Scope
This policy describes the current static Privacy Pulse package at https://surfshark-review.pages.dev. It is intentionally conservative: it does not claim that future hosting infrastructure, third-party services or merchant sites collect nothing. Hosting providers can process routine request data necessary to deliver websites.
Accounts and forms
The current package does not provide a reader account system or a contact/signup form. Therefore the site itself does not ask visitors to submit a name, email address or password through those mechanisms.
Affiliate links
When a visitor clicks an affiliate link, the browser leaves Privacy Pulse and connects to an external affiliate/merchant system. That external service may process referral parameters and other request information under its own privacy policy. Privacy Pulse does not control the merchant’s practices.
External sources
Articles link to Surfshark documentation and independent sources. Following those links takes the visitor to a separate website whose privacy, cookie and security practices apply.
Local browser storage
The exit-intent implementation uses session storage to remember that the exit message has been shown during the current browsing session. This prevents repeatedly displaying the same modal. Session storage is browser-side and is generally cleared when the session ends.
Analytics and advertising
The generated package does not currently include a declared analytics or display-ad stack. If analytics, advertising pixels, heatmaps or similar technologies are added, this policy and any required consent mechanism should be updated before deployment of those tools.
Hosting logs
Cloud hosting and network providers commonly process technical request data such as IP addresses, timestamps, requested resources and user-agent information for delivery, reliability and security. The exact handling is governed by the relevant provider’s terms and configuration.
Security
No website can guarantee absolute security. The static design reduces some application-layer risk because there is no site account database in this package, but external dependencies, hosting, DNS and future scripts still require responsible configuration and updates.
Children
The site is a general VPN/privacy publication and is not designed as a service for collecting personal information from children. If future interactive features materially change that posture, the policy should be reassessed.
Policy changes
Privacy practices must match actual implementation. If the site adds new data collection, the policy should be updated at the same time rather than relying on generic boilerplate that does not describe the deployed system.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions readers most often have after this guide.
Does Privacy Pulse require an account?
No, not in the current static package.
Does the exit banner store anything?
It uses browser session storage to avoid repeatedly showing the same exit-intent message during a session.
What happens when I click Surfshark?
You leave Privacy Pulse and the affiliate/merchant site’s own privacy practices apply.
Does this site use analytics?
The current generated package does not declare an analytics stack. This policy should be revised if one is added.
Can this policy change?
Yes. It should change whenever the site’s actual data practices change.
Does the exit-intent message track me across sessions?
The current implementation uses session storage to remember that the message was shown during the active browser session. It is not designed as a cross-site profile.
What happens after I click a Surfshark offer?
Your browser leaves Privacy Pulse and connects to an external merchant or affiliate destination governed by its own privacy practices.
Will this policy change if analytics are added?
It should. Any future analytics, advertising, forms, or persistent identifiers should trigger a policy review so the text matches the deployed code.
What this static site actually does
Privacy Pulse is built as a static website. In its current package, there is no reader account database, no login form, and no first-party checkout. The pages are delivered as files rather than being generated from a visitor profile. That reduces the amount of application-level personal data the site itself needs to collect.
This does not mean that visiting any website is invisible. A hosting provider can receive ordinary network request information needed to deliver files and protect the service. Likewise, a browser may expose technical information as part of normal web requests. This policy describes the site’s own design and should not be read as a promise about every network intermediary.
Session storage used by the exit message
The site includes an exit-intent message designed to appear when a visitor is leaving or, on some devices, after a delay. To keep that message from appearing repeatedly during the same browsing session, the site uses session storage in the browser. The stored value is used as a display flag rather than as a reader profile.
Session storage is local to the browser session and is different from creating a permanent account record. If future site features add longer-lived storage, analytics identifiers, personalization, or email capture, this policy should be revised to describe those practices accurately.
What happens on an affiliate click
When a visitor chooses a Surfshark offer, the browser leaves Privacy Pulse and connects to an external merchant or affiliate-tracking destination. The destination can receive referral parameters in the URL and ordinary technical request information. Those systems operate under their own policies and are outside the control of this static site.
For that reason, Privacy Pulse does not promise that an affiliate destination has the same storage, cookie, analytics, or retention practices as this site. Visitors should review the merchant’s current privacy information if those practices affect their decision.
Future analytics or advertising
The safest privacy policy is one that matches the deployed code. If analytics, advertising, heatmaps, newsletter forms, consent-management tools, or similar services are added later, the policy should be updated before or at the same time those tools go live. Generic boilerplate that claims every conceivable data practice is less useful than a policy tied to the actual implementation.
The same principle applies to display advertising. If this site later participates in an ad network that sets cookies or processes device identifiers, the disclosure and consent flow may need to change based on the network, visitor location, and applicable law.
Security and retention
A static architecture removes some common application risks, but it does not remove the need for secure hosting, DNS protection, software updates, and careful third-party scripts. No website can promise absolute security. The goal is to minimize unnecessary data handling and avoid creating sensitive stores without a clear reason.
Because the current site does not create reader accounts or collect submitted form data, it does not maintain a first-party user-profile retention schedule for those categories. If future features begin collecting personal information, a clear retention policy should be added.
Links, browsers, and third-party behavior
Browsers make network requests when you follow a link, load an image, or open another site. Once you move to an external destination, Privacy Pulse cannot control what that destination records or how long it retains information. The safest assumption is that each external service has its own technical and privacy practices.
For the current static build, the main third-party transition is the affiliate path to Surfshark. If additional services are introduced later - such as embedded video, customer chat, analytics, or advertising - the privacy policy should be revised to reflect those integrations rather than relying on a vague blanket statement.
Keeping the policy aligned with the deployed site
Privacy policies often become inaccurate because the site changes while the legal page stays frozen. The better maintenance process is implementation-driven: when a new script, form, storage mechanism, or third-party service is added, review the policy at the same time.
This page should therefore be treated as part of deployment QA. A technically accurate policy for a simple static site is more useful than a long generic policy that claims practices the site does not actually have.
Policy maintenance trigger
This policy should be reviewed whenever the deployed site adds a new script or service that changes data handling. A contact form, analytics package, advertising network, embedded media player, or persistent identifier can all create new privacy implications. Updating the policy at the same time as the implementation is more reliable than scheduling generic annual edits.
If a future change is ambiguous, the safer editorial choice is to describe what the code actually does in plain language and avoid claiming that no data is processed when infrastructure or third parties may still handle routine request information.