Effective Date: August 3, 2025

This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit or interact with our website at benransomauthor.com

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1. Who We Are

Our website address is: benransomauthor.com. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with transparency and care.

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2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following information:

Personal Information

• Name and email address if you subscribe to our newsletter, contact us, or leave a comment.
• Information submitted via forms (e.g., comments or inquiries).

Automatically Collected Data (Non‑Personal Information)

• Browser type, IP address, pages visited, device type, and usage statistics (via cookies and analytics).
• An anonymized hash of your email address may be used with the Gravatar service to display profile pictures (see Gravatar’s Privacy Policy).

Media

• If you upload images, avoid including location data (EXIF GPS), as visitors may download and extract this data.
• After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Comments

• When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the form, IP address, and browser user agent to help with spam detection.

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3. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience, remember preferences, and analyze traffic. Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser.

Types of cookies we may use include:

• Essential cookies – for website functionality and login sessions.
• Preference cookies – to remember your settings and form entries.
• Analytics cookies – to understand how visitors use the site (e.g., via Google Analytics).
• Third-party cookies – from services like embedded videos or social media links.

Cookie Duration:
Some cookies are temporary (“session” cookies) and are deleted when you close your browser. Others are persistent and may remain for up to one year or longer, depending on their purpose and the service setting them (e.g., analytics or remember-me login features).

You can control or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect how certain parts of the site function.

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4. Embedded Content from Other Sites

Articles may include embedded content (videos, images, etc.) which behave as if you visited the originating site. These third-party sites may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction, especially if you’re logged in to those services.

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5. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Send newsletters, blog updates, and book news (if you subscribed).
• Respond to inquiries or comments.
• Improve website functionality and user experience.
• Prevent spam and enhance site security.

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6. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell or trade your personal information. We may share it only in the following ways:

• Email Marketing Providers: Your email (for newsletters) is securely stored with trusted providers like Mailchimp, MailerLite, or ConvertKit.
• Website Hosting & Analytics: Non-personal data may be shared with hosts or analytics services to monitor site performance.
• Spam Detection: Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection.
• Legal Compliance: We may disclose data if required by law.

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7. Data Retention

• Comments: Retained indefinitely, including metadata, for follow-up comment recognition.
• User Accounts: If registration is enabled, profile data is stored until the user deletes or edits it.
• Newsletter Data: Stored until you unsubscribe.

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8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may:

• Request access to, update, or delete your personal data.
• Unsubscribe from newsletters (link included in every email).
• Request a copy of your data or erasure of any personal information we hold.
• Withdraw consent at any time.

Requests can be made via the contact form or email address listed on the site.

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9. Data Security

We implement reasonable measures to protect your data, but no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

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10. Affiliate Links

Some pages or posts on this website may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission — at no additional cost to you. These links help support the website. We only promote products or services we genuinely believe in.

Affiliate links do not affect the price you pay, and you are under no obligation to use them.

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11. Changes & Clarifications

We strive to be transparent about how we collect and use your data. If any data collection or processing activity was unintentionally omitted from this policy, we assure you it is not for the purpose of misleading or misusing your data. We are committed to updating this policy as our practices evolve or as required by law.

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Contact

For questions about this privacy policy, contact us here.