Affiliate Disclosure

Full transparency about how we fund this site and how affiliate relationships work.

What Is an Affiliate Link?

An affiliate link is a special URL that tracks referrals from our site to a product or service provider. When you click an affiliate link on OnlineSafetyChecker and make a purchase, the provider pays us a small commission. This happens at no additional cost to you — the price you pay is the same whether you use our link or go directly to the provider's website.

How We Use Affiliate Links

Affiliate commissions are one of the ways we fund OnlineSafetyChecker. This revenue helps us:

  • Keep our security tools (like the Link Safety Checker) free
  • Maintain and improve our website infrastructure
  • Research and write new educational content
  • Test and review security products

Pages that contain affiliate links include a clear disclosure statement so you always know when affiliate links are present.

Does This Affect Our Recommendations?

No. Our editorial content and product recommendations are completely independent from our affiliate relationships. Specifically:

  • We never let commission rates influence which products we recommend or how we rate them
  • We frequently recommend free tools and open-source alternatives that generate no affiliate revenue
  • Our Link Safety Checker and other tools produce results based purely on technical analysis, never affiliate status
  • Products are evaluated using our standard research methodology, regardless of whether an affiliate relationship exists

Which Products Have Affiliate Links?

We may have affiliate relationships with providers in the following categories:

  • VPN services
  • Antivirus and security software
  • Password managers
  • Identity theft protection services
  • Parental control software

Not every product we mention has an affiliate link, and the presence or absence of an affiliate link does not affect whether we recommend a product.

FTC Compliance

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, we disclose our affiliate relationships on every page that contains affiliate links. We are committed to full transparency with our readers about how this site generates revenue.

Contact

If you have questions about our affiliate relationships or this disclosure, please contact us. We're happy to provide additional information.