As of May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect, for residents of the EU and UK. Although I don’t store any personally identifiable information on this website, I felt it best to create a Privacy Policy for the sake of transparency.

Integrity is extremely important to me; it’s one of my core values as a person and as an editor. Privacy and security are universal human needs. This page explains how I protect your privacy in the context of this website (livingthemess.com).

I only have access to the information you knowingly share with me.

I don’t collect any personally identifiable information automatically. You can browse the site as long as you like, read all the blog posts you like (and even share them! Hint, hint), as many times as you like, and I’ll never know you were here.

I do use Google Analytics to gather “aggregate” information—things like, how many visitors came to the site today? Which pages did they view? How long did they stay? How did they find the site? This helps me understand how people interact with the site, and where I can improve (for example, which blog posts are the most popular? That gives me an indication of what readers are looking for).

Google Analytics is very helpful in this regard. It helps me provide more focused content on the topics that are most important to my readers. However, you have the option to opt out by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser for Chrome, which you’ll find here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout (this assumes you’re using Chrome. This article has more information about opting out of Google Analytics on other browsers: http://geekthis.net/post/block-google-analytics/

Newsletter (Mailing List)

In order to receive my blog posts and newsletter via email, I ask for your name and email address. I don’t really need your name, but the subscription forms require it. Besides, some day I might actually personalize my newsletters.

I don’t save any data collected via opt-in forms (including email addresses) locally—not on my devices, and not on my website server. For this purpose, I use MailChimp, an email marketing service provider whose entire business revolves around keeping mailing lists secure.

When you subscribe, your information is stored on MailChimp’s servers. I’m the only person who has access to my MailChimp account and therefore my mailing list, and I never share or sell that information. Ever. Ev-er.

On occasion, I may allow a MailChimp employee to access the account, in order to troubleshoot any problems (for example, if people are having trouble completing their sign-up process). This has happened on another website I run, but so far (fingers crossed), sign-ups have gone smoothly on this one.

You are under no obligation to subscribe to my mailing list (though of course, I appreciate if you do). If you don’t sign up, I’m limited in how I can let you know about my latest posts, upcoming courses or books, events and offers, etc.

You can read MailChimp’s privacy policy here: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy (this is mostly for account holders, but you can see how seriously they take privacy and security.)

I will never knowingly share your information with any other organization or website, including Facebook (however, Facebook may have its own way of knowing that you’ve visited our site—that’s beyond my control.)

Unsubscribing

You are always free to unsubscribe from my mailing list. In the footer (at the bottom) of each newsletter, there’s a link to Unsubscribe.

Contact Form or Individual Email

If you send me an email using the Contact Us form, or via, y’know, email, I will (of course) have your name and email address, as well as any information that you share in that form or email. I will not share that information with anyone else without your consent, nor will I add you to the mailing list unless you have specifically requested that I do so. I will use your email address solely to respond to your email.

Security

I use two real-time malware scanners on my laptop, and this website is protected by plug-ins that detect nefarious activity. In addition, WordPress does a great job of providing regular security updates, as does the theme I use (Divi) and my hosting provider (Hosting Nation). I have a technical support person who updates plug-ins and the theme monthly. I spent the better part of two years writing about cybersecurity, and that's made me pretty cautious. I really take security—yours and mine—seriously.

Links

This site includes links to several other sites, but my Privacy Policy only covers livingthemess.com. I have no control over any other websites (except morethantuna.com and sarahchauncey.com); each one has a different Privacy Policy. I encourage you always to read the Privacy Policy of any website where you submit personally identifiable information.

Donations

I’m able to continue writing Living the Mess in part based on donations from readers. When you donate via PayPal, I will see your name and email address, but that’s it. The purpose of PayPal is to streamline payments so that I never see the payment method and details. PayPal has its own privacy policy, which you can read here.

Changes to this Policy

I reserve the right to update this policy at any time. The most likely scenario would be that, in the coming years, I’ll begin offering courses via this website. It's likely that I'll continue to use PayPal and third-party platforms, to minimize the amount of personal information on this site. If I decide to take a different approach, I’ll update this policy accordingly. Notice of any changes to this Privacy Policy will be posted on the site.

Please check this page periodically for changes. By continuing to visit livingthemess.com after May 24, 2018, you consent to the terms of this policy. Thank you!