Effective Date: [June 24, 2024]
Welcome to Repair Forum (https://www.repairforum.net/). We value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your data.
1. Information We Collect
Personal Information:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
Technical Information:
- IP address
- Browser type
- Browser user agent string
Comment Information:
- Data shown in the comments form
- IP address and browser user agent string for spam detection
Media Information:
- Uploaded images (excluding embedded location data)
2. Methods of Data Collection
We collect data in the following ways:
- Forms: When you fill out forms on our website.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to monitor activity on our website and collect certain information. This is primarily done through Google Analytics, which collects data such as IP addresses, browser types, pages visited, and other usage data.
- Comments: When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.
3. Purpose of Data Collection
The data we collect is used for the following purposes:
- Personalization: To personalize your user experience.
- Website Improvement: To improve our website and services.
- Analytics: To analyze website traffic and usage patterns using Google Analytics.
- Spam Detection: To detect and prevent spam through the collection of IP addresses and browser user agent strings.
- Comment Display: An anonymized string created from your email address (hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
4. Data Storage and Security
We are committed to ensuring your data is secure. We store your data securely and take the following measures to protect it:
- Web Hosting: Our website is hosted by DreamHost, which provides robust security measures including firewalls, regular backups, and server monitoring.
- Encryption: Data transmitted between your browser and our server is encrypted using HTTPS/SSL. Sensitive information stored in our database is also encrypted.
- Access Controls: User data is protected by strict access controls. Only authorized personnel have access to personal information.
- Security Software: We use advanced security software to protect against malware and unauthorized access. This includes firewalls, anti-malware software, and intrusion detection systems.
- Regular Audits: We conduct regular security audits, including code reviews and penetration testing, to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
5. Cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
- Comments: If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These cookies will last for one year.
- Login: 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 set up several cookies to save your login information and screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
- Editing Articles: 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 one day.
6. 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 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, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
7. Data Sharing
We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties, except in the following cases:
- Service Providers: We may share data with service providers who assist us in operating our website and conducting our business. These providers are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose your data if required by law or to protect our rights.
- Password Resets: If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
8. Data Retention
We retain data as follows:
- Comments: If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This allows us to recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
- User Profiles: For users that register on our website, we store the personal information provided in their user profile. Users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
9. User Rights
You have the following rights regarding your data:
- Access: You can request access to your personal data.
- Correction: You can request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Deletion: You can request the deletion of your personal data. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@repairforum.net.
10. Children’s Privacy
Our website does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will take steps to delete it.
11. Policy Updates
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page, and the effective date will be updated accordingly.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at contact@repairforum.net.
13. Data Transfers
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.