Skip to content

Privacy Policy

The stored "previous" version of this policy contained no text, so the diff shows the entire DreamHost Privacy Policy as newly added rather than an actual line-by-line change. The policy itself is dated July 31, 2026. Because there is no earlier text to compare against, nothing here can be confirmed as a new loss of rights — this is best read as a baseline capture. For context, the notable consumer-relevant terms in the captured document are: advertising and analytics partners that get device, IP and browsing data (with an opt-out link), AI features whose text inputs and outputs DreamHost may review, no fixed data-deletion deadline, and a rule that continuing to use the service means you accept future policy changes.

Ad and analytics partners get your browsing and device dataOutside companies that run ads and analytics for DreamHost can collect your IP address,…

Outside companies that run ads and analytics for DreamHost can collect your IP address, device and browser details, the search terms you type on the site, and your clicks and scrolling. DreamHost says it does not sell your data and does not hand these partners your name or email, and it offers an off switch. Because there is no readable earlier version, this is a description of current practice, not proof that anything got worse.

“You can opt out of this sharing at any time using the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in the footer of our website, which opens our Privacy Preference Center”

What you can do — Click the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in the DreamHost site footer and turn off Targeting/Advertising cookies; you can also opt out of interest-based ads at networkadvertising.org/choices.

DATA SHARING
What you type into AI tools can be collected and reviewedAnything you enter into DreamHost's AI features, plus what the AI writes back, may be…

Anything you enter into DreamHost's AI features, plus what the AI writes back, may be stored and looked at by DreamHost to improve its services. Avoid pasting passwords, customer records or other sensitive material into those tools.

“We may review this information to understand user needs and improve our overall service offerings.”

What you can do — Read the linked AI Tools Terms before using DreamHost's AI features, and keep sensitive information out of AI prompts.

DATA COLLECTION
No fixed deadline for deleting your dataInstead of naming a time limit, the policy keeps your information as long as DreamHost has…

Instead of naming a time limit, the policy keeps your information as long as DreamHost has an "ongoing legitimate business need." Data stuck in backup archives is locked away rather than erased. In practice that can mean your information sticks around well after you stop using the service.

“When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize it”

What you can do — If you close your account, email DreamHost's privacy inbox to ask for deletion in writing and to confirm what is being kept.

DATA RETENTION
Policy can change with only a new date at the topDreamHost can rewrite this privacy policy whenever it wants. The only guaranteed notice is…

DreamHost can rewrite this privacy policy whenever it wants. The only guaranteed notice is a changed date at the top of the page — anything more is optional. If you keep using the service, you are treated as having agreed to the new terms.

“We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the applicable law.”

What you can do — Check the "Last Updated" date on the policy page from time to time, since you may not get a direct notice.

UNILATERAL CHANGES
20260811_rev01COLOUR MARKS THE SEVERITY OF A FLAGGED CLAUSE · + AND − MARK ADDED AND REMOVED
1#### Last Updated:
+ ADDEDFull policy captured for the first time (no prior text to compare)

The earlier snapshot had no readable text, so every line shows up as "added." This is almost certainly a capture problem, not DreamHost rewriting its policy. The document is dated July 31, 2026.

