Privacy Policy

IDENTITY AND PURPOSE

Our online presence is anchored at https://charlestonphotoart.com. We prioritize your privacy. Charleston Photo Art adheres to key privacy principles:

• Personal information is requested only when necessary.
• Personal information is not shared, except for legal compliance or to safeguard our rights.
• Personal information is not stored on our servers unless essential for our website’s continuous function.
• We are committed to protecting your privacy during your interactions on our website.

COLLECTING AND UTILIZING PERSONAL DATA

Visiting our website for browsing does not result in personal data collection.
Below are the circumstances under which we might gather data and personal information.

Comments

Data entered in the comments form, including your IP address and browser user agent string, are collected for spam prevention when you leave comments.
We may use your email address to create an anonymized string (hash) for the Gravatar service, to check if you use it. Gravatar’s privacy policy is accessible here. Upon comment approval, your profile image may be publicly visible with your comment.
Your email address remains confidential and is not disclosed to other site visitors.

Media

Images uploaded to the site should avoid containing EXIF GPS (embedded location data). We strive to remove or anonymize EXIF data to prevent personal information disclosure. Visitors can potentially extract such data from site images.

Contact Forms

Contact forms are available for easy communication with Charleston Photo Art.
Submitted forms, including name and email, are collected and stored solely for response purposes.
Forms may include consent fields for data storage and optional mailing list subscription.

Cookies

Opting to save your name, email, and website in cookies after commenting is available for your convenience, negating the need to re-enter details for future comments. These cookies persist for one year.

Embedded Content from Other Sites

Our articles may feature embedded content (e.g., videos, images). Such content from other sites acts as if you visited those sites directly.
These sites might gather your data, use cookies, or implement third-party tracking, especially if you have an account and are logged into those sites.

Analytics

We utilize Google Analytics for website usage analysis. Google Analytics uses cookies to gather standard internet log and visitor behavior information anonymously. No identifiable personal data is collected unless submitted explicitly.
This anonymous data is sent to Google Analytics and not stored on our servers. We use it to generate statistical reports solely for our website.
These reports aid in optimizing content and marketing strategies.
Your anonymity is a priority and a commitment from us.
For details on Google Analytics data collection, refer to their privacy policy at: Google Analytics Privacy.

DATA COLLECTION PURPOSES

We collect data to improve your experience on our website, personalize content, enhance website functionality, and communicate more effectively. The data helps us understand user preferences and tailor our services accordingly.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY PROTECTION

Charleston Photo Art does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, we will take steps to remove such data from our records.

INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFER

Your information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

USER CHOICES AND CONTROL

You have the right to access, update, or request the deletion of your personal data. We provide options for you to opt-out of marketing communications and other uses of your data.

THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SERVICES

Our website may contain links to third-party sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each website that collects personal information.

SECURITY MEASURES

We prioritize data security and implement various measures to protect your data, including:

• Using 256-bit SSL across our site for secure interactions.
• Restricting personal data access to necessary Charleston Photo Art personnel, who are bound by confidentiality agreements.
• Not storing sensitive data like credit card details on our servers, instead relying on trusted third parties.
• Despite our efforts, absolute security during data transmission or storage cannot be guaranteed.

DATA SHARING, RETENTION, AND YOUR RIGHTS

We do not share personally identifiable information collected via cookies or forms with any third party.
Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely for recognition and automatic approval of follow-up comments.
For contact form submissions, the provided personal information is stored in our database.
You can request an exported file of your personal data held by us, including data you’ve provided. You can also request erasure of your personal data, excluding data we need to keep for legal or security purposes.

PRIVACY POLICY UPDATES AND CONTACT INFORMATION

This privacy policy is effective as of 12.11.2023. We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices.
For any questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact us via our website’s contact form.

CONCLUSION

At Charleston Photo Art, your privacy is of utmost importance. We are committed to safeguarding your personal information and using it in a manner that is transparent and respectful of your privacy rights.