Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal information Harrington Community ("we", "us") collects when you use harringtoncommunity.com, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have.

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Account: your name, e-mail address and password (stored only as a secure hash). Optionally, your state or province.
• Community posts: questions and answers you post, including any amounts you enter. Your name and posts are public; please do not include addresses or other personal details in them.
• Contact form: your name, e-mail address and message, and the IP address the message was sent from (to prevent abuse).
• Law-change alerts: your e-mail address, the state you chose and your language. Alerts start only after you click the confirmation link we send, and every alert has a one-click unsubscribe link that deletes your address.

Information collected automatically

• Server logs: IP address, browser type, pages requested and time of request, kept for security and troubleshooting.
• Cookies and local storage: see section 3.
• Analytics and advertising data collected by Google, described in sections 3 and 4.

2. How we use information

• To run your account and show your questions, answers and notifications.
• To send e-mails you ask for, such as a notice when someone answers your question. Every such e-mail has a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can turn them off in your notification settings.
• To answer messages sent through the contact form.
• To keep the site secure, prevent spam and abuse, and review posts from new accounts before they are published.
• To understand how the site is used and improve it (analytics).
• To show advertising, which funds the site.

We do not sell your name, e-mail address or posts to anyone. We do not use your information to give legal advice and we do not pass it to attorneys.

3. Cookies and similar technologies

• Essential cookies: a session cookie that keeps you signed in and protects forms (CSRF). The site cannot work without these.
• Preferences: the language you choose, and your answer to our cookie notice (stored in your browser's local storage).
• Analytics: Google Analytics 4 sets cookies to measure visits and page views in aggregate.
• Advertising: our ads are served by Adsterra and its advertising partners, which may use cookies and similar identifiers to show ads, limit how often you see them and measure them.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies will stop sign-in from working.

4. Third parties

• Google Analytics: Google receives information such as your IP address and browsing activity on this site. See how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
• Adsterra: our advertising network receives information such as your IP address, browser and device type and the page you are viewing, in order to choose and measure ads. See the Adsterra privacy policy. You can opt out of many third-party ad networks at optout.aboutads.info.
• Cloudflare: our site is delivered through Cloudflare, which processes visitor IP addresses to protect the site against attacks.
• Hosting: our web host stores the site's data on our behalf.
• Legal requirements: we may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of users and the site.

5. Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to get a copy, to correct it, to delete it, and to opt out of the use of your information for targeted advertising or its "sale" or "sharing" as those terms are defined in some U.S. state laws (for example in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia and others), and similar rights under Canadian law (PIPEDA). Residents of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland have rights under the GDPR.

• You can edit your profile, or delete your account and its data, at any time from your account's Profile page.
• To exercise any other right, contact us at the address below. We will respond within the time required by law and will not treat you differently for using your rights.
• To opt out of targeted advertising, use the privacy choices shown with our ads where available, optout.aboutads.info, or contact us.

6. How long we keep information

We keep account information while your account exists. Public posts remain visible until you delete them or your account. Contact messages are kept as long as needed to answer them and for our records. Server logs are kept for a limited period (usually no more than 30 days) unless needed to investigate abuse.

7. Children

The site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

8. Security

We use encryption in transit (HTTPS), hashed passwords and restricted access to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

9. Changes

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. Significant changes will be highlighted on the site.

10. Contact

Questions or requests about your privacy: use our contact form or e-mail [email protected].