2
3July 31, 2026
4
5DreamHost's Vision Statement: People have the freedom to choose how their digital content is shared.
6
7This Privacy Policy explains what we do to minimize the data we process and to protect that which we do collect. We recommend that you read this Policy in full. However, because the way in which we process data will depend on the service you use (and because we recognize that your time is limited and precious) you may decide to use the links below to navigate directly to the sections of the Notice which are relevant to you.
8
9If you have questions about our practices or any of your rights described below, you may contact us at [\[email protected\]](https://dreamhost.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection). This inbox is actively monitored and managed so that we can deliver an experience you can trust.
10
11#### 1\. Who we are, our Services and our Website
12
13**1.1** DreamHost offers a variety of services to customers ("you") which range from hosting and website services (including shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting, WordPress hosting, Remixer, email hosting (the "Hosting Services")), cloud services (DreamObjects and DreamCompute) (the "Cloud Services") and domain registration services (the "Domain Registration Services") among others.
14
15**1.2** The services offered by DreamHost are collectively referred to as the Services in this Notice.
16
17**1.3** We also have a website (the "Website") where website visitors, prospective customers and potential job applicants can find out more about us and our Services.
18
19#### 2\. Hosting and Cloud Services
20
21This section explains our privacy practices in relation to the data we collect when we provide Hosting and Cloud Services to you.
22
23In this section, "client" refers to businesses to which we provide the Hosting and Cloud Services.
24
25**2.1 What information do we collect when we provide Hosting and Cloud Services**
26
27**2.1.1** When clients use our Hosting and Cloud Services, they provide us with third party data. We only collect this data in accordance with our client's instructions. This means that our clients are in control of the data they upload to our platforms.
28
29**2.1.2** We enter into agreements with our clients that set out our legal obligations in relation to that data, and explain that we may only use such data to provide the Services to our client (i.e. to provide Hosting Services, Cloud Services or the Domain Registration Services). In many legal jurisdictions, particularly those within the European Economic Area ("EEA"), DreamHost is considered to be a "data processor" in relation to such client data. Each of our clients would be considered to be a "data controller". As a controller, each DreamHost client is responsible for complying with the requirements for controllers under the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") which requires notice, disclosure and specific legal bases for transferring data to DreamHost and using the Hosting and Cloud Services. As a processor, DreamHost has some - but not all - of those responsibilities.
30
31**2.1.3** If you would like more information about the data collected by a particular DreamHost client and, in turn, transferred to DreamHost, please refer to that client's privacy notice which would typically be located on their website.
32
33**2.1.4** There are instances in which we act as a data controller. The rest of this Privacy Policy explains our data collection practices in those circumstances.
34
35**2.2 Information that you provide**
36
37**2.2.1** The personal information we collect from you when we provide you with Services will depend on the type of service or support you require.
38
39**2.2.2** Some personal information is collected directly from you when you:
40
41- **(a)** create an account or purchase any of our Services (for example, billing information, contact information, credit card number and in certain circumstances, government identification);
+ ADDEDWhat DreamHost collects about you

The policy says DreamHost collects account and billing details (including credit card number and, in some cases, government ID), support messages, and automatic device data like your IP address, device type, browser and rough location.

42- **(b)** request assistance from our technical support team (for example, your phone number or email address);
43- **(c)** log in to your account, such as your log-in credentials (for example, your username and password);
44- **(d)** complete contact forms or request newsletters or other information from us (for example, your email address); or
45- **(e)** participate in surveys or contests or participate in activities we promote which might require information from you.
46
47**2.2.3** We will also collect and process other data that might be less obvious to you. For example, account-related information is collected in association with your use of the Services (like the types of services you have used, your payment history, the amount of your payments, your domain name, information about when products renew or expire, customer service requests, information requests, etc.).
48
49**2.2.4** Some of this data may be personal data. We may use this information to contact you from time to time about our products, promotions and other services that relate to your account. You can manage and choose the information you want to receive. Please see Section 11 for more information.
50
51**2.2.5** Most of the personal information that we collect is necessary to keep all of our Services functional and accessible by you. If we're asking for personal information beyond this scope, we'll make sure to clearly let you know why we need it (and what the effects of not providing it may be).
52
53**2.3 Information we collect automatically**
54
55**2.3.1** When you use our Hosting Services, we may collect certain information automatically from your device. This may include information like your IP address, your device type, any unique device identification numbers, browser types, information about your broad geographic location (for example, country or city level location) and other technical information that may identify you.
56
57**2.3.2** By way of example, data about usage of services is automatically collected when you use and interact with our Services, including metadata, log files and cookie/device IDs. This information includes specific data about your interactions with the features, content and links (including those of third parties, such as social media plugins) contained within the Services as well as the information listed in the previous paragraph.
58
59**2.4 Information we collect from third party sources**
60
61**2.4.1** In our capacity as a data controller, we may collect information from third parties. This may include information from partners in order to maintain functionality of your Services (such as domain name registrations and third-party email suites). We may combine this data with information we already have so that we can properly update, analyze, and expand our Services. This information will only be used for the specific reason for which it was provided to us.
62
63**2.4.2** We may collect publicly available business contact information from third-party sources to identify potential customers in the United States. This information may include business names, physical addresses, and other relevant contact details. We use this information solely for direct business-to-business marketing purposes, such as sending promotional materials about our services via postal mail.
64
65We do not collect sensitive personal data in this process, and we limit the use of this data to legitimate business interests. If your business has received marketing communication from us and you wish to opt out of future contact, please follow the opt-out instructions included in the mailing or contact us directly at [\[email protected\]](https://dreamhost.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bfefcdd6c9dedcc6efd0d3d6dcc6fffbcddaded2f7d0cccb91dcd0d2).
66
67**Our Website**
68
69#### 3\. What information do we collect when you use or visit our website?
70
71**3.1.1** Information you provide
72
73DreamHost receives and stores information you provide to us though your use of the Website.
74
75We may collect and store information about your visits and interactions with the Website that does not directly identify you, but is automatically received and recorded by us through use of cookies or other services. We use cookies or similar services to analyze trends, administer the website, track users' movements around the website and to gather demographic information about our user base. You can control the use of cookies by selecting appropriate settings in your browser. If you choose to disable cookies, it may limit your use of certain functions on the Website.
76
77Additionally, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information may include IP addresses, browser type, internet service provider, referring / exit pages, operating system, date / time stamp and / or clickstream data.
78
79We may combine this automatically-collected log information with other information we collect about you. We do this to improve services we offer you, to improve marketing, analytics or site functionality.
80
81Our Website contains social media features such as the Facebook button and other widgets that operate on our Website. These features may collect information such as your IP address and the pages you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on the Website. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy statement of the company providing the applicable feature.
82
83We offer various AI-powered features to assist our users. When you interact with these tools, we may collect information such as text inputs and generated outputs. We may review this information to understand user needs and improve our overall service offerings. For more details on how this specific data is handled, please review our [AI Tools Terms](https://dreamhost.com/legal/ai-tools-terms/).
+ ADDEDAI features collect your inputs and outputs

