Privacy Policy

    This privacy policy has been compiled to better serve those who are concerned with how their 'Personally identifiable information' (PII) is being used online. PII, as used in US privacy law and information security, is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with our website.

    What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our blog, website or app?

    When ordering or registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, mailing address, phone number or other details to help you with your experience.

    When do we collect information?

    We collect information from you when you register on our site, subscribe to our paper, respond to a survey, fill out a form, enter information on our site, or provide us with feedback on our products or services.

    How do we use your information?

    We may use the information we collect from you when you register, make a purchase, subscriber to our paper, respond to a survey or marketing communication, surf the website, or use certain other site features in the following ways:
    • To personalize the user experience and to allow us to deliver the type of content and product offerings in which you are most interested.
    • To improve our website in order to better serve you.
    • To allow us to better service you in responding to your customer service requests.
    • To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature.
    • To quickly process your transactions.
    • To send periodic emails regarding your order or other products and services.
    • To follow up with correspondence (live chat, email or phone inquiries).

    How do we protect visitor information?

    Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. In addition, all sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. We implement a variety of security measures when a user places an order enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information. All transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed on our servers.

    Do we use 'cookies'?

    Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site's or service provider's systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to keep you logged in after you’ve entered your email and password.

    How do we use 'cookies'?

    For example, we use cookies to:
    • Understand and save user's preferences for future visits
    • Compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interactions in order to offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may also use trusted third­party services that track this information on our behalf.
    You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser (like Internet Explorer) settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser's Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies. If you disable cookies, some features may be disabled. It may turn off some of the features that make your site experience more efficient and some of our services may not function properly.

    Do we disclose the information we collect to Third­ Parties?

    We may disclose to outside parties your name, address, city, town, any form or online contact identifier, email, username, phone number, cookie identifier, ip address, photo, video or audio file, personally identifiable information, or any other information that we have gathered. We may use outside service providers to help us run our service, but we will not sell or trade user information to unaffiliated third parties.

    Third­ Party Links

    Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third­party products or services on our website. These third­party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites. We, along with third­party vendors such as Google, use first­party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookies) and third­party cookies or other third­party identifiers together to compile data regarding user interactions with ad impressions and other ad service functions as they relate to our website.

    Can I request data deletion of information collected about me?

    Yes. For users with an account (i.e. that have registered and can log into the site using an email address and password), you can email us at information@birminghamtimes.com and request all user data to be deleted. Please note that this is not possible without terminating existing subscriptions. For visitors without an account, you can simply clear any cookies in your browser.

    California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA)

    According to CalOPPA we agree to the following:
    • Users can visit our site anonymously.
    • Once this privacy policy is created, we will add a link to it on our home page or as a minimum on the first significant page after entering our website.
    • Our Privacy Policy link includes the word 'Privacy' and can be found easily on the page specified above.
    • Users will be notified of any privacy policy changes by visiting our site and viewing our Privacy Policy Page.
    Users are able to change their personal information:
    • By emailing us
    • By calling us
    • By logging in to their account

    How does our site handle do not track signals?

    We don't honor do not track signals because it may or not be functionally implemented on the site.

    Does our site allow third­party behavioral tracking?

    We may allow third­party behavioral tracking.

    Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

    When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under 13, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children's privacy and safety online. We do not specifically market to children under 13.

    Fair Information Practices

    The Fair Information Practices Principles form the backbone of privacy law in the United States and the concepts they include have played a significant role in the development of data protection laws around the globe. Understanding the Fair Information Practice Principles and how they should be implemented is critical to comply with the various privacy laws that protect personal information.

    In order to comply with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur:
    We will notify the users via in­site notification within 30 days

    Also, we agree to the Individual Redress Principle, which requires that individuals have a right to pursue legally enforceable rights against data collectors and processors who fail to adhere to the law. This principle requires not only that individuals have enforceable rights against data users, but also that individuals have recourse to courts or government agencies to investigate and/or prosecute non­compliance by data processors.

    CAN SPAM Act

    The CAN­ SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.
    To be in accordance with CAN SPAM Act we agree to the following:
    If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at information@birminghamtimes.com and we will promptly remove you from A​LL​ correspondence.

    If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below.

    Last edited October 2021