Privacy Policy

Who We Are

This website, sips&notes (sipsandnotes.com), is a personal essay blog. Your privacy matters to us, and this page explains what data we collect and how we use it.

Information We Collect

When comments are enabled, we collect the information described below. Third-party services used on this site may also collect certain data automatically:

• Google AdSense: May use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your browsing activity. You can learn more about how Google uses your data at Google's advertising policies.
• Hosting (Cloudflare): Our hosting provider may collect standard server logs including IP addresses, browser type, and pages visited for security and performance purposes.

Comments and Google Sign-In

Article and comment likes require sign-in. We store the article or comment ID, your internal account ID and the time of your like. Only the total is public. You can undo an article like at any time, or a comment like while the conversation is open; account deletion removes your likes. Comment likes are also removed when the comment is deleted.

You can read public comments without signing in. When comments are enabled, writing and managing comments requires Google sign-in. We store a Google account identifier, an internal account identifier, your chosen public name, account status and basic account activity timestamps. We do not store your Google password or automatically publish your Google name, email address or profile picture.

Comments and replies appear only after review. Proposed edits remain private until approved. Your chosen name and approved comment are public. You can manage your comments, change the name used for new comments, sign out on all devices or delete your comment account at My comments. Deleting your comment account does not delete your Google account. Other readers’ replies may remain with a placeholder where your comment used to be.

Cloudflare Turnstile helps prevent automated abuse. We use account-based limits and short-lived keyed IP identifiers for abuse prevention; the comments database does not retain raw IP addresses or full browser identifiers. Our hosting provider may maintain its own security logs.

Abuse counters are retained for up to 48 hours. Unreviewed comments and edits expire after 90 days; rejected or hidden comments expire after 30 days. Moderation records without copied comment text are retained for up to 90 days. Published comments remain until removed or the article is retired. Account deletion removes your profile, comments, revisions and sessions. If a blocked account is deleted, a keyed account identifier may remain for up to 90 days to prevent immediate block evasion. Hosting backups may temporarily retain deleted information according to the provider’s retention settings.

If you lose access to your Google account, please use our contact page to request help with deletion. A public name alone is not proof of ownership. You can also manage this site’s Google connection through your Google account connections. Removing that connection is separate from deleting comments or ending an existing site session.

Cookies

This site uses cookies for the following purposes:

• Third-party cookies: Google AdSense and other embedded services may set their own cookies. Comment sign-in also uses a secure session cookie, which expires after seven days or 24 hours of inactivity. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Google AdSense for advertising
• Cloudflare Pages for hosting
• Ko-fi for voluntary reader support

Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing how they handle your data.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Opt out of personalized advertising through Google's Ad Settings
• Disable cookies through your browser settings
• Request information about any data we may hold

Instagram Gallery

Our gallery displays photos and caption excerpts from our connected Instagram account and links to the original posts. Our server uses an access token to retrieve this content; that token is not shared with visitors. When gallery images load, your browser connects to Meta's image servers, which may receive technical information such as your IP address and browser details. Following a post link takes you to Instagram, where Meta's privacy policy applies.

App Data Deletion

To request deletion of personal data associated with the sips&notes app and its Meta integrations, please follow our data deletion instructions.

Children's Privacy

This site is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please visit our contact page.