If you use DreamHost's AI-powered tools, what you type and what the tool produces may be collected and reviewed by DreamHost to study user needs and improve its services.

84
85Targeted advertisements or interest based offers may be presented to you based on your activities on our webpages, other websites and based on products you currently own. These offers will display as varying product banners presented to you while browsing. We also partner with third parties to manage our advertising on our webpages and other websites. Our third party partners may use features like cookies to gather information about such activities in order to provide you with advertising based upon your browsing activities and interests and to measure advertising effectiveness. If you wish to opt out of interest-based advertising [click here](http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/).
86
87**3.2** How We Use Cookies
88
891. **Essential Cookies** enable you to use our Website. These Cookies are essential to enable you to browse our Website and use certain features you have specifically requested. Disabling them may prevent you from using certain parts of the Website. For example, without these Cookies, services such as account creation and login functions cannot be provided. These types of Cookies allow us to:
90
91- Record that you are logged into your account;
92
93- Record when you give consent to our use of Cookies, when applicable;
94
95- Provide Services to you and manage transactions, and to remember the information you provided in forms;
96
97- Provide the necessary security the Website requires, for example, to monitor traffic flow and visits in order to let us know of potential security threats
98
99We want you to understand these Essential Cookies, and why we use them, but your consent is not required for us to use them, as we use these Cookies only to provide you with services that you have requested.
100
1012. **Preference Cookies** store information such as your preferred language selection, login data, and website preferences. Without these Cookies, our Website may not be able to remember certain choices you've previously made, or personalize your browsing experience by providing you with relevant information. These Cookies can recognize your device and offer you a more personal experience so that you do not have to provide the same information more than once. Disabling these Cookies means that you will be asked to reenter this information every time you use our Website.
102
1033. **Performance Cookies** collect information about how you use our Website such as which pages you visit regularly. They allow us to understand:
104
105- Which device and/or website directed you to our site;
106
107- Which of our features and their pages you visit most often so that we can use this information to improve their functionality;
108
109- Page load and site response times; and
110
111- If you get error messages or unexpected behavior.
112
113These cookies may facilitate recording of basic interactions, such as clicks, scrolling, and navigation, but do not capture form entries or directly identifying information, such as your name or email address.
114
1154. **Targeting Cookies** and similar technologies, such as tracking pixels, gather information about your use of our Website so we may improve your experience and provide you with more relevant content. They remember that you've visited our Website and help us to both understand your usage of the site, and to ensure that the advertisements you see across the web are more relevant to you. These Cookies are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement, as well as to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Some of these Cookies are from third parties that collect information about users of our Website (as described above in the "Targeted advertisements or interest-based offers" section) to provide interest-based advertising (on our site and elsewhere) based on users' online activities.
116
1175. For information on how to manage your cookie preferences, please see below.
118
119#### 4\. Domain Registration Services
120
121**4.1** We will share your information (such as WHOIS info) to the extent necessary to comply with ICANN or any other regulations and policies when you register a domain name with us.
122
123**General Data Processing Information in Connection with our Services and the Website**
124
125#### 5\. How do we use the information we collect about you?
126
127**5.1** To the extent that we are a data controller, we use the information collected through your use of our Services for the following purposes:
128
129- **(a)** to improve and optimize the operation and performance of our Services to you, and for the Website;
130- **(b)** to carry out obligations arising under agreements entered into between you and DreamHost;
131- **(c)** to diagnose problems and identify security risks, errors or needed enhancements to the Services;
132- **(d)** for research regarding the effectiveness of our Services, the Website and related marketing, advertising and sales efforts;
133- **(e)** to respond to your support requests, and to communicate with you though email, via the website and livechat, text messages, telephone calls or automated phone calls or text messages;
134- **(f)** to provide you with information about our products and services; and
135- **(g)** to investigate, prevent, or act regarding suspected or reported illegal activities, fraud, DNS Abuse, violations of DreamHost Policies, or otherwise as required by law or by ICANN or Registry Operator contractual obligation.
136
137**5.2** Often, much of the data is aggregated or statistical data about how people use our Services or Website and is not linked to any personal data. To the extent that this data is itself personal data, or is linked to personal data, we treat it accordingly.
138
139#### 6\. Our legal basis for processing personal information
140
141**6.1** Our legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described above will depend on the personal information concerned and the specific context in which we collect it. However, we will normally collect personal information only where we have your consent to do so, where we need the personal information to perform a contract with you, or where the processing is in our legitimate interests and not overridden by your data protection interests or fundamental rights and freedoms. In some cases, we may also have a legal obligation to collect personal information from you.
142
143**6.2** If we ask you to provide personal information to comply with a legal requirement or to perform our contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise you whether the provision of your personal information is mandatory or not (as well as the possible consequences if you do not provide your personal information). Similarly, if we collect and use your personal information while relying on our legitimate interests (or those of a third party), we will make clear to you at the relevant time what those legitimate interests are.
144
145**7.1** With the exception of trusted business affiliates and/or associates who work on behalf of or in connection with us, we will not provide to or sell to any third party your personal information and will keep all such data confidential. For example, we share information with third parties where the functionality and maintenance of our Services depends on it (such as sharing data with domain registries in order to maintain your Services or domain registrations).
146
147_Third parties and trusted affiliates or associates_
148
149**7.2** We may contract with third parties to assist us in optimizing our Services, including assistance related to the authorization and processing of payments, fulfilment of service requests, and requests for assistance.
150
151**7.3** We may utilize third-party platforms to provide web-based and email-based advertisements for our Services after you have visited and left our Website.
152
153**7.4** We engage third-party analytics partners to help us understand how visitors use our site and to improve our services. These services may collect information like your device type, browser, IP address, and the search terms you enter on our site, as well as interaction data such as clicks, scrolling, and navigation patterns. We do not share direct personal identifiers, such as your name or email address, with these partners. We use this information to analyze and enhance your DreamHost experience.
+ ADDEDAdvertising and analytics partners receive some of your data

