Who we are
Open Council is a community project operated by a number of active volunteer contributors. The public list of team members can be found here.
Data we collect from visitors
Analytics
We run Google Analytics to collect some anonymous usage data for statistical purposes. The goal is to track overall trends in our website traffic, it is not to track individual visitors. All the data is in aggregate only. No personal data is collected.
Data collected includes referral sources, top pages, visit duration, information from the devices (device type, operating system, country and browser) used during the visit and more. You can learn more about how Google Analytics works and collects information here.
We’ve implemented a tracking code in order to collect demographic information in Google Analytics. You can opt-out of this program anytime by adjusting your Ads Settings. You may also wish to review other available opt-outs.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a 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.
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Cookies
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 will last for one year.
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.
Data we collect from account holders
On some websites and services we provide, many features may require an account. For example, an account may be required to post and reply to topics on a forum platform.
To sign up for most accounts, we will collect a name, username, email, and password. In the event a website requires more information than just that data, that will be clearly marked and noted in a separate privacy statement.
We use your account data to identify you on the website and to create pages specific to you, such as your profile page. We will also use your account data to publish a public profile for you on our services.
We use your email to:
- Notify you about posts and other activity on the websites or services.
- Reset your password and help keep your account secure.
- Contact you in special circumstances related to your account.
- Contact you about legal requests, such as DMCA takedown requests.
We will store your account data as long as your account remains open. After closing an account, we may retain some or all of your account data in the form of backups or archives for up to 90 days.
Cookies
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 select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
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.
How your data is (not) used
As a visitor to, or account holder on our website:
- No information is bartered, rented or sold to third-parties
- No information is shared with advertising companies
- No information is mined and harvested for personal and behavioral trends
- No information is monetized
Who we share your data with
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All 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.
What rights you have over your data
If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where we send your data
Visitor comments may be checked through a 3rd party automated spam detection service.
Contacting us
Inquiries regarding your personal information should be sent to: [email protected]
About this policy
We will post any new versions of this statement here. We may change how we announce changes in future versions of this document. In the meantime we may update our contact information at any time without announcing a change. Please refer to the Privacy Policy for the latest contact information at any time.