In a nutshell:

As a welcome visitor to our site, we do not rent or sell any personally identifiable information that may be collected to any third-party entities.

How We Collect and Use Information

Analytics information:

We may directly collect analytics data, or use third-party analytics tools and services, to help us measure traffic and usage trends for the Service. These tools collect information sent by your browser or mobile device, including the pages you visit and other information that assists us in improving the Site. We collect and use this analytics information in aggregate form such that it cannot reasonably be manipulated to identify any particular individual user.

Cookies information:

When you visit the Site, we may send one or more cookies — a small text file containing a string of alphanumeric characters — to your computer that uniquely identifies your browser and lets Cooking Up a Story help you log in faster and enhance your navigation through the site. A cookie may also convey information to us about how you use the Site (e.g., the pages you view, the links you click and other actions you take on the Site), and allow us or our business partners to track your usage of the Site over time. A persistent cookie remains on your hard drive after you close your browser. Persistent cookies may be used by your browser on subsequent visits to the site. Persistent cookies can be removed by following your web browser’s directions. A session cookie is temporary and disappears after you close your browser. You can reset your web browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some features of the Site may not function properly if the ability to accept cookies is disabled.

Device identifiers:

When you access the Site by or through a mobile device (including but not limited to smart-phones or tablets), we may access, collect, monitor and/or remotely store one or more “device identifiers,” such as a universally unique identifier (“UUID”). Device identifiers are small data files or similar data structures stored on or associated with your mobile device, which uniquely identify your mobile device. A device identifier may be data stored in connection with the device hardware, data stored in connection with the device’s operating system or other software, or data sent to the device by Cooking Up a Story. A device identifier may convey information to us about how you browse and use the Site. A device identifier may remain persistently on your device, to help you log in faster and enhance your navigation through the Site. Some features of the Site may not function properly if use or availability of device identifiers is impaired or disabled.

Location data:

When you access the Site by or through a mobile device, we may access, collect, monitor and/or remotely store “location data,” which may include GPS coordinates (e.g. latitude and/or longitude) or similar information regarding the location of your mobile device. Location data may convey to us information about how you browse and use the Site.

Commercial and marketing communications:

We may use the information we collect or receive, such as your email address, to communicate directly with you. We may send you emails containing newsletters, promotions, and special offers. If you do not want to receive such email messages, you will be given the option to opt out or change your preferences.

Sharing of Your Information

We will not rent or sell your information to third parties outside Cooking Up a Story without your prior written consent. So, no worries, it’s not going to happen.

• Who can see User Content: Any User Content that you voluntarily disclose for posting to the Site becomes available to the public and cannot be removed, except by Cooking Up a Story in its sole discretion. Once posted on Cooking Up a Story, User Content may not be removable from public view, as copies may remain viewable in cached and archived pages of the Site, on other sites that have republished us, or if other Users have copied or saved that information. If you do not wish your User Content to be available to the public, please don’t post it on Cooking Up a Story. Your username and if you choose to disclose it, your real name, will be published publicly. Once published, your username and/or real name may not be removable.
• Who can see your email address: Only if you enter an email address publicly on the site will it be available for others to see. Comments made directly to the site that require an email address in the email field will not be published with the comment. However, if you also add your email address into the comment field as well, then it will be made public along with your comment.

Instances where we are required to share your information:

Cooking Up a Story will disclose your information when required to do so by law enforcement; (b) to enforce our Terms of Use or to protect the security, quality or integrity of our Site; and/or (c) to exercise or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Cooking Up a Story and our users.

Sharing certain Site type information we collect about you:

We may share certain Site type information, including information obtained through tools such as cookies, log files, device identifiers, location data and clear gifs (such as anonymous usage data, referring/exit pages and URLs, platform types, number of clicks, etc.): (i) with our third-party business partners for the purposes described in the section above on “How We Collect and Use Information.” We may also aggregate or otherwise strip data of all personally identifying characteristics and may share that aggregated, anonymized data with third parties.

To enhance the user experience or help us improve and measure our effectiveness, Cooking Up a Story may embed code from third parties on the Site. Examples of such parties may include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, YouTube, and others. These third parties may collect information about you including IP address, cookies in ways Cooking Up a Story does not control.

The Cooking Up a Story Privacy Policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of third-parties. Please consult the respective privacy policies of such third parties or contact such third parties for more information.

Keeping your information safe:

Cooking Up a Story cares about the security of your information, and uses commercially reasonable safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of all information collected on the Site. To protect your privacy and security, we take reasonable steps (such as requesting a unique password) to verify your identity before granting you access to your account. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your unique password and account information, and for controlling access to your email communications from Cooking Up a Story, at all times. However, Cooking Up a Story cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to Cooking Up a Story or guarantee that information on the Site may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed. Your privacy settings may also be affected by changes to the functionality of third party sites and Sites that you use on the Site, such as social networks. Cooking Up a Story is not responsible for the functionality or security measures of any third party.

Links to Other Websites and Services

We are not responsible for the practices employed by websites or services linked to or from the Site, including the information or content contained therein. Please remember that when you use a link to go from the Site to another website, our Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites or services. Your browsing and interaction on any third-party website or service, including those that have a link or advertisement on our website, are subject to that third party’s own rules and policies. In addition, you agree that we are not responsible and we do not control over any third-parties that you authorize to access your User Content. If you are using a third-party website or service (like Facebook, Google groups, or an IRC chatroom) and you allow such a third-party access to you User Content you do so at your own risk. This Privacy Policy does not apply to information we collect by other means (including offline) or from other sources other than through the Site.