MinnPost Privacy Policy

It is important to MinnPost that site visitors understand what information we gather about them, how we use it, and how we work to protect it. In particular, we want site visitors to be aware of when and how we use ‘Personally Identifiable Information’ (PII). PII, as described in US privacy law and information security, is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context.

By using our website, and/or signing up for services such as membership or our newsletter, you consent to information practices outlined in our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information.

What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our website?

We do not collect personal information from site visitors without their consent. The only time we request personal information is when visitors decide to sign up for an email newsletter, make a donation, comment on a story or create an online account. If you choose not to provide requested information about yourself in such cases, you may not be able to use certain functions of the website.

How do we use your personal information?

We may use the information we collect from you to follow up about whatever service you opted into (email newsletter, donations/membership, commenting, etc.). In such cases, we would contact you regarding changes to service, issues or concerns we encounter or to let you know about other services or products that we have (for example, a special edition newsletter or MinnPost events).

How do we protect your information?

We only ask for credit card information if you decide you would like to make a donation. All donation transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed on our servers.

Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. In addition, all sensitive information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. We implement a variety of security measures when a user enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information.

Who else has access to your Personally Identifiable Information?

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your Personally Identifiable Information unless we provide users with advance notice. In addition to authorized MinnPost employees, we do share PII with website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or serving our users, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release information when it’s release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property or safety.

If you chose to provide your personally identifiable information for the purposes of a third-party contest, survey or newsletter, your consent shall be deemed to be given for the release of your personally identifiable information with regard to that third party only, in addition to MinnPost.

Finally, we may always share, disclose, and transfer all information, postings, and any and all other personal and non-personal information we have collected to a successor-entity in the case of the sale of the assets of MinnPost, corporate reorganization, merger, change in control, or other similar transaction.

What about Anonymous Information?

We collect aggregate information about our site visitors through Google Analytics. For example, we track:

Device information— such as your hardware model, IP address, other unique device identifiers, operating system version, browser type and settings, such as language, and settings of the device(s) you use to access MinnPost. We have enabled cross-device tracking.
Usage information— such as information about how you use MinnPost, the time and duration of your use and other information about your interaction with content offered by MinnPost, and any information stored using cookies, mobile ad identifiers, and similar technologies that we have set on your device.
Location information— such as your computer’s IP address, your mobile device’s GPS signal or information about nearby WiFi access points and cell towers that may be transmitted to us when you use certain Services.

Anonymous visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting

Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting are integrated services that require Google Analytics to collect data for advertising purposes, including the collection of data via advertising cookies and identifiers. This site has enabled Google Analytics to collect data about your traffic via Google advertising cookies and identifiers, in addition to data collected through a standard Google Analytics implementation.

This site will not identify users or facilitate the merging of personally identifiable information with non-personally identifiable information collected through any Google advertising product or feature.

Irrespective of users’ consent, this site and its owners will not attempt to disaggregate data that Google reports in aggregate.

We, along with third-party vendors such as Google use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookies and DoubleClick technology) and third-party cookies or third-party identifiers together to compile data regarding user interactions with ad impressions and other ad service functions as they relate to our website.

Opting out

Users can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Settings page. To change how Google advertises to you, visit https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated. Alternatively, you can opt out by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative Opt Out page or by using the Google Analytics Opt Out Browser add on. Visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/ to learn more about how you can opt out of Analytics tracking.

Third-party links

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include links to third-party resources or services on our website (For example, through our onsite ads). These third-party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.

Do we use ‘cookies’?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site’s or service provider’s systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved services. We also use cookies to help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.

WE USE COOKIES TO:

Compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interactions in order to offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may also use trusted third-party services that track this information on our behalf.

You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser settings. Since each browser is a little different, look at your browser’s Help Menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

If you disable cookies in your browser, some of the features that make your site experience more efficient may not function properly.

Public information

Remember that any information you share in public areas, such as the MinnPost comments area, becomes public and therefore this Privacy Policy does not apply to any information you choose to make public. We encourage visitors to MinnPost to be cautious about what they disclose and that they do not post any personal information that they expect to keep private.

What are my user privacy rights?

The following laws and practices apply to MinnPost and its users:

California Online Privacy Protection Act

CalOPPA is the first state law in the nation to require commercial websites and online services to post a privacy policy. The law’s reach stretches well beyond California to require any person or company in the United States (and conceivably the world) that operates websites collecting Personally Identifiable Information from California consumers to post a conspicuous privacy policy on its website stating exactly the information being collected and those individuals or companies with whom it is being shared. – See more at: http://consumercal.org/california-online-privacy-protection-act-caloppa/…

According to CalOPPA, we agree to the following:

Users can visit our site anonymously.
Once this privacy policy is created, we will add a link to it on our home page or as a minimum, on the first significant page after entering our website.
Our Privacy Policy link includes the word ‘Privacy’ and can easily be found on the page specified above.
You will be notified of any Privacy Policy changes on this Privacy Policy Page.
You can change your personal information by emailing us.

COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under the age of 13 years old, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, United States’ consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children’s privacy and safety online. We do not specifically market to children under the age of 13 years old.

Fair Information Practices

The Fair Information Practices Principles form the backbone of privacy law in the United States and the concepts they include have played a significant role in the development of data protection laws around the globe. Understanding the Fair Information Practice Principles and how they should be implemented is critical to comply with the various privacy laws that protect personal information.

In order to be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur:

We will notify you via email within 7 business days.

We also agree to the Individual Redress Principle which requires that individuals have the right to legally pursue enforceable rights against data collectors and processors who fail to adhere to the law. This principle requires not only that individuals have enforceable rights against data users, but also that individuals have recourse to courts or government agencies to investigate and/or prosecute non-compliance by data processors.

CAN SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.

We collect your email address in order to:

Send information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions.

To be in accordance with CAN-SPAM, we agree to the following:

Not use false or misleading subjects or email addresses.
Identify the message as an advertisement in some reasonable way.
Include the physical address of our business or site headquarters.
Monitor third-party email marketing services for compliance, if one is used.
Honor opt-out/unsubscribe requests quickly.
Allow users to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of each email.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at members@minnpost.com or follow the instructions at the bottom of each email, and we will promptly remove you from ALL correspondence.