Privacy Policy

Privacy statement for ProbablyHelpful.com

This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which ProbablyHelpful.com collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a “User”) of the ProbablyHelpful.com website (“Site”). This privacy policy applies to the Site and all products and services offered by ProbablyHelpful.com.

Personal identification information

We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when Users visit our site, subscribe to the email newsletter, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Site. Users may be asked for, as appropriate, name, email address, mailing address. We will collect personal identification information from Users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personally identification information, except that it may prevent them from engaging in certain Site related activities.

Non-personal identification information

We may collect non-personal identification information about Users whenever they interact with our Site. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about Users means of connection to our Site, such as the operating system and the Internet service providers utilized and other similar information.

Web browser cookies

Our Site may use “cookies” to enhance User experience. User’s web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. User may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the Site may not function properly.

How we use collected information

ProbablyHelpful.com may collect and use Users personal information for the following purposes:

To improve our Site: We may use feedback you provide to improve our products and services.
To send periodic emails: If User decides to opt-in to our mailing list, they will receive emails that may include company news, updates, related product or service information, etc. If at any time the User would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email.

How we protect your information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data stored on our Site.

Sharing your personal information

We do not sell, trade, share, or rent Users personal identification information to others. We may share generic aggregated demographic information not linked to any personal identification information regarding visitors and users with our business partners and advertisers for the purposes outlined above.

Third party websites

Users may find advertising or other content on our Site that link to the sites and services of our partners, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, licensors and other third parties. We do not control the content or links that appear on these sites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our Site. In addition, these sites or services, including their content and links, may be constantly changing. These sites and services may have their own privacy policies and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to our Site, is subject to that website’s own terms and policies.

Advertising Choices

We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads and collect information when you visit our Site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. For more information about this practice and to understand your opt-out choices, please click here.

Google Adsense

Some of the ads may be served by Google. Google’s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to Users based on their visit to our Site and other sites on the Internet. DART uses “non personally identifiable information” and does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, etc. You may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Changes to this privacy policy

ProbablyHelpful.com has the discretion to update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage Users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this privacy policy periodically and become aware of modifications.

Your acceptance of these terms

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

Contacting ProbablyHelpful.com

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:

ProbablyHelpful
1259 El Camino Real #150
Menlo Park, CA, 94025
contact (at) ProbablyHelpful.com

This document was last updated on July 25, 2021

Privacy Notice for users in the European Economic Area

ProbablyHelpful.com’s services are designed for and targeted to audiences in the United States, Indonesia, Peru, and India and are governed by and operated in accordance with United States law. By using our services and providing us with information, you understand and agree that your information may be transferred to and stored on servers located outside your resident jurisdiction and, to the extent you are a resident of a country other than the United States, that you consent to the transfer of such data to the United States for processing by us in accordance with this privacy policy.

Personal data

‘Personal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’). An identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

Categories of Data Obtained Directly from You

ProbablyHelpful obtains personal data from you including your name, email address, postal address, telephone number, and payment card information. We collect this information when you:

Register for a ProbablyHelpful email newsletter.
Contact us for information or ask a question via email.
Make a donation to ProbablyHelpful
Post, upload, or otherwise submit a comment, story tip, commentary, photo, or other content
Apply for a job, internship, or correspondent/contributor position at ProbablyHelpful
Participate in a reader survey

Information Obtained Automatically Through Technology

Depending on which Services you use and how you access them, the information collected automatically through technology, such as access logs, cookies, pixels and other tracking technologies, may include:

Internet Protocol Address (IP address)
The domain name of your Internet Service Provider
The website, application, platform or service you visited before and after visiting our Services.
Information about your computer or mobile device, and their browser, operating system, settings and software.
Unique device identifiers on your mobile device, including as applicable the Apple, Facebook, or Google advertising identifiers.
Your approximate geographic location (derived from requested header information, such as your IP address) and/or more precise location information if you have given ProbablyHelpful consent to receive this information for a ProbablyHelpful application on your mobile device.
The dates, times, duration and frequency of your interactions with our Services, search terms, the media files you download, interact with or share, favorites you select, and your navigation path through our Services.
Information about your interactions with our email messages.
Any errors you encountered during your use of the Services.

