Bridging news, life, and art.
Privacy Policy
Last Updated: 12/2025
At The Golden Hour Journal, we value your trust and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have over your information. By using our website, you agree to the practices described here.
Who We Are
The Golden Hour Journal is an online publishing platform based in the United States.
Our website address is: https://thegoldenhourjournal.com
For privacy-related questions, you may contact us at [email protected].
What Personal Data We Collect and Why
1. Accounts & Subscriptions
Users may create accounts to interact with our site, leave comments, save favorites, or access contributor areas.
We also collect email addresses when you subscribe through:
These emails are used only for communication you opted into.
2. Comments
When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the comment form, and also:
An anonymized string (hash) of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to see if you use it.
3. Media
If you upload images or media to the website (such as profile images or contributor photos), avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors may download and extract this data from images on the site.
4. Cookies
We use cookies to:
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features may not function properly.
5. Embedded Content From Other Websites
Posts on this site may include embedded content such as:
Embedded content behaves exactly as if you visited the other website directly.
These websites may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction with the embedded content.
6. Analytics
We use:
These tools help us understand how visitors use the site. They may collect:
7. Donations & Payments
When you make a donation through Stripe, certain information is collected:
We do not store your full payment information on our servers. All financial data is handled securely through Stripe.
Who We Share Your Data With
We only share necessary data with trusted third-party services used to run our website. These may include:
We do not sell your data.
How Long We Retain Your Data
Comments: indefinitely, unless removed
User accounts: as long as the account remains active
Analytics data: varies depending on Google’s and Jetpack’s retention settings
Newsletter emails: until you unsubscribe
Contact form submissions: may be stored for customer service purposes but are not used for marketing unless you explicitly opt in
What Rights You Have Over Your Data
If you have an account or have left comments, you may request:
To request any of these, contact [email protected].
This does not include data we must keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where Your Data Is Sent
Some of these services may be located outside the United States.
Security
We use security plugins and hosting-level protections to keep your information safe. However, no system is completely secure, and we encourage you to use strong passwords and protect your login information.
Children’s Privacy
Our website is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from minors without parental consent.
Affiliates, Ads & Sponsored Content
We may use:
These third parties may use cookies or tracking technologies. All sponsored or paid content is identified clearly.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this policy occasionally. Changes will be posted here with an updated revision date.