Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 5, 2026

Overview

MeritForge AI (meritforgeai.com) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

Data We Collect

We collect minimal data, organized into four categories:

1. Email Addresses

If you choose to provide your email address through the AI Advisor or email subscription forms, it is stored in our subscriber database (hosted on Supabase). We use your email to send product updates and AI career insights. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email, or by contacting us at jeff@meritforgeai.com.

2. Functional Cookies

The AI Advisor uses first-party cookies to manage your session. These cookies contain no personal information:

Cookie Purpose Duration
mf_advisor_count Message counter (resets daily) 1 year
mf_advisor_date Date for daily reset 1 year
mf_advisor_email Whether email was provided 1 year
mf_cookie_consent Cookie banner dismissed 1 year

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors interact with our site. Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*) are only set if you click "Accept" on our cookie consent banner. No advertising cookies are used on this site.

3. AI Advisor Conversation Data

When you use the AI Career Advisor:

  • Conversations are not stored. Your messages are sent to Anthropic's Claude API for real-time processing and are not saved on our servers after your session ends.
  • Anthropic's data practices apply. Anthropic processes API inputs in accordance with their privacy policy. Anthropic does not use API inputs to train its models.
  • Do not share sensitive information. Avoid entering confidential, proprietary, or personally sensitive information in the chat.

4. Hosting Analytics

Our hosting provider, Vercel, may collect basic anonymized analytics (page views, geographic region). This data is aggregated and cannot identify individual visitors. See Vercel's privacy policy for details.

Data Retention

  • Email addresses: Retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion
  • Cookies: Message count resets daily; other cookies persist up to 1 year
  • Conversation content: Not retained after your session ends
  • Hosting analytics: Subject to Vercel's retention schedule

How We Use Your Data

  • Email addresses: To send AI career insights, product updates, and service announcements
  • Cookies: To manage AI Advisor usage limits and session state
  • Conversation data: Solely to generate AI responses during your active session

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for their marketing purposes.

Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following third-party services to operate MeritForge AI:

Your Rights — California (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

  • Know what personal data we collect (answer: email address only, if provided)
  • Delete your personal data upon request
  • Opt out of the sale of personal data (we do not sell your data)
  • Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, email jeff@meritforgeai.com.

Your Rights — European Union (GDPR)

If you are located in the EU/EEA, you may have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation, including the right to access, rectify, erase, port, restrict processing of, or object to the processing of your personal data. Our legal basis for processing is consent (email collection) and legitimate interest (service operation). To exercise your rights, email jeff@meritforgeai.com.

Email Communications (CAN-SPAM)

  • All marketing emails include a clear unsubscribe link
  • Unsubscribe requests are honored within 10 business days
  • Emails are clearly identified as from MeritForge AI
  • We do not use deceptive subject lines or false header information

Affiliate Disclosures

MeritForge AI participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and may participate in other affiliate programs. When you click an affiliate link on this site (or in AI Advisor responses) and complete a qualifying purchase, MeritForge AI may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

We only recommend products and services we have evaluated firsthand. Commissions do not influence rankings or recommendations — our editorial methodology is documented per-page on /compare/ articles in the "How We Tested" section.

If a page contains affiliate links, a banner at the top of that page makes the relationship clear. If you have questions about a specific recommendation, email jeff@meritforgeai.com.

Children's Privacy

MeritForge AI is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us at jeff@meritforgeai.com and we will promptly delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Material changes will be communicated to registered users via email.

Contact

For privacy-related questions or to exercise your data rights, contact us at jeff@meritforgeai.com.