Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 28, 2026

ExploreBoston.com is a Boston, Massachusetts travel and tourism guide built to help you explore Boston like a local. It is operated by Explore Boston Media LLC, 1 Beacon St, Floor 15, Boston, MA 02108 (“we,” “us,” or “our”). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website or read our newsletter, how we use, share, and protect it, the choices and rights you have, and how to reach us. By using ExploreBoston.com, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

We collect personal information that you choose to provide directly, including:

• Newsletter sign-ups. When you subscribe to the Daily Boston Brief, we collect your email address and, if you choose to give it, your first and last name. We also record which daily editions you choose to receive and the page or campaign you signed up from.
• Contact form submissions. When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, phone number (optional), subject, and the contents of your message.
• Event submissions. When you submit an event through our event form, we collect the event details you enter and any image you upload. Submissions are reviewed before they are published.

When you book a Daily Spotlight or Sponsored Event, we collect your business name, your contact email address, the ad copy, links, and images you provide, and the dates you choose. Payments are processed by Stripe; we do not receive or store your full card number.

Information We Collect Automatically

When you visit our site or open our emails, certain information is collected automatically through standard web technologies, including:

• IP address and approximate location derived from it.
• Browser and device information, such as browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.
• Usage and log data, including pages viewed, referring URLs, timestamps, and standard server logs.
• Cookies, pixels, and similar technologies used to operate the site, measure how it is used, and show and measure advertising (see “Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising” below).
• Email engagement data. Our newsletter emails contain standard tracking that tells us whether an email was opened and which links were clicked.
• Security logs generated by our security software (Wordfence) to detect and prevent malicious activity.
• Caching and content delivery network (CDN) data processed by our hosting, caching, and delivery providers (including GoDaddy, LiteSpeed, and Cloudflare) to serve pages quickly, securely, and reliably.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Send you the newsletter editions you signed up for, and understand which stories and links readers find useful.
• Respond to your inquiries and messages submitted through our contact form.
• Review and publish the events you submit.
• Operate, maintain, and improve the website and its content.
• Analyze usage trends to understand how visitors interact with our guides.
• Show advertising on the site, and measure and improve our own ads on other platforms.
• Protect the site against fraud, abuse, security threats, and technical issues.
• Comply with applicable legal obligations and enforce our terms.

Legal Bases for Processing (EU, EEA, and UK Visitors)

If you are located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or United Kingdom, we process your personal information only where we have a valid legal basis to do so. Depending on the situation, this includes: your consent (for example, when you subscribe to our newsletter); the performance of a contract or a request you make of us, such as an advertising order or a reply to your contact message; our legitimate interests in operating, securing, analyzing, and improving the site, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights; and compliance with legal obligations. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep the site secure, enable core functionality, measure site performance, and support the advertising that keeps ExploreBoston.com free. The main tools on our site are:

• Google Analytics, which tells us how visitors find and use the site. You can opt out with the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Google AdSense, which shows ads on the site. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the internet. You can opt out of personalized advertising in Google’s Ads Settings, or opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info.
• The Meta Pixel, which helps us measure the results of our own ads on Facebook and Instagram and show those ads to people likely to be interested. You can control how Meta uses this information in your Meta ad preferences.
• Grow, a reader tool from Mediavine that may set its own cookies and, if you create a Grow account, collects the information you give it under Grow’s own privacy policy.
• Google reCAPTCHA on our contact form, which helps block spam and is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
• Our own page-view counter, which records which of our pages are viewed so we can see what readers use. It is not used for advertising.

You can also control or delete cookies through your browser settings; disabling certain cookies may affect how the site functions. Because there is no industry-standard response to browser “Do Not Track” signals, our site does not currently respond to them.

How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information for money, and we never sell or rent our email list. As described above, the advertising tools on our site (Google AdSense and the Meta Pixel) let those companies collect information about your visit through cookies and similar technologies. Some U.S. state privacy laws treat that as a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for targeted advertising; see “Your Privacy Rights” below for how to opt out. We otherwise share information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers. We share information with vendors who help us run ExploreBoston.com, including Brevo (newsletter delivery), Stripe (payments), Google (analytics, spam protection, and advertising), and our hosting, content delivery, caching, and security providers. These providers may process your information only to perform services on our behalf or as described in their own privacy policies.
• Published content. Event listings you submit, and the business name, ad copy, images, and links in an ad you book with us, are published on the site and may appear in the newsletter.
• Legal requirements. We may disclose information when required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of ExploreBoston.com, our visitors, or others.
• Business transfers. If ExploreBoston.com is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Newsletter subscriber information is kept until you unsubscribe; after that we keep only what we need to make sure you are not emailed again. Contact messages and event submissions are kept for as long as reasonably needed for their purpose. Advertising order and payment records are kept as long as required for accounting and tax purposes. Automatically collected log and security data are retained for a limited period consistent with operational and security needs.

Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include web application security software, access controls, and encrypted (HTTPS) connections. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Privacy Rights

Every newsletter email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can change which editions you receive on our My Editions page.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights regarding your personal information, including the right to access, correct, or delete your data, and to opt out of certain processing, including targeted advertising. You can opt out of personalized ads using the Google and Meta controls listed under “Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising” above. To exercise any of these rights, or to ask us to opt you out, please reach out to us through our Contact page. We will respond consistent with applicable law and may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. You may also authorize an agent to make a request on your behalf where the law permits.

EU, EEA, and UK Visitors (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or United Kingdom, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and objection to processing. Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA), including the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use and disclose it, the right to request deletion or correction, and the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. As described above, the advertising cookies on our site may count as “sharing” under California law, and you may opt out of it at any time using the controls above or through our Contact page. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights.

Children’s Privacy

ExploreBoston.com is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, attractions, events, and resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please reach out to us through our Contact page or write to us at Explore Boston Media LLC, 1 Beacon St, Floor 15, Boston, MA 02108. This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA.