Briar Pirinian Art

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is critically important to me. When it comes to your data, I follow a few fundamental principles:

  • I am thoughtful about the personal information I ask you to provide and the personal information that I collect about you through the provision of my content.
  • I store personal information for only as long as I have a reason to keep it.
  • I help protect you from overreaching government demands for your personal information.
  • I aim for full transparency on how I gather, use, and share your personal information.

Below is my Privacy Policy, which incorporates and clarifies these principles.

This Privacy Policy applies to information that I collect about you when you use:

  • My website (including briarpirinianart.com.
  • My Discord server and other social community platforms.
  • Fan art submission platforms.

Throughout this Privacy Policy I’ll refer to my content, websites, community platforms, and other products collectively as “Services.”

Please note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to any of my products or services, like Tumblr, that have a separate privacy policy.

Below I explain how I collect, use, and share information about you, along with the choices that you have with respect to that information.

Information I Collect

I only collect information about you if I have a reason to do so — for example, to provide Services, to communicate with you, or to make Services better.

I collect this information from three sources: if and when you provide information to me, automatically through operating my Services, and from outside sources. Let’s go over the information that I collect.

Information You Provide to Us

It’s probably no surprise that I collect information that you provide to me directly. Here are some examples:

  • Basic account information: I ask for basic information from you in order to set up your account. For example, I require individuals who sign up for a WordPress.com account to provide an email address and password, along with a username or name — and that’s it. You may provide with more information — like your address and other information you want to share — but I don’t require that information to create a WordPress.com account.
  • Public profile information: If you have an account with me, I collect the information that you provide for your public profile. For example, if you have a WordPress.com account, your username is part of that public profile, along with any other information you put into your public profile, like a photo or an “About Me” description. Your public profile information is just that — public — so please keep that in mind when deciding what information you would like to include.
  • Payment and contact information: There are various ways in which you may provide me with payment information and associated contact information. For example, if you buy something from me or purchase a subscription, I’ll collect information to process those payments and contact you. You’ll provide additional personal and payment information like your name, credit card information, and contact information. I also keep a record of the purchases you’ve made.
  • Content information: You might provide me with information about you in draft and published content (a blog post or comment that includes biographic information about you, or any media or files you upload).
  • Communications with me (hi there!): You may also provide me with information when you respond to surveys and polls, post a question in my public forums, or sign up for a newsletter. When you communicate with me via form, email, phone, WordPress.com comment, or otherwise, I store a copy of my communications (including any call recordings as permitted by applicable law).
  • Job applicant information: If you apply for a job with me — awesome! You may provide me with information like your name, contact information, resume or CV, professional or personal references, similar professional and employment-related data, and work authorization verification as part of the application process. I may also collect additional information about you during the process, like background and credit checks (in applicable jurisdictions and only for certain job roles). You may also provide demographic information when required by law or to support my diverse workplace initiatives, such as your gender, racial or ethnic origin, veteran status, and disability status if you voluntarily submit such information as part of your application. I collect demographic information in accordance with applicable law, and do not request demographic information in jurisdictions where it may be prohibited. I will only use this sensitive information to accommodate a disability or illness, comply with legal obligations, protect the health and safety of my employees, and facilitate my internal programs relating to diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination. As part of the application process, I may also collect technical indicators such as VPN usage and IP addresses to support the integrity and security of my hiring practices.

Information I Collect Automatically

I also collect some information automatically:

  • Log information: Like most content creators operating online, I collect information that web browsers, mobile devices, and servers typically make available, including the browser type, IP address, unique device identifiers, language preference, referring site, the date and time of access, operating system, and mobile network information. I collect log information when you use my Services.
  • Transactional information: When you make a purchase through my Services, I collect information about the transaction, such as product details, purchase price, and the date and location of the transaction. This includes when you purchase something I sell or when you use my Services to buy something from a third party.
  • Usage information: I collect information about your usage of my Services. For example, I collect information about the actions that site administrators and users perform on briarpirinianart.com — in other words, who did what and when (e.g., [WordPress.com username] deleted “[title of post]” at [time/date]). WordPress’s WooCommerce Usage Tracker also tracks information like your email address, WooCommerce settings, and PHP settings, along with statistics such as number of orders and customers. I also collect information about what happens when you use my Services (e.g., page views, support document searches at en.support.wordpress.com, features enabled for your website, interactions with WordPress’s Admin Bar and other parts of my Services) along with information about your device (e.g., screen size, name of cellular network, and mobile device manufacturer). I use this information to, for example, provide my Services to you, get insights on how people use my Services so I can make my Services better, and understand and make predictions about user retention.
  • Location information: I may determine the approximate location of your device from your IP address. I collect and use this information to, for example, calculate how many people visit my Services from certain geographic regions. I may also collect information about your precise location via WordPress’s mobile apps (like when you post an image with location information) if you allow me to do so through your mobile device operating system’s permissions.
  • Stored information: With your permission, I may access information stored on your mobile device via WordPress’s mobile apps. I access this stored information through your device operating system’s permissions. For example, if you give me permission to access the photographs on your mobile device’s camera roll, my Services may access the photos stored on your device when you upload a really amazing fan artwork to my website.
  • Information from cookies & other technologies: A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Pixel tags (also called web beacons) are small blocks of code placed on websites and emails. Automattic (the platform hosting this briarpirinianart.com) uses cookies and other technologies like pixel tags to help me identify and track visitors, usage, and access preferences for my Services, as well as track and understand email campaign effectiveness and to deliver targeted ads. For more information about my use of cookies and other technologies for tracking, including how you can control the use of cookies, please WordPress’s Cookie Policy.

Information I Collect from Other Sources

I may also get information about you from other sources. For example:

  • Third Party Login: If you create or log in to your WordPress.com account through another service (like Google) I’ll receive associated login information (e.g. a connection token, your username, your email address)
  • Financial Account Info: If you use WooPayments, we’ll receive information relating to your Stripe account, such as your email address and phone number. If you use WooPay, we’ll receive your payment information from Stripe.
  • Google Account Information: When you connect your Google account to your Newspack powered site, I may access certain Google user data.

The information I receive depends on which services you use or authorize and what options are available.

How and Why I Use Information

Purposes for Using Information

I use information about you for the purposes listed below:

  • To provide my Services. For example, to set up and maintain your account, cater services to better serve your needs, provide customer service, process payments and orders, and verify user information.
  • To ensure quality, maintain safety, and improve my Services. For example, by providing automatic upgrades and new versions of my Services. Or, for example, by monitoring and analyzing how users interact with my Services so I can create new features that I think my users will enjoy or make my Services easier to use.
  • To place and manage ads. For example, to place ads part of WordAds advertising program and understand ad performance.
  • To market my Services and measure, gauge, and improve the effectiveness of my marketing. For example, by targeting my marketing messages to groups of my users (like those who have a particular plan with me or have been users for a certain length of time), advertising my Services, analyzing the results of my marketing campaigns (like how many people purchased a paid plan after receiving a marketing message), and understanding and forecasting user retention.
  • To protect my Services, my users, and the public. For example, by detecting security incidents; detecting and protecting against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity; fighting spam; complying with my legal obligations; and protecting the rights and property of Briar Pirinian others, which may result in me, for example, declining a transaction, removing a post/comment, blocking a user, or terminating Services.
  • To fix problems with my Services. For example, by monitoring, debugging, repairing, and preventing issues.
  • To customize the user experience. For example, to personalize your experience by serving you relevant notifications and advertisements for my Services and recommending content.
  • To communicate with you. For example, by emailing you to ask for your feedback, share tips for getting the most out of my Services, or keep you up to date on upcoming content, or texting you to verify your payment. If you don’t want to hear from me, you can opt out of marketing communications at any time. (If you opt out, I’ll still send you important updates relating to your account.)

