Last updated: January 2026
Who We Are
Our website address is: https://heychicago.us
Hey Chicago is a Chicago-based website sharing the best things to do in the city, hidden gems, local events, and positive news stories.
Affiliate Disclosure
Some of our posts may contain affiliate links to products or services. This means that if you make a purchase through those links, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
As an Amazon Associate, Hey Chicago earns from qualifying purchases.
We only recommend products, places, and services that we genuinely trust and believe add value to our readers. Your support helps keep Hey Chicago running.
Advertising Partners
Google AdSense
HeyChicago.us uses Google AdSense, a service for displaying advertisements provided by Google Inc.
Google AdSense uses the DoubleClick cookie, which enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visits to this and other websites on the internet.
Users may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings:
https://adssettings.google.com
For more information on how Google uses data from sites that use its services, please see:
https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Version 1.1)
HeyChicago.us works with Mediavine to manage third-party, interest-based advertising displayed on our website.
Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit our site, which may use first-party and third-party cookies, as well as tags, pixels, and beacons, to monitor user interaction and optimize advertising performance.
- A first-party cookie is created by the website you are visiting (heychicago.us).
- A third-party cookie is created by domains other than the one you are visiting and is commonly used for advertising and analytics.
Data Mediavine may collect includes:
- IP address
- Operating system type and version
- Device type
- Browser type
- Language preferences
- Email address (in hashed form)
Mediavine Partners may combine this data with other information collected independently to deliver targeted advertising across devices, browsers, and applications.
You can learn more and opt out of interest-based advertising here:
- National Advertising Initiative Opt-Out
- Digital Advertising Alliance
- AppChoices App
To view Mediavine Partners and their data practices, visit:
https://www.mediavine.com/ad-partners/
Cookies
HeyChicago.us uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience.
- If you leave a comment, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These cookies last for one year.
- Login cookies last for two days.
- Display settings cookies last for one year.
- Selecting “Remember Me” keeps you logged in for two weeks.
- Publishing an article sets a temporary cookie that expires after one day.
Your browser settings allow you to block or clear cookies. You can learn how to manage cookies at:
https://www.allaboutcookies.org
Disabling cookies will not remove ads but may result in seeing non-personalized advertising.
What Personal Data We Collect and Why
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect:
- The data shown in the comments form
- The visitor’s IP address
- Browser user agent string (to help with spam detection)
Your email address may be hashed and checked against the Gravatar service to display your profile image.
Gravatar Privacy Policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS), as visitors may be able to extract this information from images.
Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (videos, images, social posts, etc.). Embedded content behaves exactly as if you visited the other website, which may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction.
How Long We Retain Your Data
- Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely.
- Registered users (if applicable) can view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except usernames).
- Website administrators can also view and edit that information.
Your Rights Over Your Data
If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you may request:
- An exported file of the personal data we hold about you
- Deletion of any personal data we hold about you
This does not include data we are required to keep for legal, administrative, or security purposes.
Where We Send Your Data
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
📧 Email: hello@heychicago.us
📍 Location: Chicago, IL