Overview
People come to the platform for two broad reasons: to read what is published here, and, where the option exists, to contribute something of their own. The privacy considerations are different for each, and contributing carries the greater consequences, so this Privacy Policy deals with contributors first and readers second. The later sections apply to everyone.
Because feature sets vary, parts of this document may describe tools the platform does not have. A description of a feature is not a statement that the feature exists here. Where it does not exist, no information is collected for it.
Legal frameworks
The privacy laws relevant to you depend chiefly on where you live and on the activities carried out through the platform. This Privacy Policy is intended to address applicable requirements under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR and applicable UK data-protection legislation, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), other U.S. state privacy laws, cookie and electronic communications requirements, and other national, state, or regional privacy regulations, where those laws apply. It is not a claim that all of them apply in every case.
For Contributors
What a contribution may contain
If the platform accepts contributions, they may come in many forms: an article, a press release, a business or directory listing, a URL or website submission, a bookmark, a comment, a profile, or supporting material such as images and documents. A contribution will often carry business information and contact information, for example a company name, address, telephone number, or the name of an author or spokesperson. Other content may be accepted as well, depending on how the platform is set up.
Contributions are meant to be seen
Material submitted for public display is published so that others can find it. Once approved and live, it may be:
- Open to every visitor of the platform
- Picked up, indexed, and cached by search engines
- Seen and used by third parties
- Reposted or linked on external websites
- Copied or redistributed in places the platform has no control over
Taking a contribution down later will remove it from the platform, but it may persist in search engine caches and on other websites.
What to leave out
Do not place confidential, private, or sensitive personal information in anything you want published. As a general matter, government identification numbers, financial account credentials, medical information, and other highly sensitive personal details should not be sent through public submission forms unless specifically requested and necessary. If a detail would cause harm by being public, it should not be in your submission.
Accounts and correspondence
If registration is available, the platform collects the registration or account information you provide. If you write to the platform using a contact form, it collects the information in your message. This information is used to deal with your account or inquiry and is not published.
How contributions are handled
Information connected with a contribution may be used to process the submission, review the content, publish it if approved, and manage the resulting listing or page. It may also be checked for spam, fraud, and abuse, and used to enforce the platform's policies.
For Readers and Visitors
Automatically collected data
Reading the platform does not require you to hand over information. Even so, some data may be collected automatically:
- IP address and general geographic information
- Browser type, device type, and operating system
- Referring URLs
- Pages visited, and the date and time of visits
- Cookie data and data from similar technologies
- Analytics information
Cookies and similar technologies
The platform may use essential cookies to function, functional cookies to remember settings, analytics cookies to measure use, and advertising cookies in connection with ads. Some may be third-party cookies. Pixels, tags, and similar tracking technologies may also be present. The technologies actually used may vary from one website to another.
Cookies can be managed through your browser settings, through cookie controls on the platform where these are available, and through consent management mechanisms where applicable.
Analytics
The platform may use third-party analytics services to learn how visitors interact with its pages and to improve performance.
Advertising
Third-party advertisements may appear on some websites. If they appear on the platform, advertising partners and advertising networks may be involved and may use advertising cookies, device identifiers, and other advertising technologies. The advertising may be contextual, or it may be personalized, including interest-based advertising. Visitors may have advertising choices, including opt-out mechanisms required by applicable law.
Links found in published content
Articles, press releases, listings, directory entries, and bookmarks usually point to other websites. The platform has no control over the privacy practices of those external websites. Each has its own privacy policy, and you should review it before you provide personal information there.
Purposes and Legal Bases
Beyond handling contributions, information may be used to operate and maintain the platform, provide its functionality, respond to inquiries, keep the platform secure, carry out analytics and performance measurement, understand how the platform is used, improve its functionality, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and deliver advertising where applicable.
Where the law demands a legal basis for processing, as the GDPR and UK GDPR do, the basis may be consent, performance of a contract, legitimate interests, or compliance with legal obligations. It depends on the specific processing activity.
Sharing With Others
Service providers
The platform may be supported by third parties such as hosting providers, analytics providers, advertising providers, security services, spam-prevention tools, content delivery networks, embedded media providers, social media services, and other technical service providers and vendors. These third parties may process information according to their own privacy policies and legal obligations.
Legal and corporate disclosures
Where applicable and permitted by law, information may be disclosed to professional advisers; to law enforcement, regulators, courts, and other legal authorities; and to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, sale, or transfer of assets.
Sale or sharing under privacy laws
Certain privacy laws give "sale" and "sharing" a wide meaning. If activities conducted through the platform constitute a sale or sharing of personal information under such a law, eligible users may have the right to opt out, and that right can be exercised as set out below.
Legal Rights
The following rights depend on applicable law. Exceptions may apply, and identity verification may be required.
GDPR
Access; correction or rectification; deletion or erasure; restriction of processing; objection; data portability; withdrawal of consent; and the right to lodge a complaint with an appropriate supervisory authority.
UK GDPR
Where the UK GDPR and applicable UK data-protection legislation apply, corresponding rights may be available, as may a complaint to the UK supervisory authority.
CCPA and CPRA
For California residents, where applicable: the right to know; the right to access; the right to correct; the right to delete; the right to opt out of the sale of personal information; the right to opt out of sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising; the right to limit certain uses or disclosures of sensitive personal information; and the right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights.
Other U.S. states
Privacy laws in certain other U.S. states may grant rights to their residents. Availability depends on place of residence, applicability thresholds, the platform's activities, and applicable law.
Privacy signals
Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals may be recognized where required by applicable law. The platform may not respond to Do Not Track signals, for which there is no settled standard, unless required by law.
Requests
Whether you are a contributor or a reader, you may submit a request concerning access, correction, deletion, data portability, restriction, objection, consent withdrawal, advertising opt-outs, sale or sharing opt-outs, or other legally available privacy rights. Please submit it using the Contact Us page on the platform.
Your identity may need to be verified first. You may be asked for additional information for that purpose. Some requests may be subject to legal exceptions. Requests from authorized agents will be processed where applicable law requires.
Retention, Security, and Transfers
Personal information may be kept only as long as reasonably necessary. Relevant purposes include providing functionality, processing submissions, maintaining published content, administration, security, fraud prevention, recordkeeping, legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing agreements.
Reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards may be used to protect personal information. However, no guarantee of complete security can be given, since no internet transmission or storage system is 100% secure.
Information may be processed, stored, or transferred outside your country of residence. Safeguards required by law may be used for international transfers where applicable.
Children
The platform is not intended to knowingly collect personal information from children below the age required by applicable law. If a parent or guardian believes a child has submitted personal information, they may raise the matter through the Contact Us page.
Amendments
This Privacy Policy may be amended from time to time in response to changes in functionality, data-processing practices, technologies, cookies, third-party services, business practices, applicable laws, or regulatory requirements. Amended versions will be posted on the platform. This Privacy Policy becomes effective upon publication on the platform and continues until a revised version is posted.
Contact
For questions about privacy, personal information, user rights, privacy requests, or this Privacy Policy, please use the Contact Us page available on the platform.