The USA Political Instability Index is an independent research toolset. This policy explains how we handle information when you visit the site.
We do not operate user accounts, collect names or email addresses, process payment information, or store any personally identifiable information on our servers. The index data displayed on this site is derived entirely from public third-party sources.
We use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to load analytics tools. GTM and any associated analytics tags are not activated until you explicitly accept cookies via the consent banner. If you decline, no tracking scripts are loaded at any point during your visit.
If you accept, analytics may collect:
· Pages visited and time spent
· General geographic region (country/region level, not precise location)
· Browser type, device type, and screen size
· Referral source (how you arrived at the site)
This data is aggregated and not linked to any individual identity. It is used solely to understand how the Toolset is used and to improve it.
We store a single first-party cookie (cookie_consent)
to remember your consent preference. No value is set until you make a choice.
If you accept analytics, Google may set additional cookies per their own privacy policy.
You can change your preference at any time using the Cookie Preferences button in the site footer, which clears your stored consent and reloads the page.
The Toolset fetches data from the following external APIs at the server level — your browser does not contact these services directly:
· Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED API)
· Google Trends (via server-side pytrends)
· metalpriceapi.com (gold price data)
· Yahoo Finance (ticker overlay data, on demand)
If you use the ticker overlay feature, your browser makes a request to our server, which in turn queries Yahoo Finance. Your IP address is not forwarded to Yahoo Finance.
We do not retain personal data. Aggregated analytics data (if consent is given) is retained by Google according to your Google Analytics account settings, typically 14 months by default.
Since we do not collect personal data, most data subject rights (access, erasure, portability) do not apply in practice. If you have accepted analytics and wish to have that data removed, you may use Google's own tools or contact us and we will assist where possible.
Regardless of location, we apply consent-gated analytics globally — everyone gets the same privacy protection.
This Toolset is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be noted in the site's Updates section and the effective date above will be revised.