1. Who we are
DC Metro Guide (metrodcguide.com) is an independent, privately operated website that publishes traveler information about the Washington, D.C. Metrorail system. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by WMATA or any government agency.
This policy explains what data is collected when you visit this website, who collects it, and what choices you have.
2. Information we collect
Information you give us
This website has no user accounts, no newsletter, no comment section and no forms. We do not ask you for your name, address, phone number or payment details. If you choose to email us (see our contact page), we receive whatever you write in that message and use it only to reply.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, third-party services we use receive standard technical data when a page loads, including your IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring page, the pages you view and the time of your visit.
3. Cookies and similar technologies
We do not set cookies of our own. Cookies and similar identifiers on this site come from the following third-party providers:
- Google Analytics 4 — measures aggregate traffic (visits, pages viewed, approximate location, device). It helps us understand which station guides are useful. IP addresses are anonymized by Google Analytics 4 by default.
- Google AdSense — displays the advertising that funds this site.
You can block or delete cookies at any time in your browser settings. Blocking them does not affect your ability to read this site.
4. Your consent choices
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, a consent banner appears before any advertising or analytics cookie is set. Until you make a choice, analytics and advertising storage stay disabled on this site (Google Consent Mode v2 defaults). The banner is provided by Google's certified consent management platform, registered under the IAB Transparency & Consent Framework.
You can change or withdraw your choice at any time:
If nothing opens, no consent banner applies to your region — in that case use the opt-out links in the advertising section below, or your browser settings.
5. Advertising
This site is supported by advertising served through Google AdSense.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
- You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings, or opt out of third-party vendor cookies at aboutads.info/choices and youronlinechoices.eu.
- See also Google's How Google uses information from sites that use its services.
6. How data is used
The data described above is used only to (a) measure and improve the content of this site, and (b) display and measure advertising. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not build user profiles ourselves.
7. Data retention
We do not operate our own database of visitors. Retention of analytics and advertising data is governed by Google's own retention settings and policies. Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to handle your request.
8. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or restrict the processing of your personal data, and to object to it.
- EEA / UK (GDPR): you may exercise these rights and lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority. Where consent is required for advertising and analytics cookies, it is requested through Google's consent mechanisms before those cookies are set.
- California (CCPA/CPRA): we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising in exchange for money. You may request details of the categories of data collected.
To exercise any of these rights, write to us at __CONTACT_EMAIL__.
9. Children
This site is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
10. External links
Our pages link to third-party sites such as wmata.com. We are not responsible for the content or the privacy practices of those sites; please read their own policies.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site evolves or as legal requirements change. The revision date at the top of this page always reflects the current version.
12. Contact
Questions about this privacy policy: __CONTACT_EMAIL__ — or use our contact page.