Third-party ad and analytics companies can collect your device type, browser, IP address, search terms on the site, and how you click and scroll. DreamHost says it does not hand over your name or email to those partners and says it does not sell personal data under California law, but it does "share" limited data, which you can turn off.

154
155_Law enforcement_
156
157**7.5** DreamHost's primary business operations are located in California in the United States and we are subject to the laws and regulations in that jurisdiction. We may be called upon by various law enforcement agencies to comply with ongoing investigations. Compliance may include the secure handover of client data to a legally-authorized government agency.
+ ADDEDData may be handed to law enforcement and processed abroad

DreamHost may turn over customer data to legally authorized government agencies, and may process your data on servers in the United States, Singapore and the Netherlands, where protections can differ from your home country's.

158
159**7.6** Outside the United States, DreamHost may also be required to disclose personal information to other law enforcement bodies, regulatory, government agency, court or other third party in compliance with applicable laws or regulation to which DreamHost may be subject.
160
161**7.7** We will only disclose this information where we believe disclosure is necessary (i) as a matter if applicable law or regulation (ii) to exercise or defend our legal rights or (iii) to protect your vital interests or those of any other person.
162
163#### 8\. Your data protection rights
164
165**8.1** Depending on your jurisdiction of residence, you may have the data protection right to access, correct, update, or to request deletion of your personal information.
+ ADDEDYour rights and opt-out tools

You can view and change account contact details in the DreamHost Panel, unsubscribe from marketing email, turn off targeting cookies through the Privacy Preference Center, and (in the EEA) object to processing, withdraw consent, or complain to a data protection authority.

