Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

Information you give us:

• Account: your email address, password and display name. Passwords are stored only as a hash, so not even the site owner can see them. Your email is used only for signing in; the site does not currently send you any email.
• Comments and likes: what you wrote and when, and which posts you liked.

Information collected automatically:

• Analytics: browsing data collected by Google Analytics and other analytics services, such as the pages you view, where you came from, your device and browser type, and your approximate region (see section 3).
• Journal view counts: when you open a journal entry, our server records one view so we can see how many times each entry has been read. Repeat visits within 30 minutes count once. To recognise repeat visits we derive a one-way digest of your IP address that changes every day; view records do not store your IP address itself or your browser details. If you are signed in, the record is linked to your account.
• Access logs: our servers and content delivery service log requests, including IP address, browser information, time and address, to keep the site running and prevent abuse.
• Bot checks: signing in and creating an account require a bot check. The verification service processes your IP address and browser information to tell people from automated programs. In some regions we use a self-hosted check that does not contact any outside service.

We do not collect your contacts, precise location or payment information, and we do not use your information for advertising.

2. How we use it

• to provide accounts, sign-in, comments and likes;
• to show your display name and approved comments on the site;
• to moderate comments and keep out spam and bots;
• to understand how the site is used and improve it;
• to keep the site secure and fix problems.

We do not sell your personal information.

3. Analytics

We use Google Analytics to count visits. It stores cookies in your browser (see section 4) and sends browsing data to Google for processing. We have turned off its advertising features, including Google signals and ad personalization.

We also use a second analytics provider, whose data is processed in China. It is loaded only for visitors outside the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland; visitors from those regions never get it, even if they agree to analytics.

Visitors from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are asked first: analytics (Google Analytics only) starts only after you agree, and nothing is loaded if you decline. For visitors elsewhere, analytics is on by default.

Wherever you are, you can change your choice at any time under “Cookie settings” in the site footer. If you decline, the site stops sending data to its analytics services and deletes the analytics cookies set on this site’s domain (the page may reload once).

Open cookie settings

For how Google uses this data, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services. You can also install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to opt out of Google Analytics on all websites.

4. Cookies and local storage

The site also keeps two items in your browser’s session storage: whether your region needs analytics consent first, and your position when you leave the forest page. They are cleared when you close the tab.

Analytics providers may also set cookies on their own domains, which this site cannot read or delete; you can clear them in your browser settings.

You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings. If you block the sign-in cookie, you will not be able to sign in.

5. What is shown publicly

Your display name is shown publicly with your comments. Comments appear only after the site owner approves them, and the owner may hide or delete them. Likes are shown only as a count, not by name. Your email is never shown.

6. Sharing

We share your information only:

• with service providers that host the site, deliver and protect it, and measure visits. They process data on our behalf and only to provide those services; analytics is provided by Google (Google Analytics) and a second analytics provider (see section 3);
• when required by applicable law, court order or a lawful request from a public authority.

Our servers and service providers may be located outside your country or region (for example, in the United States or China), and your information may be stored and processed there.

7. How long we keep it

• Account information, comments and likes: until the account is deleted. Deleting an account also deletes its comments and likes.
• View records: kept as long as the journal entry exists and deleted with it; once you delete your account, they are no longer linked to you.
• Analytics data: Google Analytics data is kept for the retention period set in our account, after which Google deletes it; the second analytics provider keeps data under its own retention rules.
• Access logs: only as long as needed to run and maintain the site.

8. Your rights

• Access and correction: once signed in, you can change your display name and password in “Account settings”.
• Deleting your account: for now, contact the site owner to have it deleted (see section 11). Your comments and likes are deleted with it.
• Withdrawing analytics consent: change it at any time under “Cookie settings”.
• Depending on the law where you live (for example, data protection law in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom), you may also have the right to obtain a copy of your data, to restrict or object to processing, and to complain to your local data protection authority.

9. Security

The whole site uses HTTPS, passwords are stored as hashes, and access to the admin area is restricted. Even so, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure.

10. Children

The site is not intended for children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe we have collected a child’s information, please contact the site owner to have it deleted.

11. Changes and contact

When this policy changes, we update the “Last updated” date at the top; significant changes will be clearly noted on this page.

Contact details will be published on this page soon.