Privacy Policy - WhitneyFawn.com

Effective date: June 8, 2020

I take your privacy very seriously and handle your personal data with care. This privacy policy explains

what information is collected
how and where information is stored
how information is used
how long information is kept

It also provides information about and links to the privacy policies of third parties that help me provide you with better service.

What Information Is Collected

When you contact me directly via the Contact page:

You provide your name and email address. I use this information to send you a reply via the email address you provide. This information is never used for any other purpose nor shared with any third party.
I do not ask for any other details. What you provide is up to you.
For spam-prevention purposes, I use Google reCAPTCHA v3 to ensure that my contact form is being used by a person instead of a spam robot. For more information, please see the section on Third Party Services.

When you leave a comment on a blog post:

You provide your name, email address, and comment.
Your IP address is recorded. This is for spam-prevention purposes only. This information is never used for any other purpose nor shared with any third party.
Your name and comment are recorded publicly underneath the blog post. Your email address and IP address remain private and are never shared or published.
I do not ask for any other details. What you provide is up to you.

When you contact me over social media:

The social media platform shows me your name, profile information (the content of this changes depending on the privacy settings you’ve chosen on that social media platform), and the comments you make or messages you send.
I do not ask for any other details. What you provide is up to you.

When you commission me to do work for you:

You provide your name. Depending on the project, I may ask for your email address for a digital commission, and/or your mailing address so I can mail you the finished work.
Other information may be provided to me via the third party payment service (e.g. Paypal).
Depending on the project, you may disclose other information. This information varies from client to client. What you disclose is your choice.

When you sign up for my email newsletter:

You provide your name and email address.
This information is used to send you my email newsletters.
You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email.

When you visit this website:

Your browsing preferences are recorded. This data may include information such as your computer’s browser type, the pages of this website that you visit, the time and date of your visit, how much time you spent browsing this website, and other analytical data.
This information is anonymized and does not contain personally identifiable information.
Cookies are saved in your browser by third parties that provide services that allow me to better serve you on this website.
You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of this website.

How and Where Information Is Stored

Your personal data is stored in various ways:

In the live version of this website
In regular digital backups of this website
In digital or paper files such as invoices

I live in Canada, so if you are located outside Canada and you choose to provide me with your information, you agree that I transfer it and process it here in Canada where the data protection laws may differ from the laws in your location.

All of this information is held securely and is never shared with any third party. I make every reasonable step I can make to be sure that your data remains private.

Third party services in use on this website may process your information outside of Canada and/or outside of your location.

How Information Is Used

I use your personal data in the following ways:

To provide and maintain this website
To allow you to participate in interactive features when you choose to do so, such as when you choose to leave comments on this website or to contact me directly
To reply to your inquiries
To do commissioned work for you
To monitor and analyze usage so I can improve this website and what this website provides

Contacting me via email, social media, the Contact page on this site, leaving a comment on a blog post on this site, or signing up for my newsletter indicates your consent for me to contact you. I do not send you communications of any kind without your consent.

How Long Information Is Kept

Nothing is kept indefinitely.

Emails and messages: Periodically I delete contacts and associated emails.
Blog comments: If the blog comment is not published, it is deleted. If the blog comment appears to be spam, it is marked and reported as such, then deleted. If the blog comment is published, it is displayed publicly below the blog post until it is deleted. You can contact me to remove or anonymize your comment at any time.
Newsletter: You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email newsletter. If one of my newsletters returns to my newsletter service as undeliverable, you may be automatically unsubscribed.
All information relating to business transactions (e.g. commissioning me to do work for you) is kept for a minimum of seven years for tax purposes.

Cookies and Third Party Services

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of this website. The following lists the services used on this website that can set cookies in your browser and/or record and use your information.

Services This Website Uses

I use a limited number of third party services on this website to help me provide you with better service. These third parties are obligated not to disclose or use your information for any other purpose.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics to give me information on who is visiting this website, how much time they spend here, and what pages they view. I use this information to maintain this website and to provide better information to visitors. This information is a broad overview and does not contain personally identifiable information. For more information on the data Google Analytics collects, read Google’s cookie policy.

By using this website, you agree to the sending of anonymous data to Google Analytics so I can better understand my visitors and determine how I can better serve you. If you so choose, you can prevent all Google Analytics activity by installing the Google Opt-out Browser Add-on. This will prevent Google Analytics from tracking your activity on this or any website, and shouldn’t interfere with this site’s functionality.

Google reCAPTCHA

This website uses Google reCAPTCHA v3 for spam-prevention purposes. When you use a comment and/or contact form, reCAPTCHA v3 determines that a human instead of a spam robot is using the form. This happens behind the scenes so this website is protected from abuse by spamming bots but there is no inconvenience to you as the user. Google collects hardware and software information such as your device or application data to provide this service. This information is used for spam-prevention purposes only, and is used according to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Jetpack

This website uses Jetpack by Automattic to provide various functionality on this website, including some basic, anonymous site usage stats, sharing and “like” buttons that can be found in various places on this website, and Gravatar Hovercards that are shown next to your name when you leave a comment on a blog post. Jetpack may save cookies in your browser to provide you with these services. When you leave a comment on a blog post on this site, an anonymized string created from your email address (also known as a hash) may be sent to Gravatar to see if you are using the Gravatar service. For more information on the cookies Jetpack uses or on the Gravatar service, please refer to Automattic’s cookie policy.

Disclaimers

External Links

As listed above, I use some third party services on this website and sometimes I share links to external websites. I put a lot of care into choosing them to be sure I am linking to reputable websites and using reputable services, but ultimately, I have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of these third party sites or services.

Children

This privacy policy doesn’t address anyone under the age of 18 (“children”).

I do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact me. If I am made aware that I have collected personal information from children without verification of parental consent, I will remove that information.

Legal Responsibilities

I reserve the right to disclose your personally identifiable information as required by law and in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

To comply with a legal obligation
To protect and defend my rights
To prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with this website
To protect the personal safety of users of this website or the public
To protect against legal liability

Contact

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this privacy policy, please contact me at: whitney (at) whitneyfawn (dot) com or by using the form on the Contact page.