What this document explains
This page describes what happens to information about you while you read rootivagarden.com, whether you enter data through our forms, and the choices you have if you would rather share less. We wrote it in plain sentences and we update it whenever our data practices change. The date at the top of this page is the effective date.
Who runs this site and who to write to
Rootiva Garden is an independent, small-team gardening publication. The site is edited by our editorial lead in Appalachian North Carolina and maintained by a small production team. Written enquiries about anything on this page should go to the address on our contact page. We answer privacy-specific messages within seven working days.
The short version
- We collect basic browser and device information for every visit, the way most websites do, through server logs and analytics.
- If you subscribe to the newsletter or send us a message, we collect only what you type into the form.
- We show advertising through Google AdSense, which sets cookies and may show ads based on your prior visits to this site and other sites.
- You can opt out of interest-based advertising at any time using the Google Ads Settings link further down this page.
- We do not sell personal information. We do not run affiliate tracking pixels. We do not build advertising profiles ourselves.
Information the site collects automatically
Every time you load a page, our web server records the request. That log entry typically includes the requested URL, the time of the request, your IP address as your internet provider assigned it, the browser and operating system that made the request, and the page you arrived from. These logs are kept for a maximum of thirty days, then rotated. We do not link them to individual visitors and we do not sell or share them, except when specifically required to protect the site from abuse, in which case we may share the minimum needed with our hosting provider.
We use a small number of first-party cookies to remember your cookie-consent choice, to keep site preferences you set intentionally, and to help our analytics measure aggregate readership. First-party cookies set by us are described on our cookie information page.
Information you give us on purpose
Two features on this site take input from readers: the newsletter sign-up and the contact form. The newsletter records your email address so we can send you the email you subscribed to. The contact form records your name, the address you enter, and the message you write. Both are kept only for as long as it takes to reply to you or, in the case of the newsletter, for as long as you remain subscribed. Every newsletter contains a one-click unsubscribe link that removes your address immediately.
Advertising through Google AdSense
Rootiva Garden may show advertising through Google AdSense once our participation has been approved by Google. AdSense is one of the largest ad networks in the world and it operates under Google’s own privacy practices, which we cannot amend. When AdSense advertising is active on the site, the following applies:
- Google and its advertising partners may set the DoubleClick DART cookie and other cookies on your browser. These cookies allow Google to show ads based on the pages you visit on this site and on other websites in Google’s network.
- You can opt out of interest-based advertising at any time using Google’s Ads Settings. You can also opt out of a broader set of participating networks at optout.aboutads.info and youronlinechoices.com.
- Third-party vendors used by Google may also set cookies on the pages of this site while ads are being served. The Google list of vendors currently participating in the Google network is published at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
- Google’s own privacy policy, which describes how Google handles the data it collects while serving ads, is at policies.google.com/privacy.
- Nothing about your interaction with ads is shared with the Rootiva Garden editorial team on an individual level. We see only aggregate performance reports through the AdSense dashboard.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics (through Site Kit) to measure aggregate readership: which articles are read, from which countries, on what device categories. Google Analytics may set its own cookies. We have enabled the setting that shortens IP addresses in Analytics before storage. If you would prefer that no analytics data at all is recorded for your visit, you can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Cookies at a glance
A cookie is a small text file that a website stores in your browser. The site groups cookies into four categories: strictly necessary (login, security, consent memory), functional (remembering settings you set on purpose), analytics (aggregate readership measurement), and advertising (Google AdSense and its network vendors). Our cookie banner lets you accept or decline each category individually except strictly necessary, which are required for the site to function. You can reopen the choices at any time by clicking Cookie Settings in the footer.
Your rights under the GDPR
If you are reading from the European Union, the United Kingdom, or an EEA country, the General Data Protection Regulation grants you the following rights over any personal information we hold about you:
- the right to ask what we hold and to receive a copy;
- the right to have inaccurate information corrected;
- the right to have your information deleted, sometimes called the right to be forgotten;
- the right to restrict or object to certain processing;
- the right to receive your data in a portable form;
- the right to complain to the data protection authority in your country.
To exercise any of these rights, write to us through the contact page. We will respond within one month, extendable by two more months for complex requests, as the regulation allows.
Your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act
Residents of California have the right to know what personal information a business has collected about them, the categories of sources it came from, the purposes for which it is used, and the third parties to whom it is disclosed. Residents also have the right to request deletion of that information, subject to legal exceptions. Rootiva Garden does not sell personal information for money. To make a CCPA request, write to us through the contact page. We will verify your identity before responding.
Children’s privacy
This site is written for adult readers and is not directed at children under the age of thirteen. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under thirteen. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe a child has provided information here, please write to us and we will delete it immediately.
How data is protected
The site runs over HTTPS with a modern TLS certificate; every request between your browser and our server is encrypted in transit. Newsletter data and form submissions are held on hosts inside the European Union or the United States, depending on the service. Access to any personal data is limited to the small editorial team using individual accounts with two-factor authentication. We have no need for and do not collect sensitive personal categories such as health, biometric, financial account, or government-identifier information.
Changes to this policy
When we change the way information is handled, this page is updated and the effective date at the top is bumped. Substantial changes are announced at the top of the page for at least thirty days after they take effect. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Contact for privacy questions
Questions or requests about anything on this page can be sent through our contact form. Please include the words "privacy request" in your message so it can be routed correctly. We answer within seven working days, faster for regulatory requests.