Last updated 5/7/2018

This is a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo. If you're in the TL;DR camp, just know that I can only get your email address if you sign up for my newsletter and I would never share it with anyone else. My site is hosted on SquareSpace, which tracks cookies for the purpose of analytics and metrics. I like to know how many site visitors and pageviews I get each month. Despite how simple this really is, I have a super technical privacy policy because I'm a professional lady and that's just the way of things. 

Now onto the technical stuff...

This privacy policy has been compiled to better serve those who are concerned with how their 'Personally identifiable information' (PII) is being used online. PII, as used in US privacy law and information security, is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with our website.

What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our blog, website or app?
We do not collect information from visitors of our site.

When do we collect information?
We collect information from you when you subscribe to a newsletter, respond to a survey, fill out a form or enter information on our site.

How do we use your information?
We may use the information we collect from you when you register, make a purchase, sign up for our newsletter, respond to a survey or marketing communication, surf the website, or use certain other site features in the following ways:
       To send periodic emails regarding your order or other products and services.

How do we protect visitor information?
We do not use vulnerability scanning and/or scanning to PCI standards.
We use regular Malware Scanning.

Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. In addition, all sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

We implement a variety of security measures when a user places an order enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information.

All transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed on our servers.

Do we use 'cookies'?
Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site's or service provider's systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart. They are also used to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved services. We also use cookies to help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.

We use cookies to:
       Compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interactions in order to offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may also use trusted third-party services that track this information on our behalf.

You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser (like Internet Explorer) settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser's Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

If you disable cookies off, some features will be disabled. It won't affect the user's experience that make your site experience more efficient and some of our services will not function properly.

However, you can still place orders.

Third-party disclosure
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information.

Third-party links
Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third-party products or services on our website. These third-party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.

Google
Google's advertising requirements can be summed up by Google's Advertising Principles. They are put in place to provide a positive experience for users. https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/1316548?hl=en
We have not enabled Google AdSense on our site but we may do so in the future.

California Online Privacy Protection Act
CalOPPA is the first state law in the nation to require commercial websites and online services to post a privacy policy. The law's reach stretches well beyond California to require a person or company in the United States (and conceivably the world) that operates websites collecting personally identifiable information from California consumers to post a conspicuous privacy policy on its website stating exactly the information being collected and those individuals with whom it is being shared, and to comply with this policy. - See more at: http://consumercal.org/california-online-privacy-protection-act-caloppa/#sthash.0FdRbT51.dpuf

According to CalOPPA we agree to the following:
Users can visit our site anonymously.
Once this privacy policy is created, we will add a link to it on our home page or as a minimum on the first significant page after entering our website.
Our Privacy Policy link includes the word 'Privacy' and can be easily be found on the page specified above.
Users will be notified of any privacy policy changes:
       On our Privacy Policy Page
Users are able to change their personal information:
       By emailing us

How does our site handle do not track signals?
We honor do not track signals and do not track, plant cookies, or use advertising when a Do Not Track (DNT) browser mechanism is in place.

Does our site allow third-party behavioral tracking?
It's also important to note that we do not allow third-party behavioral tracking

COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)
When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under 13, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children's privacy and safety online.
We do not specifically market to children under 13.

Fair Information Practices
The Fair Information Practices Principles form the backbone of privacy law in the United States and the concepts they include have played a significant role in the development of data protection laws around the globe. Understanding the Fair Information Practice Principles and how they should be implemented is critical to comply with the various privacy laws that protect personal information.

In order to be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur:
We will notify the users via email
       Within 1 business day
We will notify the users via in-site notification
       Within 1 business day

We also agree to the Individual Redress Principle, which requires that individuals have a right to pursue legally enforceable rights against data collectors and processors who fail to adhere to the law. This principle requires not only that individuals have enforceable rights against data users, but also that individuals have recourse to courts or government agencies to investigate and/or prosecute non-compliance by data processors.

CAN SPAM Act
The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.

We collect your email address in order to:
       Send information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions.
       Market to our mailing list or continue to send emails to our clients after the original transaction has occurred.

To be in accordance with CANSPAM we agree to the following:
       NOT use false or misleading subjects or email addresses.
       Identify the message as an advertisement in some reasonable way.
       Include the physical address of our business or site headquarters.
       Monitor third-party email marketing services for compliance, if one is used.
       Honor opt-out/unsubscribe requests quickly.
       Allow users to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of each email.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails,
       Follow the instructions at the bottom of each email and we will promptly remove you from ALL correspondence

GDPR
People in the EU have the right to request information that companies/organizations have on them and make corrections or invoke their right to be forgotten entirely. 

At the time of this writing the only places I collect information are in MailChimp (through people voluntarily signing up for my email newsletter) and anonymized data through Facebook Pixel for advertising purposes (if you visit certain pages on this site, Facebook tracks the visits and anonymizes the data––which means I can't see who visited, just that someone visited. This allows me to show my Facebook ads to people who have shown an interest in my site). Any analytics data, whether through SquareSpace or Google Analytics is anonymized. 

This means that the only personally identifiable information I have on a person is information they've provided voluntarily through this site.

As of this writing, the only info this site asks for is one's email address and name (optional) and that's only for the purpose of opting into the email list. If you've made comments on this site, you can delete any comments you no longer want to be publicly available. If you've sent me an email through my contact form, you can reach out to me and request that I delete any correspondence, which I'll happily do. 

You can invoke your right to be forgotten by reaching out to me via my contact form. From there I'll...

  • remove you from my email list (which you can unsubscribe from at any point anyway)
  • block you from my Facebook page
  • block you from any of my personal social media profiles (if you share your social handles in the message; I'm not a mind-reader)

After that, I'll assume that you are no longer planning on visiting my site or interacting with me in any way. If at some point in the future (after I've done the above) you re-subscribe to my email list or follow me on social media using other profiles, I'll assume you're revoking your request to be forgotten. 

Contacting Us
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below http://www.offthebeatenshelf.com/contact/