as confirmation that a purchase was made and the commission amount). We do not receive your payment details, full name, or shipping address from affiliate partners. For more information, see Section 4 below.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To operate, maintain, and improve the Site and its content.
- To respond to messages, questions, and feedback submitted through our contact form or by email.
- To send our email newsletter to subscribers who have opted in, and to manage those subscriptions.
- To analyse how visitors use the Site, so we can improve our guides and user experience.
- To detect, prevent, and address spam, security issues, and technical problems.
- To serve relevant advertisements through Google AdSense to help fund the ongoing operation of this free resource.
- To comply with our legal obligations under applicable law.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling in ways that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you.
4. Third-Party Advertising — Google AdSense
This Site participates in the Google AdSense programme, operated by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
How Google AdSense works on this Site:
Google AdSense uses cookies and similar tracking technologies — including advertising identifiers and browser fingerprinting — to collect information about your visits to this Site and other websites across the internet. This data is used to serve advertisements that are relevant to your interests. Google and its certified advertising partners may use this data to build interest-based profiles and serve personalised ads to you on other websites after you leave this Site.
Google Consent Mode v2:
This Site implements Google Consent Mode v2, which dynamically adjusts the behaviour of Google tags based on the consent choices you make via our Consent Management Platform. Specifically, the following consent parameters are controlled by your choices:
ad_storage— controls whether advertising cookies can be stored on your device.ad_user_data— controls whether your data can be sent to Google for advertising purposes.ad_personalization— controls whether your data can be used for personalised advertising.analytics_storage— controls whether analytics cookies can be stored on your device.
If you decline non-essential cookies, these parameters will be set to denied and Google will operate in limited, cookieless mode — meaning ads may still be displayed but they will not be personalised.
Your opt-out options:
- Visit Google’s Ads Settings to opt out of personalised advertising across Google’s network.
- Visit the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page to opt out of interest-based advertising from multiple networks.
- Adjust your preferences at any time via our Consent Management Platform, accessible through the privacy settings on this Site.
5. Analytics — Google Analytics 4
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors interact with the Site. Google Analytics collects information such as page views, session duration, traffic sources, device types, and general geographic location.
Data collected by Google Analytics is processed and stored by Google in accordance with their Privacy Policy. We have enabled IP anonymisation on this Site, meaning your IP address is truncated before being stored by Google. We do not use Google Analytics to identify you personally.
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on or by declining analytics cookies via our Consent Management Platform.
6. Affiliate Links and Third-Party Data
As disclosed in our Disclaimer, this Site participates in affiliate marketing programmes including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Programme and other third-party affiliate networks.
When you click an affiliate link on this Site, you will be redirected to a third-party retailer’s website. That retailer may place their own cookies on your device to track your visit and attribute any resulting purchase to us. We do not control the cookies or tracking practices of third-party affiliate retailers. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit.
We may receive confirmation of a completed purchase and the associated commission amount from affiliate networks, but we do not receive your payment details, full shipping address, or any other sensitive personal information from these partners.
7. Cookies and Consent Management
This Site uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — for essential functionality, analytics, and advertising purposes.
Types of cookies used on this Site:
- Essential cookies: Necessary for the basic operation of the Site (e.g., security, session management). These are placed without consent as they are strictly necessary.
- Analytics cookies: Used by Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymous usage data. Only placed with your consent.
- Advertising cookies: Used by Google AdSense and its certified advertising partners to serve and personalise advertisements. Only placed with your explicit consent.
- Preference cookies: Used to remember your consent choices and site preferences between visits.
We use a Consent Management Platform to present you with clear options regarding cookie usage. When you make a consent choice, your preferences are recorded so that non-essential cookies and tracking tags (like those used for Google AdSense and Analytics) are only fired when you have opted in.
For detailed information about every cookie used on this Site, including names, purposes, and durations, please see our dedicated Cookie Policy.
8. Email Newsletter & Third-Party Email Processors
If you subscribe to The Plant Manual newsletter, your first name and email address are stored with our third-party email service provider. This provider processes your data solely for the purpose of sending you our newsletter and is contractually bound to handle your data in accordance with GDPR requirements.
