Update 11/17/23: Updated spam detection service notice. Added instructions on how to remove/edit EXIF info on images for Mac users, adapted from imymac.com. Added view count cookie notice. Added list of typical third-party websites for embedded media. Added process for updating username. Added clarifying language throughout.
Update 2/16/23: Added “Emails from us” section. Added clarifying language in “Media” section. Added entries on “Who we share your data with.”
Who we are
We care about privacy, and we want to help protect yours!
Here you can check out our privacy policies: what your rights are, what info we collect, and how we use that info.
Our policy guidelines are based on the WordPress privacy policy.
For any questions or concerns, please contact the author at JeannetteJonic@gmail.com.
Comments
If you leave a comment on the site, anyone viewing the article will be able to see your profile picture and any website info you write in the comments form. You can choose not to set a profile picture or list a website when you comment.
If you set up an avatar, an anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service. This is so the system can check to see if you’re using the Gravatar service. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here.
To protect you from spam, bots, and phishing scams, our automated spam detection service checks the data you provide in the comments form, your computer’s IP address, and your browser user agent string. Beyond that, this information is only visible to our trusted website administrators. We keep this information private and do not send it to any other parties.
Emails from us
Password resets, newsletters, and other membership emails will come from an email address on our domain (jonic.net).
If you directly emailed the author at JeannetteJonic@gmail.com, you may also receive an email from her.
If you receive any other emails that claim to be from us but are neither from the jonic.net domain nor from the author, disregard the email and notify the author at JeannetteJonic@gmail.com.
Media
Before you upload photos you took to any website, we recommend removing any location data (included in the EXIF data) from the image first. While some websites may be set up to hide this data from the public, removing it yourself ensures bad-faith users can’t download and extract data on when and where the photo was taken.
You can manually remove this data from an image by following the below steps.
For Windows users:
- Open the photo’s Properties and click on the Details tab.
- Click the Remove Properties and Personal Information link. You can create a copy of the image with all personal data removed or pick and choose which information you want removed from the image copy.
- Save the new file.
For Mac users:
- Open the Photos app.
- Select the relevant image.
- Click Image in the upper menu bar, then click Location> Hide Location to remove the location information. If Hide Location is grayed out, there is no location data visible on this image. You’re good to go!
Cookies
We use cookies to improve your experience on the site in the following ways:
We set up a cookie when you view an article to count how many views that article has gotten. This helps you determine what content other people enjoyed and helps us know to make more content like it in the future.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt-in to save your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so you don’t have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies last for one year.
When you log in, we’ll also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen display cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.) that come from other websites. Embedded content behaves in the same way as if you’d visited that other website.
We most often have embedded YouTube videos and images hosted on Imgur, as well as other sites.
While we don’t have control over what these sites do, you can control data collection and cookies through your web browser and security software settings.
It may be out of our control, but please be aware these other websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website. Be safe, be cautious with your data, and stay informed!
Who we share your data with
Your avatar is created through Gravatar. You can view their service privacy policy here.
Your account is created through WordPress. Their privacy policy is available here.
We don’t sell your personal information to third parties. You won’t be getting put on a “list” of spam messages if you sign up with us. We also won’t share your personal information with any parties except as outlined in this privacy policy unless required to do so by investigative bodies for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
In the future, you may be able to sign up for promotional emails or podcast updates from our website. You will be able to opt out of these at any time by unsubscribing. We will not retain your email address for the purposes of contacting you once you’ve unsubscribed, though your email will still be connected with any comments you’ve made and any account you set up with us in order to log into the site.
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website, we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. Website administrators can see that information and can edit it upon your request.
Any user can see, edit, or delete their own personal information at any time except for their username. If you need your username changed, please contact the author at JeannetteJonic@gmail.com, and we’ll get you squared away in no time!
What rights you have over your data
If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us.
You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you, meaning we will delete all comments, your profile information, and/or your membership to the site (if any). This does not include any data we are required to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Questions or Concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or your privacy, please contact the author at JeannetteJonic@gmail.com.