166
167**8.2** If you are a resident of the EEA you also have the following data protection rights:
168
1691. you can object to processing of your personal information, ask us to restrict processing of your personal information or request portability of your personal information.
1702. if we have collected and processed your personal information with your consent, then you can withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we conducted prior to your withdrawal, nor will it affect processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.
1713. you have the right to complain to a data protection authority about our collection and use of your personal information. Contact details for data protection authorities in the EU are available here: https://ec.europa.eu/justice/article-29/structure/data-protection-authorities/index\_en.htm
172
173DreamHost does not, and does not intend to, sell personal information as "selling" is defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA"). We may, however, share limited personal information with trusted partners for purposes described in above. You can opt out of this sharing at any time using the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in the footer of our website, which opens our Privacy Preference Center, or as described in below.
174
175California residents who wish to submit requests for information pursuant to Sections 1798.110 and 1798.115 of the CCPA may do so by emailing [\[email protected\]](https://dreamhost.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection).
176
177#### 9\. Your Choices
178
179**9.1** Contact information: DreamHost customers with established accounts may review and alter the contact information associated with their DreamHost account(s) in the [DreamHost Panel](https://panel.dreamhost.com/id/index.cgi).
180
181**9.2** Web-based advertisements: DreamHost and its advertising partners comply with "opt out" signals provided either by a user's web browser automatically, by a user manually opting-out of web-based advertisements at http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/.
182
183**9.3** Email marketing: To unsubscribe from promotional marketing emails you can click the unsubscribe link in a promotional email or modify your preferences on the Privacy page of the [DreamHost Panel](https://panel.dreamhost.com/index.cgi).
184
185**9.4** Cookies and other tracking technologies:
186
187As described in , we use third-party analytics and advertising services, which may rely on cookies and pixels to collect information about your activity on our site. Through our Privacy Preference Center (accessible via the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in our site footer), you can disable Targeting/Advertising cookies and pixels. Once disabled, these technologies will not run on your device. For information on how to manage cookie settings, click on the links below:
188
189[Cookie settings in Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647)
190
191[Cookie settings in Firefox](https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cookies-information-websites-store-on-your-computer)
192
193[Cookie settings in Edge](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies)
194
195[Cookie settings in Safari](https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-and-website-data-sfri11471/mac)
196
197[DreamHost Privacy Settings Overview](https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033695351-Privacy-Settings-overview)
198
199#### 10\. Security: how we keep your information secure?
200
201We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the personal information that we collect and process about you. The measures we use are designed to provide a level of security appropriate to the risk of processing your personal information. Specific measures we use include reducing log retention where possible to the minimum level required to enable our systems administration and security staff to ensure services are running smoothly.
202
203#### 11\. Processing in the United States and other countries
204
205**11.1** Your personal information may be processed in countries other than the country in which you are resident. These countries may have data protection laws that are different to the laws of your country, and in some cases, may not be as protective. Specifically, our Website servers are located in the United States, Singapore, and the Netherlands. This means that when we collect your personal information, we likely process it in the United States. We have taken appropriate safeguards to require that your personal information will remain protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
206
207#### 12\. Data retention and deletion
208
209We retain personal information we collect from you where we have an ongoing legitimate business need to do so (for example, to comply with applicable legal, tax or accounting requirements, to enforce our agreements or comply with our legal obligations). When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize it or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing, until deletion is possible.
+ ADDEDData kept as long as there is a "business need"

There is no set deletion date. DreamHost keeps your information while it has an ongoing legitimate business reason, and if data sits in backups it is isolated rather than deleted until deletion becomes possible.

210
211#### 13\. Third-party websites
212
213The Website and our Services may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of third-party sites. Please read the privacy policy of any website you visit.
214
215#### 14\. Changes to your Privacy Policy
216
217We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the applicable law. You will be able to tell when the policy was last updated as we will revise the date at the top of the Policy. In some cases, we may provide you with additional notice (such as adding a statement to the website, via the newsletter, or sending you a notification). By continuing to access or use the Services after changes become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised Privacy Policy.
+ ADDEDPolicy can change, and continued use means you accept it

DreamHost can update the privacy policy at any time by changing the date at the top. Extra notice is optional, and simply continuing to use the service counts as agreeing to the new version.

218
219#### 15\. Questions and complaints
220
221If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us using the following details:
222
223[\[email protected\]](https://dreamhost.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection)
224
225or
226
227Attn: Legal
228DreamHost
229PMB #327
230417 Associated Rd.
231Brea, CA 92821