You may unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any newsletter email, or by contacting us at support@theplantmanual.com. Upon unsubscribing, your data will be removed from our active mailing list within a reasonable timeframe.
9. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we are required under the GDPR to identify the legal basis on which we process your personal data. Depending on the type of data and the context in which it is collected, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): Where you have given us clear, specific, and informed consent to process your data — for example, by subscribing to our newsletter, accepting non-essential cookies through our Consent Management Platform, or submitting a contact form. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing that occurred before withdrawal.
- Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests — for example, maintaining site security, preventing spam and fraud, and conducting basic anonymised analytics to improve our content — provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
- Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): Where we are required to process your data to comply with a legal obligation, such as tax, accounting, or regulatory reporting requirements.
- Performance of a Contract (Article 6(1)(b)): Where processing is necessary to fulfil a request you have made — for example, responding to a message you sent through our contact form.
10. Your Data Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data. We will respond to all verified requests within the timeframes required by applicable law — generally within 30 days under GDPR.
If you are located in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how it is being processed.
- Rectification: Request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
- Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): Request that we delete your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you have withdrawn your consent.
- Restriction of Processing: Request that we restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances — for example, while a dispute about its accuracy is being resolved.
- Data Portability: Request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format so that you can transfer it to another service provider.
- Object to Processing: Object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis, or where your data is being used for direct marketing purposes.
- Withdraw Consent: Withdraw any consent you have previously given at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
- Lodge a Complaint: Lodge a complaint with your national data protection supervisory authority. In Denmark, this is Datatilsynet (https://www.datatilsynet.dk). You may also contact the supervisory authority in your country of residence within the EU.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@theplantmanual.com with the subject line “GDPR Data Request” and a description of your request. We will acknowledge your request within 48 hours and respond fully within 30 days.
11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA & CPRA)
If you are a resident of California, United States, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including:
- The right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell.
- The right to request deletion of your personal information.
- The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information.
- The right to correct inaccurate personal information.
- The right not to be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.
The Plant Manual does not sell your personal data in the traditional sense. However, the use of advertising cookies by Google AdSense and its partners may constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under the CCPA’s broad definition. To opt out, you may adjust your preferences via our Consent Management Platform, visit Google’s Ads Settings, or contact us at support@theplantmanual.com with the subject line “CCPA Opt-Out Request.”
12. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Specifically:
- Contact form and email enquiries: Retained for up to 24 months from the date of last correspondence, after which they are securely deleted.
- Newsletter subscriber data: Retained for as long as you remain subscribed. Upon unsubscribing, your data will be removed from our active mailing list within 30 days.
- Comment data: Retained indefinitely unless you request deletion, as comments form part of the public record of the Site.
- Analytics data: Processed by Google Analytics with a data retention period of 14 months, as configured in our Google Analytics 4 settings.
- Advertising and consent data: Consent records are retained for as long as necessary as proof of your consent choices.
13. Children’s Privacy
The Plant Manual is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 years of age. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately at support@theplantmanual.com and we will take prompt steps to delete that information from our records.
14. International Data Transfers
As we use third-party services including Google Analytics and Google AdSense — both operated by Google LLC, based in the United States — your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the EEA, including the United States. Google LLC participates in and has certified its compliance with the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which provides a legal mechanism for such transfers. For more information, see Google’s Privacy Policy.
15. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, the services we use, or applicable legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. For significant changes that materially affect your rights, we will make reasonable efforts to provide notice — such as a prominent notice on the Site or an email to newsletter subscribers. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
16. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please contact us at:
The Plant Manual Operated by Joakim Becker and Emilie Aarhus, Denmark Email: support@theplantmanual.com Website: https://www.theplantmanual.com
For data protection enquiries, please use the subject line “Privacy Enquiry” so we can direct your message to the right place. We will acknowledge your request within 48 hours and respond fully within the timeframes required by applicable law.