COMMENTS

Whenever you post a comment on our website, we gather information displayed in the comment form. This includes your comment, as well as any personal details you choose to share with us. In addition, we automatically collect your IP address and details about the browser you are using for spam prevention and security purposes. This information assists us in identifying and managing unwanted, automated submissions.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you are a registered user. This is done to display your profile picture alongside your comment, should you have a Gravatar account. For more information on how Gravatar handles your data, please review their privacy policy at Automattic Privacy. Once your comment is approved, your Gravatar profile picture, if available, will be visible to the public as part of your comment submission.

MEDIA

When you upload images to our website, we advise caution regarding your privacy and security. It’s important to avoid uploading images that contain embedded location information (EXIF GPS). This kind of data can include detailed information about where the image was taken, potentially compromising your privacy. Please be aware that visitors to the website have the ability to download images and may extract the location data that is embedded in those images. To protect your privacy, we recommend removing EXIF GPS data from your images before uploading them. This can typically be done using various photo editing software or privacy-focused tools available online.

For further protection of your privacy, our website does not actively extract or use location data from your images for any purpose. However, we cannot control the actions of third-party visitors who may access and use this data. Therefore, we strongly emphasize the importance of ensuring your images are free from sensitive location information before sharing them on our platform.

COOKIES

When you leave a comment on our website, we offer you the option to save your name, email address, and website in cookies. These cookies are purely for your convenience, sparing you from the need to re-enter your details each time you wish to leave another comment. If you choose to enable this feature, these cookies will be retained for one year. This is for your ease of use, and is entirely optional.

Upon visiting our login page, our system will set a temporary cookie to check if your browser is set to accept cookies. This is a standard check to enhance your browsing experience. Please note that this cookie does not contain any personal data and is solely for browser compatibility verification. it will be automatically discarded when you close your browser. This process ensures smoother interaction with our site and helps us provide you with uninterrupted service.

When you log into our site, we set up several cookies to store your login information and your preferences for screen display. These cookies serve two main purposes:

1. Login Information: These cookies remember your login details for your convenience. They remain active for two days. If you revisit our site within this period, you won’t need to log in again.
   
   
2. Screen Display Choices: These cookies store your screen display settings, like layout preferences or color themes, enhancing your user experience. These cookies last for one year.

Additionally, if you select the “Remember Me” option during login, your login will be maintained for two weeks. This feature is designed for your convenience, allowing you to access our site without repeatedly logging in. However, if you log out of your account, these login cookies will be immediately removed to ensure the security of your account.

If you engage in editing or publishing an article on our site, an additional cookie is saved in your browser. This cookie is purely functional and does not store any personal data. Instead, it records the post ID of the article you edited and is used to restore your draft if you return to edit it later. This cookie has a short lifespan and expires after 1 day.

EMBEDDED CONTENT FROM OTHER WEBSITES

Articles on our site may feature embedded content, such as videos, images articles, etc. This content is sourced from external websites and behaves just as if you were visiting those websites directly. It’s important to note the following implications:

1. Data Collection by Third-Party Websites: When you interact with embedded content, the external websites providing this content may collect data about you. This is similar to how they would collect data if you were visiting their site directly.
2. Use of Cookies: These third-party websites may use cookies to gather information or personalize the content. Cookies might be used to remember your preference or track how you interact with the content.
   
   
3. Third-Party Tracking: In addition to using these cookies, these sites may embed additional third-party tracking tools. These tools are used to analyze how users interact with the content or for other purposes set by the third-party site, such as targeted advertising or analytics.
   
   
4. Interaction Monitoring: If you have an account with these third-party websites and are logged into it, your interaction with the embedded content on our site can be tracked by the third party. This could include activities such as watching a video or liking an image.

Please be aware that these activities are subject to the privacy policies of the external websites hosting the corresponding content. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policies of these websites to understand how they handle your data.

WHO WE SHARE YOUR DATA WITH

For enhanced security, if you request a password reset on our site, we will include your IP address in the reset email. This practice helps us maintain the security of your account by monitoring where password reset requests originate from. It’s an additional measure to protect your account from unauthorized access and potential security threats. If you notice any suspicious activity or receive a password reset email that you did not request, please contact our support team immediately for assistance.

To ensure the quality and safety of the discussions on our site, visitor comments may be subjected to scrutiny by an automated spam detection service. This service helps us identify and filter out unwanted or malicious content, such as spam or automated postings, enhancing the experience for all users. This process is automated and designed to protect both our website and our community from disruptive or harmful online activities.

HOW LONG WE RETAIN YOUR DATA

When you leave a comment on our site, the comment and its associated metadata are retained indefinitely. This long-term retention is key; it allows our system to automatically recognize and approve any of your subsequent comments without the need for them to be held in a moderation queue. This streamlines the commenting process, ensuring your future comments are published without delay to foster dynamic, engaging conversation.

For users who choose to register on our website, we store the personal information provided in their user profiles. This typically includes details like your name, email address, and any other information you choose to provide. Here’s how we handle this information:

• Access and Control: As a registered user, you have the ability to view, edit, or delete your personal information at any time. The only exception is your username, which remains fixed once set.
  
  
• Security and Privacy: While you have control over your personal information, it is also accessible to website administrators. Our administrators can view and edit this information if necessary, for instance, to assist you with account-related issues or to maintain the integrity and security of our website.
  
  
• Purpose of Data Retention: The primary reason for retaining this information is to enhance your user experience, enabling you to access personalized features and settings on our platform. It also aids in managing user accounts effectively and maintaining the security of our website.

WHAT RIGHTS YOU HAVE OVER YOUR DATA

As a user with an account on our site, or as someone who has left comments, you have the right to request an exported file containing the personal data we have collected about you. This includes all the data you have provided to us through various interaction on our site. To request this file, simply contact us directly, and we will complie and send you a comprehensive record of your personal data in our possession.

In addition to requesting a copy of your data, you have the right to ask us to erase any personal data we hold about you. This is in line with our commitment to your privacy and data protection rights. If you wish to have your personal data removed from our records, please reach out to us with your request.

It’s important to note that the request for data erasure does not include any data that we are obligated to retain. There are certain types of data that we must keep for administrative, legal, and/or security purposes. For instance, records that are necessary for the ongoing operation of our site, compliance with legal obligations, or for the protection of our or others’ legal rights are not eligible for erasure.