Information Not Obtained Directly From You

The Services use third-party analytics, cookie data collection and linking services (collectively “Analytics Services”), including Google Universal Analytics, Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting and DoubleClick for Publishers. These Analytics Services may use cookies, pixel tags, and other tracking and storage technologies to collect or receive information from the Services and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to analyze and measure ProbablyHelpful’s audience. We may use analytics data, including but not limited to, geographic, demographic, and interest reporting information to recognize and understand user preferences, make improvements, and for other operational purposes.

Purposes for Processing of Personal Data

ProbablyHelpful processes your data in order to:

Manage, administer, promote, analyze and improve the Services and our communications, including measuring and analyzing user traffic and usage patterns.
Respond to your questions or messages and fulfill your requests for services.
Customize the sponsorship messages you see across our Services.
Publish, broadcast or otherwise use User Materials.
Process applications for jobs, internships, and correspondent/contributor positions at ProbablyHelpful.
Recognize you as a returning user as you access our Services using different computers, devices and browsers and to save and “remember” your registration information, settings and preferences for later visits.
Send you email newsletters and marketing, fundraising, membership and other communications from ProbablyHelpful.
To understand whether and when you read our email messages and click on links in those messages.
Analyze personal preferences or interests to provide personalized content and messages from ProbablyHelpful and to control the sequence and frequency of those messages.
Generate aggregate or other information that does not directly identify you as an individual or the devices you use to access our Services, and use and share that information for ProbablyHelpful’s purposes.
To prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities, comply with applicable laws, and enforce our Terms of Use and other legal rights.
We also may use the information collected from you in other ways, and for other purposes, that are described to you at the point of collection or for which we otherwise have obtained your consent.

Sharing Your Personal Data

ProbablyHelpful may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

ProbablyHelpful’s authorized third-party applications to provide certain Services to you on the third-party applications.
ProbablyHelpful’s analytics partners such as Google Universal Analytics, Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting, DoubleClick for Publishers and others.
With public authorities when required by law, to respond to subpoenas, court orders, legal process, and other law enforcement measures, and to comply with legal or regulatory obligations.
With persons we contact on your behalf when you choose to email, text, or otherwise share a story or other content through the Services.
With social networking services, if you choose to share stories or other content with your friends and followers on the social networking service.
With other parties if the information is anonymous and aggregate.
With other parties if we have disclosed such sharing to you at the time of collection of the information or if we otherwise have your consent.

Lawful Basis for the Processing of Personal Data

ProbablyHelpful relies on legitimate interest to process data for the following purposes:

Data analytics
Managing user accounts
Operating, modifying and improving the Services
Identifying usage trends
Customizing content and user experience
Web hosting
Direct marketing
Fraud prevention
Network and information systems security
To determine the effectiveness of promotional campaigns
To serve promotional and sponsorship messages based on user behavior and preferences.
Responding to user questions and requests for information
Comply with laws and regulations and enforce ProbablyHelpful’s Terms of Use and other legal rights.

Consent: We process personal data based on your consent to send personalized messages from ProbablyHelpful, to collect precise location information and to send promotional emails. If you do not consent to the processing, you can unsubscribing from emails using the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails and following the process laid out by Google.

To prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics, click here for the Google Universal Analytics opt-out browser add-on. To learn more about how Google uses data, visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.

Retention

Your personal data is retained no longer than is reasonably necessary to perform the processing described in this Notice and in case of any legal claims or complaints, or as required by law.

Transfer of Data Abroad

Because ProbablyHelpful operates the Services from the United States, your personal data may be transferred to theUnited States and/or to countries or territories outside the EEA.

Automated Decision Making and Analysis

ProbablyHelpful and its data analytics vendors analyze user interactions with the Services to deliver personalized content to users and to serve personalized sponsorship messages. This includes tracking user preferences with respect to websites visited and search terms in order to derive a user’s interests and preferences. The consequences of such processing for the data subject are that the data subject receives content that may be of interest to him or her, as well as email, online and in-app messages from ProbablyHelpful that are geared towards the interests and preferences of the data subject.

Age Limits

You must be at least 18 years of age to submit any User Materials or Personal Data on or through the Services.

Further Processing

If ProbablyHelpful plans to use personal data for a new purpose, it will update this Notice and communicate the changes to individuals before starting any new processing.