Legal Bases for Collecting and Using Information

A note here for those in the European Union about my legal grounds for processing information about you under EU data protection laws, which is that my use of your information is based on the grounds that:

(1) The use is necessary in order to fulfill my commitments to you under the applicable terms of service or other agreements with you or is necessary to administer your account — for example, in order to enable access to my website on your device or charge you for a paid plan; or

(2) The use is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation; or

(3) The use is necessary in order to protect your vital interests or those of another person; or

(4) I have a legitimate interest in using your information — for example, to provide and update my Services; to improve my Services so that I can offer you an even better user experience; to safeguard my Services; to communicate with you; to measure, gauge, and improve the effectiveness of my advertising; and to understand my user retention and attrition; to monitor and prevent any problems with my Services; and to personalize your experience; for job applicants, to ensure that I hire the most suitable applicant for a role; or

(5) You have given me your consent — for example before I place certain cookies on your device and access and analyze them later on, as described in WordPress’s Cookie Policy.

Sharing Information

How I Share Information

I share information about you in limited circumstances, and with appropriate safeguards on your privacy. These are spelled out below, as well as in the section called Ads and Analytics Services Provided by Others:

  • Subsidiaries and independent contractors: I may disclose information about you to my subsidiaries and independent contractors who need the information to help me provide my Services or process the information on my behalf. I require my subsidiaries and independent contractors to follow this Privacy Policy for any personal information that I share with them.
  • Third-party vendors: I may share information about you with third-party vendors who need the information in order to provide their services to me, or to provide their services to you or your site. This includes vendors that help me provide my Services to you (like Stripe, which powers WooPayments, payment providers that process your credit and debit card information, payment providers you use for your own ecommerce operations, fraud prevention services that allow me to analyze fraudulent payment transactions, cloud storage services, postal and email delivery services that help me stay in touch with you, customer chat and email support services that help me communicate with you, registrars, registries, and data escrow services); those that assist me with my marketing efforts (e.g., by providing tools for identifying a specific marketing target group or improving marketing campaigns, and by placing ads to market my services); those that help me understand and enhance my Services (like analytics providers); Discord; and companies that make my products available, who may need information about you in order to, for example, provide technical or other support services to you. I require vendors to agree to privacy commitments in order to share information with them. Other vendors are listed in my more specific policies (e.g., WordPress’s Cookie Policy).
  • Legal and regulatory requirements: I may disclose information about you in response to a subpoena, court order, or other governmental request. For more information on how I respond to requests for information about WordPress.com users, please see their Legal Guidelines.
  • To protect rights, property, and others: I may disclose information about you when I believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of Briar Pirinian, third parties, or the public at large. For example, if I have a good faith belief that there is an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, I may disclose information related to the emergency without delay.
  • Business transfers: In connection with any merger, sale of company assets, or acquisition of all or a portion of my business by another company, user information would likely be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. If any of these events were to happen, this Privacy Policy would continue to apply to your information and the party receiving your information may continue to use your information, but only consistent with this Privacy Policy.
  • With your consent: I may share and disclose information with your consent or at your direction. For example, I may share your information with third parties when you authorize me to do so.
  • Aggregated or de-identified information: I may share information that has been aggregated or de-identified, so that it can no longer reasonably be used to identify you. For instance, I may publish aggregate statistics about the use of my Services.

Information Shared Publicly

Information that you choose to make public is — you guessed it — disclosed publicly.

That means information like your public profile, posts, other content that you make public on your website, and your “Likes” and comments on other websites are all available to others — and I hope they get a lot of views!

For example, the photo that you upload to your public profile, or a default image if you haven’t uploaded one, is your Globally Recognized Avatar, or Gravatar — get it? :) Your Gravatar, along with other public profile information, displays alongside the comments and “Likes” that you make on other users’ websites while logged in to your WordPress.com account. Your Gravatar and public profile information may also display with your comments, “Likes,” and other interactions on websites that use WordPress’s Gravatar service, if the email address associated with your account is the same email address you use on the other website.

I also provide a “Firehose” stream of public data (like posts and comments) to Firehose subscribers, who may view and analyze the content (all subject to my Terms of Service), but do not have rights to re-publish it publicly. Find out more about opting out of the Firehose for WordPress.com and Jetpack sites. Public information may also be indexed by search engines or used by third parties.

