Privacy Policy for Pets Stories

Who We Are

At Pets Stories, we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. Our website address is https://petsstoriess.com, and the site is owned and operated by Pets Stories, an organization dedicated to sharing informative and engaging content about pets. If you have any questions regarding this policy, you can contact us at:

• Email: [email protected]

What Personal Data We Collect and Why We Collect It

We collect various types of information for different purposes to provide and improve our website for you. This includes:

• Personal Information: When you subscribe, comment, or contact us via the site, we collect your name, email address, and other information you provide. This helps us manage accounts, deliver newsletters, and respond to inquiries.
• Technical Data: We collect data such as your IP address, browser type, and device information through cookies and analytics tools to improve our site’s performance and user experience.
• Transactional Data (if applicable): When you make a purchase or donation on our website, we collect payment information to process your transaction securely.

We process this data to provide services, improve user experience, and comply with legal requirements. Your consent is required for newsletter sign-ups, and data retention follows necessary guidelines.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam. 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. After approval of your comment, your profile picture (if applicable) is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Media

If you upload images to the website, 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.

Contact Forms

When you submit a message through our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the message content. We keep contact form submissions for six months for customer service purposes but do not use the information submitted for marketing purposes unless you give explicit consent.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Cookies are small files stored on your device that enable us to recognize your browser and capture certain information. We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the functioning of the website.
• Analytics Cookies: Used to track visits and user interactions for improving site performance.
• Third-Party Cookies: Used by services such as Google Analytics and social media integrations.

You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings, but this may affect your experience on the site.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized data about site traffic and visitor behavior. This helps us monitor site performance and improve content offerings. Google Analytics collects information such as your IP address and user activity on the site. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Who We Share Your Data With

We do not share your personal data with third parties, except under the following circumstances:

• Analytics Providers: We use Google Analytics for site analytics.
• Payment Processors (if applicable): Your payment information is securely handled by third-party payment processors (e.g., PayPal, Stripe). These processors adhere to strict security standards.

These third-party service providers only have access to your personal data to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use your information for any other purpose.

How Long We Retain Your Data

We retain your data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with legal obligations. Retention periods include:

• Comments: Retained indefinitely unless you request deletion.
• Contact Form Entries: Kept for six months for customer service purposes.
• Analytics Data: Retained for one year for website performance analysis.
• Transactional Data: Retained for ten years to comply with legal and accounting obligations (if applicable).

What Rights You Have Over Your Data

If you have an account on this site, have left comments, or provided any personal information, you can request to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you, except for data we are required to keep for legal or security reasons. To request this, please contact us at [email protected].

Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service. We also use third-party services that may transfer and process data outside of the European Union. These transfers are made in compliance with GDPR regulations through Privacy Shield, model clauses, or similar safeguards.

How We Protect Your Data

We take your privacy seriously and have implemented various security measures to protect your personal data:

• Encryption: We use SSL encryption on our website to ensure that data is transmitted securely.
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel have access to personal data.
• Regular Security Audits: We perform regular security audits to maintain the integrity of our systems.

What Data Breach Procedures We Have in Place

In the event of a data breach, we have procedures in place for internal reporting, containment, and assessment. If a breach involving personal data occurs, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities within 72 hours as required by law.

What Third Parties We Receive Data From

We may receive data from third-party services, such as analytics providers, to enhance our site’s performance and user experience. However, this data is typically anonymized and is not linked to any individual user.

What Automated Decision Making and/or Profiling We Do With User Data

We do not use any form of automated decision-making or profiling with user data.

Industry Regulatory Disclosure Requirements

As a website dedicated to sharing pet stories, Pets Stories is not currently part of any regulated industry that requires additional privacy disclosures. However, we adhere to applicable laws regarding data protection and privacy.

Contact Information

For privacy-specific concerns, please contact us at:

• Email: [email protected]