Privacy Policy

Pipe Wrench magazine is published by Pipe Wrench Media LLC, and the only thing we love more than sandwiches is privacy. We love it so much, we wrote a whole policy about it.*

When you visit or subscribe to pipewrenchmag.com (aka “the Site”), you’re agreeing to everything in this policy. Since you should know what you’re agreeing to, we’ll explain in painful detail how we collect, use, and share information you give us, and your options and rights for controlling your data. 

Here’s the TLDR; scroll down for the full lawyer experience.

  • We collect the least amount of data possible.
  • We use your data to communicate with you, improve the Site, and process your subscriptions.
  • We only share information with your consent, to meet legal obligations, or to give you access to the Site.
  • We only keep your information as long as necessary, unless the long arm of the law demands otherwise. 
  • You can unsubscribe from our mailing list or delete your account whenever you want. You shouldn’t, but you can.

What we collect

We only collect information about you so that we can communicate with you.

We collect it from three sources: you, automatically through operating our Site, and from outside sources. Here’s the breakdown: 

Information you give us

This includes:

  • Basic account information: We ask for basic information when you subscribe to the Site, like an email address and password so you can manage your subscription. 
  • Payment and contact information: If you buy something from us, we’ll collect information to process those payments and contact you like your name, credit card information, and contact information. We also keep a record of the purchases you’ve made.
  • Content information: You might provide us with information about you in draft and published content, like in a comment that you leave on the Site.
  • Communications with us (hello!): You may provide us with information when you voluntarily fill out our surveys or forms on the Site, or contact us with a question about your account. When you communicate with us via form or email, we store a copy of our communications.

Information we collect automatically

This is information that doesn’t reveal any personal information, but gives us data about how you’re using and moving around the Site.  It includes device and usage information like:

  • Log information that web browsers, mobile devices, and servers usually track, like the browser type, IP address, unique device identifiers, date and time of access, and operating system. 
  • Information about how you use the Site: which pages you view, how long you spend on a page, and what you click on.
  • Information from cookies. 

We don’t knowingly collect data from children under 18 years of age. By using the Site, you represent that you are at least 18, or that you are the parent or guardian of a minor and consent to their use of the Site. If we learn that we have a minor’s personal information, we will delete any account (if there is a subscription) and take reasonable measures to remove any related data from our records. 

We also use several third party services to maintain this website and communicate with you. In case you can’t get enough privacy policy review, here’s a list of those services and what they’re for — click their names to see their individual privacy policies:

  • Kinsta, the web host that makes pipewrenchmag.com available.
  • Pico, the membership management service that powers our subscriptions.
  • Stripe, our payment processor. 
  • Mailchimp, the email service we use to send you messages. 
  • WPForms, the tool that powers the form on our Submissions page.
  • Google Analytics, the service that gives us data about our traffic.

How and why we use your information

We use information about you for the purposes listed below:

  • To process your subscriptions to the Site.
  • To fix problems with the Site.
  • To learn about how you use the Site, so we can make it better.
  • To communicate with you, either about updates to the Site, updates to your subscription, or to ask for your feedback. If you don’t want to hear from us, you can opt out of email updates. (We’ll still send you important updates relating to your subscription, though.)

A note here for those in the European Union about our legal grounds for processing information about you under EU data protection laws, which is that our use of your information is based on the grounds that:

(1) The use is necessary in order to fulfill our commitments to you — for example, to enable access to the Site or charge you for a subscription; or

(2) The use is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation; or

(3) The use is necessary in order to protect your vital interests or those of another person; or

(4) We have a legitimate interest in using your information — to update and improve the Site; to safeguard the Site; to communicate with you; and to monitor and prevent any problems with the Site; or

(5) You have given us your consent — for example, before we use cookies.

(Cookies are little bits of data stored on your computer when websites are loaded in a browser. They are used to “remember” you and your preferences, either for a single visit [through a “session cookie”] or for multiple repeat visits [using a “persistent cookie”]. Some are necessary for technical reasons, and some enable a personalized experience. Many of the cookies we use are only set if you subscribe to pipewrenchmag.com [so you don’t have to log in every time, for example], and others are set whenever you visit the site.)

How we share information

We share information about you in very limited circumstances, and with appropriate safeguards on your privacy. 

  • Third-party vendors: We may share information about you with third-party vendors who need the information in order to provide their services to us, like the ones listed in the “What We Collect” section.
  • Legal and regulatory requirements: We may disclose information about you in response to a subpoena, court order, or other governmental request. 
  • With your consent: We may share information with your consent, or at your direction. 

We don’t sell any data, ever. We don’t sell your personal information to data brokers, and we don’t sell your information to other companies that want to spam you with marketing emails.

Information that you choose to make public in the form of comments left on the Site is — you guessed it — disclosed publicly.

How long we keep information

We discard information about you when it’s (1) no longer needed for the reasons listed in “How and Why We Use Information” and (2) we’re not legally required to keep it.

Your options and rights

You have choices when it comes to information about you:

  • Limit the information that you provide: If you have a subscription, you can choose not to provide the optional account and profile information, or to respond to any surveys or questions we ask. 
  • Opt out of email communications: Follow the instructions in those communications or let us know. We may still send you communications about your subscription.
  • Set your browser to reject cookies.
  • Cancel your subscription. (Please don’t, though.)

European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

If you are located in a country that falls under the scope of the GDPR, you have the rights to:

  • Request access to your personal data;
  • Request correction or deletion of your personal data;
  • Object to our use and processing of your personal data;
  • Request that we limit our use and processing of your personal data; and
  • Request portability of your personal data.

You also have the right to make a complaint to a government supervisory authority.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) requires us to provide California residents with some additional information about the categories of personal information we collect and share, where we get that personal information, and how and why we use it.

The CCPA also requires us to provide a list of the “categories” of personal information we collect, as that term is defined in the law, so, here it is:

  • Identifiers (like your name, contact information, and device and online identifiers);
  • Commercial information (your billing information and purchase history, for example);
  • Characteristics protected by law (for example, you might provide your gender as part of a research survey for us);
  • Geolocation data (such as your location based on your IP address).

California residents also have the right to:

  • Request to know the categories of personal information we collect, the categories of business or commercial purpose for collecting and using it, the categories of sources from which the information came, the categories of third parties we share it with, and the specific pieces of information we collect about you;
  • Request deletion of personal information we collect or maintain;
  • Opt out of any sale of personal information; and
  • Not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your rights under the CCPA.

The Site has links to other websites that we don’t operate or control. Pipe Wrench Media LLC is not responsible for the content, accuracy, privacy practices, and performance of those websites, or for any cookies they may use. If you have concerns, we encourage you to read the privacy policies of any sites you choose to visit via links on the Site. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by pipewrenchmag.com.

Questions?

If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at privacy@pipewrenchmag.com.

This policy may be updated from time to time, as legal requirements and technologies change. This policy is valid as of January 20, 2021.

Congrats on getting to the end! Here’s a medium-sized dog named Budino P. Fonzarelli who thinks you’re just swell:

With thanks to Automattic, whose open-source privacy policy we adapted.