Please keep all of this in mind when deciding what you would like to share publicly.

How Long I Keep Information

I generally discard information about you when it’s no longer needed for the purposes for which I collect and use it — described in the section above on How and Why I Use Information — and I’m not legally required to keep it.

For example, I keep web server logs that record information about a visitor to briarpirinianart.com, like the visitor’s IP address, browser type, and operating system, for approximately 30 days. I retain the logs for this period of time in order to, among other things, analyze traffic the website and investigate issues if something goes wrong on the site.

As another example, when you delete a post, page, or comment, it stays in the WordPress Trash folder for thirty days in case you change your mind and would like to restore that content, because starting from scratch is no fun. After the thirty days are up, the deleted content may remain on my backups and caches until purged.

If you are a job applicant, I will keep your personal data during the application process, and for a certain period thereafter. To determine that period, I take into account a number of factors, like my legal and regulatory obligations (such as equal opportunity obligations) and whether I may need to retain personal data for internal business purposes like analyzing my applicant pool.

Security

While no online service is 100% secure, I work very hard to protect information about you against unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction, and take reasonable measures to do so. I monitor my Services for potential vulnerabilities and attacks.

To enhance the security of your account, I encourage you to enable WordPress’s advanced security settings, like Two Step Authentication.

Choices

You have several choices available when it comes to information about you:

  • Limit the information that you provide: If you have an account with me, you can choose not to provide the optional account information, profile information, and transaction and billing information. Please keep in mind that if you do not provide this information, certain features of my Services — for example, premium themes that carry an additional charge — may not be accessible. If you are a job applicant, and you choose not to provide certain data elements to me, I may not be able to proceed with the recruitment process.
  • Limit access to information on your mobile device: Your mobile device operating system should provide you with the option to discontinue my ability to collect stored information or location information via WordPress’s mobile apps. If you choose to limit this, you may not be able to use certain features, like geotagging for photographs.
  • Opt out of marketing communications: You may opt out of receiving promotional communications. Just follow the instructions in those communications or let me know. If you opt out of promotional communications, I may still send you other communications, like those about your account and legal notices.
  • Set your browser to reject cookies: At this time, Automattic does not respond to “do not track” signals across all of their Services. However, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove or reject browser cookies before using an Automattic hosted website, with the drawback that certain features of Automattic websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies.
  • Opt out of my internal analytics program: You can do this through your user settings. By opting out, you will stop sharing information with my analytics tool about events or actions that happen after the opt-out, while you’re logged in to your WordPress.com account. For more information, please see WordPress’s Cookie Policy.
  • Close your account: While I’d be very sad to see you go, you can close your account if you no longer want to use my Services. (Here are account closure instructions for WordPress.com accounts.) Please keep in mind that I may continue to retain your information after closing your account, as described in How Long I Keep Information above — for example, when that information is reasonably needed to comply with (or demonstrate my compliance with) legal obligations such as law enforcement requests, or reasonably needed for my legitimate business interests.

Your Rights

If you are located in certain parts of the world, including some US states and countries that fall under the scope of the UK or European General Data Protection Regulation (aka the “GDPR”), you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, like the right to request access to or deletion of your data.

UK or European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

If you are located in a country that falls under the scope of the GDPR, data protection laws give you certain rights with respect to your personal data, subject to any exemptions provided by the law, including the rights to:

  • Request access to your personal data;
  • Request correction or deletion of your personal data;
  • Object to my use and processing of your personal data;
  • Request that I limit my use and processing of your personal data; and
  • Request portability of your personal data.

You also have the right to make a complaint to a government supervisory authority.

US Privacy Laws

Laws in some US states require me to provide residents with additional information about the categories of personal information I collect and share, where I get that personal information, and how and why I use it. You’ll find that information in this section (if you are a California resident, please note that this is the Notice at Collection I am required to provide you under California law).

