Independent Political Report is published by Outsider Media Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to increase public understanding of and participation in underrepresented political activity by the media and other organizations. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights as a visitor, commenter, or subscriber to our journal at https://independentpoliticalreport.com.
Comments
When you leave a comment, we collect:
- the name, email address, and website you provide in the comment form
- your IP address and browser user agent string for spam detection
- an anonymized string (hash) of your email address, which may be sent to Gravatar if you use it (Gravatar privacy policy)
We also use the Akismet anti-spam service, which may collect your IP address, user agent, referrer, and site URL along with your comment content.
Newsletter Subscribers
If you subscribe to our weekly newsletter, we collect your name and email address using MailPoet, a tool that helps us manage voluntary email subscriptions. MailPoet may track basic engagement (such as open and click rates) to help us improve communication. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email. For more information, see MailPoet’s privacy policy.
Site Analytics
We use the Independent Analytics plugin to better understand how visitors use our website. This tool helps us track:
- which pages are visited
- how visitors arrived at our site
- how long visitors stay on the site
Independent Analytics does not collect or store personally identifiable information. All data is anonymized and used solely to evaluate website performance and improve the reader experience.
Media uploads
If you upload images to the site, please remove any embedded location data (EXIF GPS) beforehand. Visitors to the site may be able to extract location information from image files.
Cookies
We use cookies to enhance your experience on the site. For example:
- If you leave a comment, you may opt to save your name, email, and website in cookies for convenience
- A temporary cookie is set when visiting the login page to check for cookie support
- Login and screen preference cookies are set when logging in or editing content
These cookies may last from one day to one year, depending on your settings. You can clear them in your browser at any time.
Embedded content
Articles may include embedded content (such as videos, images, or social media posts) from other websites. This content behaves as if you visited the source site directly. These sites may collect data, use cookies, or track your interaction if you’re logged in to their platform. We do not control external content or its privacy practices.
What we share and why
We do not sell your personal data. We only share data:
- with trusted tools like Akismet and MailPoet for moderation and newsletter delivery
- when required by law (such as a court order or legal request)
- when needed for site operations (such as password resets)
If you request a password reset, your IP address may be included in the email for security purposes.
How long we keep your data
We retain:
- comments and their metadata indefinitely, to streamline moderation
- registration information for active users, which can be edited or deleted at any time
- newsletter subscription data until you unsubscribe
Your rights
If you have an account or have left comments, you may request:
- a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- deletion of your personal data, unless we are required to keep it for administrative, legal, or security reasons
To make a request, email [email protected].
Where your data goes
- Comments may be scanned by spam detection services
- Newsletter data is stored and managed using the MailPoet plugin
- Site analytics data is anonymized through Independent Analytics
- Other services like Gravatar or embedded third-party media may process your data independently
Questions?
For questions about our privacy practices or to make a request, please contact us at:
[email protected]