Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 2026

This policy explains what information The Mixing Notes collects, how we use it, and what choices you have. We believe in transparency and only collect what we need to run the site.

Account Data

When you create an account using Google or email and password, we collect your name, email address, and (for Google accounts) your profile photo. For email/password accounts, your password is protected using advanced encryption and is never stored in plain text.

User Activity

• Bar bookmarks you save to your account
• Recipe bookmarks, including whether you have made a recipe
• Reviews you submit, which include your display name, optional email address, review text, and rating

Anonymous Activity

To prevent duplicate votes and review abuse, we generate an anonymous fingerprint using advanced encryption. This fingerprint cannot be reversed to identify you and we do not store your IP address.

Newsletter Subscriptions

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address and optional city preference.

Analytics

We use a self-hosted, privacy-focused analytics platform to understand how visitors use the site. Analytics are only activated if you accept analytics cookies via our cookie consent banner. We do not use third-party cookies and no data is shared with advertisers.

Cookies and Local Storage

• A session cookie to keep you signed in
• A local storage entry for your cookie consent preferences
• A local storage entry for your dark mode preference

We use your information to:

• Authenticate you and maintain your session
• Save your bookmarks and display your reviews
• Send newsletters you have subscribed to
• Prevent abuse through anonymous fingerprinting
• Understand site usage through privacy-respecting analytics
• Improve the site based on aggregated, anonymous usage patterns

We use a small number of trusted third-party services to operate the site:

• Authentication provider - if you sign in with Google, data is exchanged as part of the sign-in process. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Email delivery - we use a third-party service to send newsletter and transactional emails. Only the recipient email address is shared for delivery purposes.
• Bot protection - we use a service to verify that form submissions come from real people, not automated bots.
• Analytics - self-hosted on our own infrastructure, so no visitor data is shared with third parties.

Account data is kept for as long as your account is active. Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. Anonymous fingerprints used for abuse prevention are retained indefinitely but cannot be linked back to you.

If you would like your data deleted, please contact us at [email protected] and we will process your request promptly.

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct any inaccurate information
• Delete your account and associated data
• Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link in every email
• Withdraw consent for analytics cookies via the cookie settings in the footer

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected].

We use a minimal set of cookies and local storage:

• Session cookie (required) - keeps you signed in. This is set when you log in and removed when you log out.
• Cookie consent (required) - stored in local storage to remember your cookie preferences.
• Dark mode (required) - stored in local storage to remember your display preference.
• Analytics (optional) - our analytics platform only runs if you accept analytics cookies. You can change your preference at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the footer.

The Mixing Notes is not directed at anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected data from a minor, please contact us and we will delete it.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please email us at [email protected].