Affiliate Disclosure

Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: May 24, 2026

The short version

Privacy Stacks uses affiliate links. When you click certain links on this Site and complete a purchase, sign-up, or qualifying action, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help fund the editorial work, testing, and infrastructure that keep the Site running.

Commission does not affect our reviews, rankings, or recommendations. If a privacy tool we recommend changes its policies in ways that compromise users, we’ll update or remove the recommendation regardless of commission.

What this means in practice

We participate in several affiliate programs, including (but not limited to):

  • VPN providers — NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN, Mullvad (where affiliate programs exist), IVPN, Surfshark
  • Password managers — 1Password, Bitwarden Premium, Proton Pass
  • Encrypted email — Proton Mail, Tutanota, Mailbox.org
  • Privacy hardware — YubiKey, Nitrokey (via Amazon Associates)
  • VPN-friendly hosting — Njalla, OrangeWebsite
  • Amazon Associates — books, hardware, accessories

When you click one of these links, the partner sets a cookie that attributes any subsequent qualifying purchase to Privacy Stacks. We receive a commission from the partner — never from you. The price you pay is identical to what you’d pay going directly to the partner.

How we keep affiliate links from corrupting the editorial line

  1. Reviews are written before affiliate research. We score a product, then we go check if there’s an affiliate program. Not the other way around.
  2. Tools with zero commission still appear in our rankings. Mullvad (which has no affiliate program at all) routinely tops our VPN privacy rankings. Signal (free, no commission) is our default recommended messenger.
  3. We disclose every affiliate link at the top of each review. If an article contains affiliate links, you’ll see a note above the first one.
  4. Editorial team has no commission incentive at the article level. Writers are not compensated based on which products they recommend or how much commission a piece generates.
  5. We update reviews when products change. A product that earned a top ranking can be demoted if it gets worse — even if it pays us well.

What we will never do

  • Recommend a product solely because it pays high commission
  • Hide negative findings to protect a partnership
  • Pretend a paid sponsorship is editorial coverage (sponsored content is always labeled “Sponsored”)
  • Sell, rent, or share your email or browsing data with affiliate partners
  • Use affiliate cookies that persist longer than the partner’s standard window

Amazon Associates disclosure

Privacy Stacks is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com (and other Amazon domains). As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

FTC compliance

This disclosure is provided in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” (16 CFR Part 255). Even if you’re not in the U.S., we apply the same standard globally.

Sponsored content

Occasionally we publish sponsored posts, sponsored newsletter sections, or paid reviews. Sponsored content is always:

  • Clearly labeled with “Sponsored”, “Sponsored Post”, or “Paid Partnership”
  • Editorially independent — the sponsor reviews factual accuracy only, never editorial conclusions
  • Optional to read — you can always skip sponsored sections

If a piece is not marked sponsored, no money changed hands for its creation.

Questions

If you have questions about a specific affiliate relationship, a particular review’s commission, or our editorial process:

Email: hello@privacystacks.com

We respond to disclosure questions within 5 business days.

This Affiliate Disclosure is provided for transparency in accordance with FTC guidelines and similar regulations worldwide. It is not legal advice. The presence of an affiliate link does not constitute a recommendation; always do your own due diligence before purchasing.