World of Street Food (worldofstreetfood.com) is an independent guide to street food around the world. This page
explains what we collect when you use the site, why, who else is involved, how long we keep it and what you can
ask us to do about it. Questions or requests: contact@worldofstreetfood.com.
If you just browse
You can use the whole guide, the map, the quizzes and the games without an account. We do not ask for your name
or email to read anything.
Google Analytics, only if you accept. On your first visit a small banner asks
whether we may use Google Analytics 4. Until you click Accept, nothing is loaded from Google and no
analytics cookies are set. If you accept, Google Analytics sets cookies (normally _ga and
_ga_<id>) and sends Google information about your visit: pages viewed, approximate location,
device and browser, and where you came from. We use it only to see which pages and dishes people find useful.
When you share a page with the share buttons we also record that a share happened (the method and which page),
and shared links carry utm_ tags so we can tell where visitors come from. Your choice is kept in
your browser's local storage, so we don't ask again.
If you reject or later withdraw consent, we stop sending data and delete the Google Analytics cookies.
Settings and progress stay in your browser. Your language, food passport, trip planner,
trophies, streaks, quiz and game scores, and your own votes are kept in your browser's local storage. They are
not sent to us, and clearing your browser data removes them.
Server logs. The site runs on Cloudflare, which processes your IP address and request details
to deliver pages and protect the site, and keeps short-lived logs.
Photos and videos from other sites. Many dish photos are loaded directly from Wikimedia
Commons, Pexels, Unsplash, Flickr and similar hosts, and a few pages offer a YouTube video that loads only if
you press play. Those services see your IP address when your browser fetches their content.
Leaderboard votes. To stop the same person voting repeatedly, we store a salted, shortened
hash of your IP address together with the dish you voted for, for 180 days. It cannot be turned back into your
IP address.
If you sign in to comment or share a photo
Your email address. Signing in works with a one-time link sent to your email; there are no
passwords. We store your email address, the date you joined and a sign-in session that lasts 60 days (kept in
your browser as a token). Sign-in emails are sent through our email provider, Resend.
Your public name. Your email address is never shown to anyone else. Next to your posts we
show a display name: a neutral one such as “Foodie 1234” to start with, which you can change at any
time with “Change name” (it cannot contain an email address or a link). Changing it also updates the
name on your earlier posts.
What you post is public. Comments and photos (“recreations”) can be seen by
anyone and may be shared. Before a photo is uploaded, your browser redraws it and saves a fresh copy, which
leaves out the hidden information phones add to photo files, such as the location where it was taken, the
time and the camera; our server removes that information again before storing the photo. Anything visible in
the picture itself is still published, so check what is in the frame.
Likes and “tried it”. We record which posts you reacted to and which dishes you
marked as tried. If you are not signed in, reactions are tied to a random ID kept in your browser.
Deleting. You can edit or delete your own posts. Deleting a post removes its text and
permanently deletes its photo file from our storage; a placeholder saying the post was removed stays so that
replies under it still make sense. Copies already saved by other people or by services the post was shared
to are outside our control, and a browser that viewed the photo may keep a cached copy for up to a day.
Deleting your account. While signed in, choose “Delete account” under any
comments section. This immediately erases your email address, your account and sessions, your likes and your
“tried it” marks, and permanently deletes all your photos; your posts become anonymous
“removed” placeholders with no text and no name. You can also ask us by email.
Abuse protection. To limit spam, we briefly store your IP address and email address with a
counter for about a minute when you request a sign-in link or post.
Why we use your information
To run the accounts, comments and photo sharing you ask for (performing our service to you).
To keep the site secure and free of spam, and to understand how the guide is used so we can improve it
(our legitimate interests).
We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising profiles.
Who else processes it
Cloudflare — hosting, database and file storage for the site and its accounts.
Google — Google Analytics.
Resend — sending sign-in emails.
Some of these providers process data outside the UK, including in the United States, under their own safeguards
for international transfers.
Social media
We publish our own posts on Instagram (@world_ofstreetfood) and Pinterest. We do not receive personal information
about you from those services through this site. If you follow, comment on or message our accounts there, that
happens under Instagram's and Pinterest's own privacy policies.
Links and shopping
Some pages link to tours, books and products on other sites, and some of those links may earn us a commission.
Once you follow a link, that site's own privacy policy applies.
How long we keep it
Sign-in links: 15 minutes. Sign-in sessions: 60 days, or until you sign out.
Spam counters: about a minute. Vote hashes: 180 days.
Your account and your posts: until you delete them or ask us to.
Google Analytics data: according to the retention setting in Google Analytics.
Your rights
Under UK and EU data protection law you can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, to correct it,
to delete it, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive a copy of it. Email
contact@worldofstreetfood.com and we will reply within a month.
If you are not happy with our answer, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office
(ico.org.uk) or your local data protection authority.
Children
The site is for a general audience. Accounts are not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly
collect their information.
Changes
If we change how we handle personal information, we will update this page and the date at the top.