Privacy Policy

The Disclosure Era ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website thedisclosureera.com (the "Site"). Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, please do not access the Site.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Data You Provide

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

• Subscribe to our newsletter (email address)
• Submit a sighting report (name, email, location, description)
• Post comments on articles (name, email, comment content)
• Contact us through our contact form (name, email, message)

1.2 Automatically Collected Data

When you visit our Site, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

• IP address (anonymized where required by law)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring URLs and exit pages
• Pages viewed and time spent on pages
• Date and time of visits
• Device information

1.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our Site. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the Site to function properly.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our Site (anonymized where possible).
• Advertising cookies: Used by our advertising partners to serve relevant ads.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To operate and maintain the Site
• To send you our newsletter (with your consent)
• To process and display sighting reports (after review)
• To moderate and display comments
• To respond to your inquiries and support requests
• To analyze Site usage and improve our content and user experience
• To serve relevant advertisements
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and security threats
• To comply with legal obligations

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent (e.g., newsletter signup, cookie consent).
• Legitimate interest: For analytics, security, and improving our services.
• Contractual necessity: To provide services you have requested.
• Legal obligation: To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information with:

• Service providers: Hosting, analytics, and email delivery services that process data on our behalf.
• Advertising partners: To display relevant advertisements. These partners may use cookies and similar technologies.
• Affiliate partners: When you click affiliate links (e.g., Amazon), you are redirected to third-party sites with their own privacy policies.
• Law enforcement: If required by law, subpoena, or other legal process.

5. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data.
• Right to data portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

6. Newsletter

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address with your explicit consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any newsletter email or by contacting us directly. We will promptly remove your email from our mailing list upon request.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:

• Newsletter subscriptions: Until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
• Comments: Retained as long as the associated article is published. You may request removal at any time.
• Sighting reports: Retained indefinitely as part of our public database (personal contact details can be removed upon request).
• Analytics data: Anonymized data may be retained indefinitely.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS), secure hosting infrastructure, and regular security assessments. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including the United States. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission where applicable.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can take steps to delete such information.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including Amazon affiliate links, social media platforms, and government resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

If you are located in the EEA, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority.