This privacy policy tells how your data and information are collected, used, or shared when you visit our website.
Personal data we collect and why
Comments
We collect the data you provide when you leave comments on the site, your IP address, and the browser user agent you use to help detect spam and block them out.
We may also create an anonymized string from your email address and provide it to the Gravatar service to examine the address and check if you are using it. You can check the Gravatar service privacy policy here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After your comment’s approval, your profile picture becomes visible to the public with your comment.
Contact forms
We collect email addresses, names, and other information you provide on the sign-up and contact forms.
Automatically collected information and cookie policy
When you visit our site, we collect and document specific information about your device, including your web browser, time zone, IP address, and cookies installed on your device. Also, as you browse the website, we record information about the web pages you view, the website or search terms that referred you to our website, and your interaction with the site.
We document your device information through the following technologies:
“Cookies” are data saved on your computer or device, including a unique anonymous identifier. To know more about cookies and how to disable them, check: http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
“Log files” track all your actions on the website and collect data, including your IP address, internet service provider, browser type, date/time stamps, and referring/exit pages.
“Web beacons,” “tags,” and “pixels” are e-files that record how you browse and interact on the site.
When you leave a comment on the site, you can choose to save your name, email address, and website in cookies. This is so you do not have to keep filling your details over again whenever you want to leave a comment. The cookies will last a maximum of one year.
Should you have an account and log into this website, we temporarily set a cookie to see whether your browser accepts cookies. However, the cookie collects no personal data and deletes it once you close your browser.
We also set up some cookies to document your login information and screen display choices when you log into the site. These login cookies usually last for two days, while screening option cookies for a year. Should you select the “remember me” option, your login remains for two more weeks. And when you log out, the login cookies will be deleted.
When you edit or publish an article on the site, an extra cookie will be added to your browser. This cookie has no personal data and only shows the article’s post ID, and it expires after a day.
Third-party advertising
We do not provide any personal information saved on our site to advertisers or third-party sites. Third parties or advertisers may assume that users who click or interact with their personalized ads or content are parts of the group they direct the ad. In addition, some third-party cookies may provide offline and online information about you to them, which they may use to determine what useful and relevant ad to direct to you.
Meanwhile, third-party cookies are used on behavioural advertising and analytics, created by a domain different from the website you visit. These, together with pixels, tags, beacons, and other technologies, may be placed on different websites to track your interactions with ad content and target and optimize advertising. However, your internet browser can block first and third-party cookies and clear the cache. You can also stop accepting new cookies, disable existing cookies, revive notifications for new cookies, and clear cache through the “help” feature available on your browser’s menu bar.
However, without cookies in your browser, you may be unable to enjoy the complete advantages of the website features and content. You should note that rejecting cookies does not guarantee total ad blockage when visiting our website. And when you opt-out, you are still likely to see non-personalized adverts on the website.
Our website collects these data when you use a cookie that serves personalized ads:
- IP address
- Operating system type and version
- Device type
- Website’s language
- Web browser type
To know more about cookie practices and your choice regarding opting in and out of this data collection process, please check out the National Advertising Initiative opt-out page.
Embedded content from other websites
Content on the website may include embedded content like articles, images, videos, GIFs, and others; likewise, other websites you visit. The websites may document data about you, embed another third-party tracking, use cookies and monitor your interaction with the content on the website, especially if you have an account logged in.
How we use your information
We collect your device information to help us scrutinize potential risks and fraud and improve and optimize our website to better improve customers’ interactions with the site and our marketing and advertising campaigns.
Generally, we collect personal information on the site based on our business interests and purposes described below:
- To send you marketing and promotional communications. We may use your recorded personal information for marketing purposes aligned with your marketing preferences. You can contact us anytime you decide to opt-out of our marketing emails.
- For other business purposes like identifying usage trends, data analysis, checking our promotional campaigns’ effectiveness, evaluate and improving our website.
Sharing your information
We use Google Analytics to see and understand how visitors interact with and use our website. Learn more on how that works here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/. You consent to us collecting and using your information through Google Analytics when you access our site, and you can choose to opt-out here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
We may check visitors’ comments through an automated spam detection service. In addition, an anonymized string generated from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you are using it. Check out the Gravatar service privacy policy here: https://automattic.com/privacy/.
The website may also share documented information when required by the law, especially as a response to government authorities’ demands and such demands meet legal requirements.
How long do we retain your data
We keep your data just for as long as it meets the necessary purposes stated in this privacy notice unless there is a need for a longer retention period or as permitted by law for cases regarding taxes, accounting, and other legal requirements.
When we no longer have any legitimate business need or use of your personal information, we will delete or anonymize it or securely store them in our backup archives if we can’t delete them.
However, if you leave a comment on our website, we retain it indefinitely. This helps us recognize and approve follow-up comments instead of keeping them in a moderation queue.
Minors
We do not deliberately or knowingly collect and record data from or advertise to people under 18.
Protecting your information
We have arranged and implemented technical and organization securities to protect and secure any personal information we collect from you during your interaction with our website. However, we do not guarantee 100% security of your internet or information storage technology. Hence, we do not assure you of complete protection from hackers, cybercriminals, and other unauthorized third parties from illegally collecting, accessing, stealing, or modifying your data. While we ensure we protect your data, transmitting your personal data to and from our site is at your risk. Therefore, ensure you only access our website within a secure environment.
Rights you have over your data
You have rights over your data applicable to data protection laws which include the right to:
(I) to request access to and acquire a copy of your data and information
(II) to request amendments or erasure of personal data
(III) to limit your personal information processing
(Iv), if applicable, to data portability in specific circumstances, may have the right to oppose the processing of your personal information. Kindly contact us to make such requests. We will consider and act on your request as suitable to applicable data protection laws.
In cases where we need to rely on your consent for processing your personal information, you have the right to retract your consent anytime. However, you should note that consent withdrawal will not affect the legitimacy of the processing before withdrawal nor your personal information’s processing per the law.
If you registered an account on this website or have left any comments, you can request that the data be exported in a file to you. You can request that we erase and delete any personal data documented on our site. However, this does not include information we are obliged to for legal, administrative, or security purposes.
Opting out of interest-based advertising
This website adheres to the Network Advertising Initiative’s (NIA) codes of conduct described on their website. In addition, we adhere to the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (DAA) self-regulatory principles, which you can check on the DAA website.
To know more about opting out of interest-based advertising by third parties, check out the NAI’s opt-out page or the DAA’s consumer choice page.
Policy changes
We may at any time update or refurbish this privacy policy to reflect changes to our practices and legal, operational, or regulatory reasons.
Contact Us
To know more about our privacy policy practices or for further questions, inquiries, or complaints, kindly Contact us