PubExa operates an advertising network: a WordPress plugin that website owners (“publishers”) install to show ads, and an ad server that delivers those ads on behalf of advertisers. This policy explains what we collect, why, and your rights.

Information we collect

From visitors to publisher sites (through the plugin). When the plugin requests or measures an ad, we receive the following.

Used only to select relevant ads, and not stored: to match ads to the topic of the page, the plugin sends the page title, page language, the visible on-page headings (H1–H6), and the page’s content tags and categories with each ad request. These are used solely to choose relevant ads at request time and are not retained.

Received and stored:

• A first-party identifier, pubexa_vid, stored on the visitor’s device (a cookie valid up to 1 year, plus browser local storage). See our Cookie Notice for details.
• The visitor’s IP address, which we use to derive a salted one-way hash and an approximate country. We do not store raw IP addresses; any transient in-memory use, such as rate limiting, is not retained.
• The user-agent (browser and device type), the page URL, the referrer, the approximate country, and the identifiers of the site, ad request, and ad.
• Ad events — impressions, clicks, and dismissals.

These are used to serve and measure ads and to detect invalid or fraudulent traffic. The fraud-prevention records — which include the page URL, referrer, user-agent, and the IP-derived hash, but never a raw IP address — are kept for up to 90 days and then deleted.

From advertisers and publishers (account holders). When you register and use a PubExa account, we collect your name, email, and password (passwords are stored hashed), the details you provide about your sites or campaigns, and records of your activity. If you sign in with Google, we receive basic profile information from Google to create your account.

Payments. Advertisers fund a prepaid balance by card. Card payments are processed by Stripe; PubExa does not receive or store full card numbers. We store your transaction records, balance, and the resulting billing and charge history. Publisher earnings and payout records (amounts, status, and the reference of any payment we send you) are also stored.

How we use information

• To deliver and measure advertising.
• To prevent fraud and invalid traffic.
• To operate accounts, billing (advertiser deposits and per-click charges), and publisher payouts (revenue share).
• To send service emails (for example account verification, password reset, and notifications).
• To comply with legal obligations.

How ad billing and revenue work

Advertisers pre-pay a balance and are charged per click; the balance funds ad delivery. Publishers earn a revenue share of the advertising charges (a default share applies and may vary by agreement). Payouts are issued once a publisher passes a minimum threshold and after review; we may withhold applicable fees.

Sharing

We share information only as needed to run the service: with Stripe (payment processing), with our hosting and email providers, with advertisers and publishers in aggregate or reporting form, and where required by law. We do not sell personal data.

Retention

• Fraud-prevention signals (including the page URL, referrer, user-agent, and IP-derived hash — never a raw IP): up to 90 days.
• Account, billing, payout, and tax records: as long as needed for the service and to meet legal and accounting obligations.
• The pubexa_vid cookie: up to 1 year; the local-storage value until cleared.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (including under the GDPR, UK GDPR, and similar laws), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict your data, to object to processing, and to data portability. To exercise them, please use our support page. Visitors can also clear the pubexa_vid identifier through their browser at any time.

International transfers

PubExa’s servers and providers may process data outside your country. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards to protect your information.

Children

The service is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect their data.

Changes

We may update this policy; the “last updated” date will change accordingly.

Contact

For any privacy question, please use our support page.