At Brookline.News, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of our users. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect information collected from our users.
- Information Collection: The Brookline.News website may collect certain personally identifiable information (PII) from users through various methods, including but not limited to website forms and user interactions. The types of information we may collect include:
- Name
- Email address
- Contact information
- IP address
- Other relevant information voluntarily provided by the user
- We work with a third-party to collect and process donation information. No credit-card information is collected or retained by Brookline.News. The third party does not share the information it collects with any other organization except as is required to process financial transactions associated with a donor’s gift.
- We may also work, from time to time, with organizations to provide online or in-person access to live events sponsored by Brookline.News: to distribute Brookline.News e-communications such as e-newsletters; or to perform similar functions in accordance with our mission. Participant registration information shared with these trusted vendors is handled in accordance with the strict privacy policies of those organizations.
- We assure you that any PII collected from users will not be shared with any other type of third-party organizations without explicit consent, unless required by law. However, we may use the collected information, including IP addresses, for the following purposes:
- To analyze and understand user behavior and preferences.
- To improve our website and services.
- To send periodic emails or notifications related to our services and promotions.
- To ensure the security and integrity of our website and prevent fraudulent activities.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We may use cookies and similar technologies to enhance user experience and track user behavior on our website. These technologies help us collect non-personally identifiable information such as browser type, device information, and website usage patterns. Users have the option to disable or manage cookies in their web browser settings, although this may affect certain website functionalities.
- Third-Party Links: Our website, including calendar, sponsor recognitions, and other functions, may contain links to third-party websites or services. Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external websites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of such third-party sites before providing any personal information.
- Data Security: We and the third-party vendors with whom we work as described above take reasonable measures to protect the security of users’ PII and prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no data transmission over the internet or electronic storage method is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the security measures we employ or those used by the organizations with whom we work. Users should understand the inherent risks involved in transmitting personal information online and use our website at their own discretion.
- Children’s Privacy: Our website is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child, we will promptly delete it from our records.
- Use of information: We do not share, sell, or rent individual personally identifiable information except as described in this policy or ordered by a court of law. Information submitted to us is only available to employees, designated volunteers, and third-party vendors who manage this information for purposes of contacting you, sending you e-mails based on your requesting information, making donor transactions, or fulfilling similar functions. We may use your IP address and information on files you access to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Web site by identifying which parts of our site are most heavily used. We also use this information to tailor site content to user needs, and to generate aggregate statistical reports for business needs. We may also collect statistics about the general behavior of visitors to this website, using service providers such as Google Analytics.
- Information collected through cookies, such as portions of your Brookline.News website browsing history, may be associated with the personal information you submit when you make certain requests of us, to help us improve our website and outreach. Cookies may also be used to pre-fill form information.
- Any email address you provide may be used to send you information and to respond to inquiries and other requests or questions to us. At any time you may opt out of receiving emails that you have requested, although doing so may prevent us from fulfilling some requests.
- Transparent pixels may be used to help us determine if the emails we send are being received and read, and to test different messaging.
- User generated copy: Any information disclosed as part of submissions of comments or letters to the editor, including name, email, website, and the comment itself is property of Brookline.News. Additionally, information regarding name and comments may be public on the Brookline.News site. Comments or letters to the editor may be moderated and/or approved by our moderators.
- If you post an event on the site, be aware of the following:
- We use OpenStreetMap to generate maps and provide autocompletion when searching for events by location, which may collect data via your browser in accordance to OpenStreetMap’s Terms of Use.
- We collect and store information you submit to us about events (and corresponding locations) you would like to publish on our site.
- We may use cookies to temporarily store information about any error/confirmation messages whilst submitting or managing your events and locations.
We reserve the right to reject or remove thereafter any content from appearing on our site that does not meet our standards for accuracy and civility. We are in no way responsible for content posted by outside individuals or groups posting letters to the editor or event listings on our website.
Updates to the Privacy Policy: We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes to the policy will be effective upon posting the updated version on our website. Users are encouraged to review this policy periodically for any updates. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy, please contact us using the information provided on our website.
Last updated: May 2023