Who We Are
Our website address is: https://figmentindex.org.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on our site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string. This helps us detect and prevent spam.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be shared with the Gravatar service to check if you are using a Gravatar account. Once your comment is approved, your profile picture may be visible to the public alongside your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, please avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the website can download images and extract any location data contained within them.
Cookies
- When you leave a comment, you may choose to save your name, email address, and website in cookies. This is for your convenience so you do not have to fill in these details again when leaving another comment. These cookies last for one year.
- Visiting our login page sets a temporary cookie to check if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
- When you log in, cookies store your login information and screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, while screen options cookies last for one year. Selecting “Remember Me” will extend login cookies to two weeks. Logging out removes the login cookies.
- If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie is set in your browser containing the post ID of the article you just edited. This cookie expires after one day and contains no personal data.
- If you use our site, a cookie may be set to verify that you meet the minimum age requirement. This cookie lasts for 90 days and does not contain personal information beyond the verification status.
Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles on our site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves exactly as if you visited the other website directly. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including if you are logged in to their site.
Analytics
We may use analytics services (such as Google Analytics) to better understand how visitors interact with our website. These services collect data such as pages visited, time on site, and referring pages. All data collected through analytics is anonymized and used only to improve the site experience.
Newsletters / Email Signups
If you join a newsletter or email subscription, you will be asked to provide your email address. Your email will only be used to send you the newsletter and related updates, and you may unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell or share your email with third parties without your consent.
Donations / Payments
Payment information will be collected through secure third-party processors (e.g., PayPal, Stripe). We do not store or have access to full credit card or banking information. Transaction data may include your name, email, and the donation amount, and will only be used to process your donation and issue receipts.
Who We Share Your Data With
- If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
- Comments may be processed through automated spam detection services.
- Analytics, newsletter, or donation service providers may collect and process data according to their own privacy policies.
Data Retention
- Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely. This allows us to automatically recognize and approve follow-up comments instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
- For registered users (if any), we store the personal information provided in user profiles. Users can view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time, except for their username. Website administrators can also view and edit user information.
- Newsletter, analytics, and donation data are retained only as long as necessary to fulfill their purpose, or as required by law.
Your Rights
If you have an account, have left comments, or have provided information for newsletters or donations, you can request an exported file of the personal data we hold about you. You can also request the erasure of your personal data. This does not include data we are required to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where Your Data is Sent
Visitor comments, newsletter signups, analytics data, and donation information may be transmitted to third-party services for processing in accordance with their privacy policies.