We’re including our privacy policy so that we are compliant with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but to be honest, it doesn’t really change much about how we operate. We only collect the data we need, for as long as we legally have to keep it, then destroy it as fast as we can.
We’re just like you… fed up with spam and disgusted with corporations who allowed hackers to steal information that leaves us vulnerable to identity theft and other malicious efforts.
What is GDPR? It’s a law in Europe (EU 2016/679) that protects your privacy and data. Because we operate on a World Wide Web, we want to ensure our customers, regardless of location, feel at ease with the information you share with us.
Who we are
We’re a two-man operation with a website that generates interest in the books we publish.
Our website address is: http://philipalanfarmer.com, and alternately http://www.philipalanfarmer.com.
What personal data we collect and why we collect it
Your personal information that you voluntarily provide is so that we may…
- identify you
- manage and deliver any products or services you request from us
- personalize your experience
- contact you if required
- keep your account secure
- investigate and resolve any queries or concerns you raise with us
- detect and prevent fraudulent activity
- continuously improve our products and services
Note that we do not collect your address, your age, your social security number, your credit card number, your password, or any other identifiable data that can cause you harm or concern should it fall in the wrong hands. Just your name, your email address, and your thoughts – all voluntary – and yet still protected.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Contact forms
Only the information you provide in a contact form is obtained from you and kept indefinitely. Completing a contact form is voluntary, with some fields requiring completion. We do use the contact forms for marketing purposes, but only as a means of contacting you.
Cookies
Cookies are small data files that our website sends to your browser, which are then stored on your system for later retrieval. We only use cookies to give you a simpler and easier experience — not to track your website use. Remember, you can always clear cookies locally in your browser.
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
Some links to external sites are required for affiliate services which require a temporary cookie. This cookie contains no personal data and, in almost all cases, is discarded after 24 hours.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracing your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Analytics
We use analytical software that provides us data with regards to traffic patterns, number of comments per customer, and other purposes.
Who we share your data with
Other than the data required for automated processes described herein, we do not share or sell your data. Nor can we obtain any information from those we do business with. For example, if you purchase a book on Lulu or Amazon, they’re prohibited through their privacy policy from giving us your credit card number, or address, or even what book you bought.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
Only website administrators can see and edit the information you provide, such as your name and email address.
What rights you have over your data
If you left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where we send your data
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
Your contact information
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or requests, we ask that you contact us directly at:
SonsOfWhitemarsh AT outlook DOT com.
Additional information
How we protect your data
Our website, hosting service, and local backup are password protected and accessible by authorized individuals. Additionally, we have implemented security measures and plugins to prevent any outside third party from accessing this information. We do not use the cloud for backup.
What data breach procedures we have in place
Wherever your personal information is stored, we take reasonable steps to ensure that it is protected against unauthorized access, modification, use, or disclosure. We take our information security obligations very seriously, and have a security action plan in place to make sure our data protection policies, processes, and controls are continuously improved.
We also back up your personal information in the event that we can no longer host or manage it. For example, your name and email address is stored through a password protected system with additional security measures via Bluehost, our hosting service. Additionally, we store only your name and email address on a local backup computer so that we can generate internal mailing lists and provide you with updates. This local computer also has security measures in place to deny any unauthorized point of entry or access.
What third parties we receive data from
The data we receive from third parties, such as book ratings from Lulu Printing, Inc., do not include customer information. While we can determine the number of books and the format sold, we have no method of determining who made a purchase or the method of purchase.
What automated decision making and/or profiling we do with user data
All information provided on the website is voluntary and we may use that data to generate internal mailing lists or to use your feedback for marketing purposes. When we use your information, we ensure that your identity remains confidential. For example, if you leave a book review, we may quote all or a portion of your book review and attribute it to “J. Doe” rather than your full name. If no name is provided, we may elect to use a portion of your email address if it falls within our guidelines. For example, if johndoe@yahoo.com left a review, we would show it as “johndoe” or if you had a vulgar, obscene, or objectionable email adress, simply “A Recent Reviewer.”