Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 11, 2025

Verbosian.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is a personal blog owned and operated by Ian S. Goldstein (“Site Owner”). We value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share information when you visit this website (the “Website”).

This Privacy Policy is part of our Terms of Use, which governs your use of the Website.

Information We Collect

We may collect limited information to help us understand how visitors interact with the Website and improve the experience. This includes:

  • Technical Data: IP address, browser type, referring pages, and usage data collected via cookies or log files.
  • Comments: If you leave a comment on the Website, we collect the data shown in the comment form, your IP address, and browser user agent to help detect spam.
  • Gravatar: If you leave a comment on the Website, an anonymized string created from your email (a hash) may be sent to the Gravatar service to determine if you have a profile image associated with it.
    • Gravatar’s privacy policy is available at automattic.com/privacy.
    • After your comment is approved, your profile picture may be publicly visible alongside your comment.

We do not request or store personal information such as payment details or account credentials, as no user registration or purchases are offered directly from the Website.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies to:

  • Ensure the Website functions properly
  • Understand how visitors use the Website (via tools like Google Analytics). See Google’s Privacy Policy for more information.
  • Provide a better user experience (e.g. remembering preferences)

Cookies may be session-based (deleted when you close your browser) or persistent (remaining on your device for a set period of time).

Third-party services such as embedded content, social media sharing tools, or analytics providers may set their own cookies. These are governed by their respective privacy policies. Third-party vendors (including Google) may also use cookies to serve ads based on your past visits.

Google and other ad vendors may use cookies or device identifiers to serve personalized ads based on your visits to this Website and other sites. You can learn more about how Google uses data at Google’s Partner Sites policy. You can opt out of personalized ads via Google’s Ad Settings.

You can control or disable cookies in your browser settings. Note that some parts of the Website may not function properly if you do.

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that signals your preference not to be tracked across websites. This Website does not currently respond to DNT signals, as there is no consistent industry standard for how such signals should be interpreted.

How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

  • Analyze website traffic and improve content
  • Prevent spam and enhance security
  • Respond to user comments or inquiries (if provided)

Comment submissions may be checked through an automated spam detection service to reduce abuse. These services may temporarily process your IP address, user agent, and comment content to evaluate potential spam. These services may be operated by third parties located outside your country of residence.

We do not sell or rent your information.

Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the information we collect through this Website. This includes using secure protocols (HTTPS), limiting access to administrative systems, and using spam and security tools to help prevent unauthorized activity. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and you use this Website at your own risk.

Data Retention

  • Comments: Retained indefinitely, unless removal is requested.
  • Analytics Data: Retained for a limited time, typically no more than 26 months, for performance evaluation and analytics.

User-Submitted Content

If you submit content to this Website, such as comments or other materials, please avoid including personal, confidential, or sensitive information. While comments are moderated for spam and relevance, they may become publicly visible once approved.

Any media (e.g. images) included in comments (if supported) or shared through public submissions may be accessible to other visitors. For your privacy, do not include embedded metadata (such as location data) if you choose to share images or links.

By submitting comments and media, you understand that it may be publicly accessible and should only include content appropriate for public viewing.

If you contact us using the form on the Website, we may collect your name, email address, and message content. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry and is not stored long-term or used for marketing purposes.

Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have rights to:

  • Request access to your personal data
  • Request that we delete or correct any personal data we hold about you
  • Opt out of cookies through browser controls

Your privacy rights may vary depending on your place of residence. For example, residents of California, the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions may have additional rights under applicable data protection laws. We will review and respond to all requests in accordance with relevant laws and may require verification of identity before fulfilling certain requests.

To make a request, contact us using the information below.

Children’s Privacy

This Website is not intended for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. In accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we will promptly delete any personal information collected from a minor without proper consent if we become aware of it. If you believe we may have done so, please contact us and we will take the appropriate action.

Third-Party Links and Embedded Content

The Website and the posts on it may contain links to external sites and may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, tweets, etc.). Embedded content from other sites behaves in the same way as if you had visited those sites directly, which may collect data and use cookies. These sites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content — including tracking your activity if you are logged into those sites.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any such third-party sites.

Accessibility

If you require this policy in an alternative format for accessibility reasons, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted here with an updated effective date. Continued use of the Website constitutes acceptance of any revisions.

Contact

To get in touch about privacy matters, use the Contact page or write to us at: Verbosian.com, PO Box 504, Bondville, VT 05340.