We face a lot of unknowns in life. Knowing what this website does with your data shouldn’t be one of them. This page details my privacy policy, with information about data collection and retention.
This privacy policy was last updated on July 8, 2024.
Who’s Who
Speaking or writing about myself in the third person is totally bizarre and I refuse to do it. Wording this as though I’m taking an oath is almost equally bizarre, but to be absolutely clear, let me just say that I, Michele Celeste Garcia, am the owner of this website, https://micheleiswriting.com. Anyone reading this privacy policy and using this website is a visitor to the website.
I Take Data Privacy Seriously
Life is too short to spend time worrying about what I’m doing with your data. Please know that I take data privacy very seriously, and not because I’m required to by the GDPR. Although this website is hosted through a U.S. company, I comply with the GDPR because I believe that all of our data should be as secure as possible. I collect only what you give me permission to collect, and keep it only for as long as you let me keep it (see below for one exception, namely the long arm of the law).
For The Curious Among Us
For the curious among us, following is even more information on data collection on this website.
Data I Collect and Where that Data is Stored or Transferred
I prefer to collect things other than data (like books and, um, more books), so I take the bare minimum, and only data that you have freely given to me. Here are two examples: If you’ve signed up for my newsletter, I have collected your name, email address and IP address (the address of your computer). If you’ve commented on a blog post, I’ve also collected your name, email address and IP address. If you have questions about my data collection/transfer/storage policy, please use the Contact page to get in touch with me and I’ll answer as quickly as possible.
What Rights Do You Have Over Your Data and How Long do I Keep It?
It’s your data, you have control over it. This means I will keep it until you tell me you don’t want me to have it anymore. You can write to me using the Contact page and I will promptly remove your data from my website. The only exception is when I am bound by law to keep it for a specific legal purpose.
Plug-ins
I use various plug-ins so that this website functions and is secure. These plug-ins check for issues and notify me of them on an almost instantaneous basis. For instance, Wordfence protects the website from hacking attempts, which makes the website safe for you and me both. In order for Wordfence to work, however, it needs to collect some data. You can read their privacy policy here.
Spam and General Site Security
I use CleanTalk to protect my website from spam. In order to do this, CleanTalk compares your information with a list of known spam senders. If you are curious about the IP addresses that CleanTalk has added to their blacklist, you can find that information here. CleanTalk only stores your information for a few days to give me time to contest its decision as to whether you are a spammer or not. In particular, your IP address (the address of your computer) will be checked. CleanTalk protects you as well as me — if spammers post malicious links on this site, that’s a threat for both of us. Their privacy policy is here.
Contact Form
My contact form, found on my Contact Page, requests your name, email address, the subject and, of course, the message that you wish to send me. Your IP address (the address of your computer) is also captured by the system. This information is checked for spam as noted above and then transmitted to me via email. It is not stored on my website. During that transmission, the data will be sent through normal email channels.
Comments
Pull up a chair and join in the discussion. Just remember to protect any sensitive information. If you post comments, this website will collect your name, email address, and IP address (the address of your computer) along with your comments. If you ever wish to have your comments removed (and thus their associated information), send me a quick note through the Contact page and I’ll remove them.
Cookies
I use cookies on this website so that I can personalize it. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. For example, if you personalize a web page, or navigate within a site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of delivering relevant content, eases site navigation, and so on. When you return to the website, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can quickly and easily use the site’s features as customized by you. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Many Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of this or other websites you visit. Think of website cookies this way: they’ll keep things svelte, unlike cookies in real life. For even more information on the cookies used on this website, please see my Cookies page.
Newsletter
I use The Newsletter Plug-in to manage my newsletter subscriptions. When you subscribe, I collect your name, email address, and IP address (the address of your computer). Have you memorized this list yet? This is so that I can send you infrequent updates about what is going on in my world. Want to be removed from this list? Click unsubscribe at the bottom of any newsletter. In addition, my newsletters do send a message back to my website when they are opened (or not). This helps me to better design my future content. I do hope you open my newsletters, otherwise it would be like sending you a letter and having you leave it, sad and unopened, on your dresser. I don’t want my newsletters to be sad letters.
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 exactly the same way as if you 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.
Children
Ah, the halcyon days of youth! Under the age of 16? I encourage readers of all ages and also like to support other writers, but know that you need to ask your parents for permission to sign up for my newsletter, leave comments, and in general interact with this website.
SSL Encryption
Do you see the little lock next to my website name in your internet browser? This means that a trusted third-party entity has verified details about this website, including my identity and location. If you click on the lock, you will be able to see even more information. The lock is important because it means this website is trustworthy and is using an encrypted connection. That means that you can safely share your data with me. The closed lock is like a warm embrace from someone you love. Open lock? No hug.
Changes to My Privacy Policy
Sometimes change is hard but necessary. When I update my privacy policy, you’ll know because I’ll tell you at the at the top of this page.
Image created using Midjourney.