Affiliate Disclosure
Last updated: March 2026 · Required by FTC 16 CFR Part 255
Short version: Some links on this site earn us a commission if you click and buy. This never affects our ratings or which products we recommend. Products we don't recommend don't appear in our top picks — regardless of commission rates.
How Affiliate Links Work on This Site
Silent Security.net participates in affiliate advertising programs. When you click a product link on this site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission from the retailer at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate links are typically marked with rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer sponsored" in the HTML. In content, we note where our recommendations can be purchased, and those links may be affiliate links. The presence of an affiliate link does not indicate paid placement or sponsored content unless explicitly disclosed as such.
Programs We Participate In
- Amazon Associates: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Product links to Amazon are affiliate links.
- Security product vendor programs: Several security companies (VPN providers, antivirus vendors, home security brands) run affiliate programs. When we link directly to their websites, those may be affiliate links.
- Commission Junction, ShareASale, and similar networks: Some vendors are accessed through affiliate networks. Our editorial standards apply equally regardless of how a product's affiliate program is structured.
What Affiliate Relationships Do NOT Affect
Our Ratings Are Not For Sale
No company can pay to improve their rating or position on Silent Security.net. Ratings are determined solely by our editorial process — hardware testing, pricing analysis, contract review, monitoring quality assessment, and independent lab results. A product with a high affiliate commission rate that performs poorly will receive a low score. A product with zero affiliate program that performs well will be recommended.
Our "Best" Picks Are Independent
When we label a product "Best Overall" or "#1 Pick," that determination is made before any commercial consideration. We do not accept payment for "best" labels, sponsored placements, or "editor's choice" badges. If you see a #1 pick, it earned that position through testing and analysis.
We Recommend Products We Don't Have Affiliate Links For
Several products in our guides and comparisons — including some top-ranked items — do not have active affiliate programs or have affiliate programs we're not enrolled in. We recommend them anyway because they earned the recommendation. Examples include certain Eufy products, Mullvad VPN (which we recommend despite their affiliate program being relatively small), and some smart home hardware available primarily at physical retailers.
Sponsored Content Policy
Silent Security.net does not publish sponsored content, advertorials, or paid reviews. We have never accepted payment from a manufacturer, vendor, or PR agency in exchange for a review, rating, or editorial placement. If this ever changes, it will be disclosed prominently at the top of the relevant content.
We decline review unit loans that come with editorial conditions. Products reviewed from manufacturer-provided samples are disclosed in the review. Those products receive the same objective treatment as purchased products.
How We Make Money
Silent Security.net generates revenue through affiliate commissions when readers purchase products we recommend. This model creates a natural alignment of interests — if our recommendations are good, readers buy products and we earn commissions. If our recommendations are poor, readers lose trust and stop following our links.
We intentionally do not run display advertising, programmatic ads, sponsored posts, or paid placements. This keeps the site clean and eliminates the ad-revenue incentive to maximize pageviews at the expense of accuracy.
Questions
If you have questions about a specific link or our commercial relationships, use the contact form. We're happy to confirm whether a specific link is an affiliate link or to explain how a particular product was evaluated.