Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Fried Reads. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website friedreads.com.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. By accessing or using our website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all the terms of this privacy policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our website.

This policy complies with general privacy principles and is designed to meet the requirements of various international privacy laws, including GDPR principles and CCPA guidelines where applicable.

2. Information Collection and Use

2.1 Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Use our contact form
• Send anonymous messages
• Send messages for collaborations
• Report issues with our website

This information may include:

• Full name
• Email address (optional)
• Message content
• Any other information you choose to provide

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing activity, including:

• IP address and general location data
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring website
• Pages viewed and time spent on pages
• Date and time of access

This information is collected through server logs and analytics tools and is used for website optimization, security monitoring, and understanding user behavior.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information based on the following legal grounds:

• Consent: When you voluntarily provide information through our contact form
• Legitimate Interests: For website security, analytics, and improvement
• Legal Obligation: When required to comply with applicable laws

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason that is compatible with the original purpose.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

• To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• To improve our website's functionality and user experience
• To analyze website usage and optimize content delivery
• To monitor and prevent security issues and fraudulent activity
• To comply with legal obligations and protect our rights
• To communicate with you about website updates or changes to policies

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal effects concerning you.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We may share information in the following circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our website ("Service Providers"), to provide the website on our behalf, or to assist us in analyzing how our website is used. These third parties have access to your Personal Information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your Personal Information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).

5.3 Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your Personal Information may be transferred. We will provide notice before your Personal Information is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, please also remember that we cannot guarantee that the internet itself is 100% secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our website is at your own risk.

Our security measures include:

• Secure server infrastructure with regular security updates
• Encryption of data in transit using HTTPS/SSL
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Limited access to personal information on a need-to-know basis

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and any applicable regulator when we are legally required to do so.

8. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy. We will retain and use your information to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our policies.

Retention periods may vary based on:

• The purpose for which the data was collected
• Legal requirements for data retention
• Ongoing relationship needs
• Your requests for data deletion

When we no longer need to retain your personal information, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

9.1 General Rights

• Access: Request access to your personal information
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing of your personal information
• Objection: Object to processing of your personal information
• Portability: Request transfer of your personal information to another organization

9.2 California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Request disclosure of personal information collected
• Request deletion of personal information
• Opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising privacy rights

9.3 European Data Protection Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights under the GDPR. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 12.

You also have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your personal information. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority.

10. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at our contact page.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information, including personal 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 of your jurisdiction.

If you are located outside Canada and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data to Canada and process it there. Your consent to this privacy policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.

We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy and no transfer of your personal information will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

You are advised to review this privacy policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this privacy policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Material changes to this policy will be communicated through prominent notices on our website or direct communication if we have your contact information.

13. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

For data protection inquiries, please include "Privacy Request" in your subject line and specify the nature of your request (access, correction, deletion, etc.).

14. Governing Law

This privacy policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Canada, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes relating to this privacy policy will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Canada.

If any provision of this privacy policy is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

15. Additional Disclosures

Do Not Track Signals: Our website does not respond to Do Not Track signals. However, you can adjust your browser settings to control tracking.

Third-Party Links: Our website may contain links to other websites not operated by us. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites.

Affiliate Disclosure: Fried Reads may participate in affiliate marketing programs. This means we may earn commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. This does not affect your privacy rights.