Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how The Spoonist (https://thespoonist.com, the “Site”) collects, uses, and protects your information when you visit our website. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide voluntarily:

• Name and email address when you contact us or subscribe to our newsletter
• Any information you include in comments or messages

Information collected automatically:

• Log data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, time and date of visits, referring pages
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 4)

2. How We Use Your Information

• To operate, maintain, and improve the Site
• To respond to your questions and requests
• To send newsletters you have subscribed to (you may unsubscribe at any time)
• To analyze site usage and trends
• To display relevant advertising

3. Comments

When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the comments form, the visitor’s IP address, and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

4. Cookies

The Site uses cookies to improve your experience. 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, some parts of the Site may not function properly.

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 last for one year.

If you visit our login page, 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 edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.

5. Advertising & Third-Party Vendors (Google AdSense)

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our Site and/or other sites on the Internet.

You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of third-party vendor cookies for personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info/choices or www.youronlinechoices.eu (for EEA users).

We may also use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics via Site Kit) to understand site usage. These services may set their own cookies. You can review Google Analytics’ privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

6. Amazon Affiliate Program

The Spoonist participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon may use cookies to track referrals. For more information, see Amazon’s privacy notice at https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=468496.

7. Embeded Content From Other Websites

Articles on this Site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles). 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.

8. Data Retention

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

9. Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us (GDPR Art. 15; CCPA right to know)
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate data (GDPR Art. 16)
• Erasure: Request that we erase your personal data (GDPR Art. 17; CCPA right to delete)
• Opt-out of sale/sharing: We do not sell personal information for money. However, some ad personalization may be considered “sharing” under CCPA. You can opt out of personalized advertising using the links in Section 5.
• Non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights

EEA/UK users: the legal bases we rely on for processing are consent, legitimate interests, and contract, depending on the purpose described above. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

10. Children’s Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

11. Data Security

We use industry-standard measures, including SSL/TLS encryption, to protect your information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Your continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.