In the last 12 months, I collected the following categories of personal information, depending on the Services used:

  • Identifiers (like your name, contact information, and device and online identifiers);
  • Commercial information (your billing information and purchase history, for example);
  • Characteristics protected by law (for example, you might provide your gender as part of a research survey for me or you may choose to voluntarily disclose your race or veteran status as part of your job application);
  • Internet or other electronic network activity information (such as your usage of my Services, like the actions you take as an administrator of a WordPress.com site);
  • Geolocation data (such as your location based on your IP address);
  • Audio, electronic, visual or similar information (such as your profile picture, if you uploaded one);
  • Professional or employment-related information (for example, your company and team information if you are a Happy Tools user, or information you provide in a job application); and
  • Inferences I make (such as likelihood of retention or attrition).

If you are a job applicant, I may have also collected:

  • Education information, such as the education you disclose in your job application.

You can find more information about what I collect and sources of that information in the Information I Collect section above.

I collect personal information for the business and commercial purposes described in the How and Why I Use Information section. And I share this information with the categories of third parties described in the Sharing Information section. I retain this information for the length of time described in my How Long I Keep Information section.

In some US states you have additional rights subject to any exemptions provided by your state’s respective law, including the right to:

  • Request a copy of the specific pieces of information I collect about you and, if you’re in California, to know the categories of personal information I collect, the categories of business or commercial purpose for collecting and using it, the categories of sources from which the information came, and the categories or list of third parties I share it with;
  • Request deletion of personal information I collect or maintain;
  • Request correction of personal information I collect or maintain;
  • Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information;
  • Receive a copy of your information in a readily portable format; and
  • Not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your rights.

You can find detailed metrics about Automattic’s compliance with these rights in their Privacy Report.

Right to Opt Out

I never directly sell your personal information in the conventional sense (i.e., for money).

I may share your information as necessary with my third-party service providers to provide my Services to you. To the extent that I share your information with certain advertising, marketing, or analytics vendors, this can be considered a “sale” or “share” in certain U.S. States, which you may have the right to opt out of.

You can learn more about this sharing and how to opt out by clicking the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link in the footer of my website, or from the settings page within my apps. Note that in some instances this link will only display to individuals visiting briarpirinianart.com from within the relevant states.

My opt-out is managed through cookies, so if you delete cookies, your browser is set to delete cookies automatically after a certain length of time, or if you visit sites in a different browser, you’ll need to make this selection again.

I also respect the GPC browser signal and will treat it as a valid means of communicating your desire to opt out.

I do not collect or process your sensitive (and potentially sensitive) personal information except where it is strictly necessary to provide you with my service, where the processing is not for the purpose of inferring characteristics about you, or for other purposes that do not require an option to limit under California law. I don’t knowingly sell or share personal information of those under 16.

Your Information & Personalized Advertising

I show ads for revenue to grow and maintain this platform. As part of this advertising program, I and my users do use cookies to share certain device identifiers and information about your browsing activities with my advertising partners, and those advertising partners may use that information to show you personalized ads.

The personal information I share includes online identifiers; internet or other network or device activity (such as cookie information, other device identifiers, and IP address); and geolocation data (approximate location information from your IP address). These disclosures may be considered a “sale” or “share” of information under some US state privacy laws. I do not sell (or share) information through the ads program that identifies you personally, like your name or contact information. Learn how you can opt out by going to Advertising on WordPress.com Sites and Sites in the WordAds Program.

Contacting Me About These Rights

If you’d like to contact me about one the rights mentioned in this policy, scroll down to “How to Reach Me” to, well, find out how to reach me.

When you contact me about one of your rights under this section, I’ll need to verify that you are the right person before I disclose or delete anything. For example, if you are a user, I will need you to contact me from the email address associated with your account. You can also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf by giving me written authorization. I may still require you to verify your identity with me.

Appeals Process for Rights Requests Denials

In some circumstances I may deny your request to exercise one of these rights. For example, if I cannot verify that you are the account owner I may deny your request to access the personal information associated with your account. As another example, if I am legally required to maintain a copy of your personal information I may deny your request to delete your personal information.

In the event that I deny your request, I will communicate this fact to you in writing. You may appeal my decision by responding in writing to my denial email and stating that you would like to appeal. In the event that your appeal is also denied this information will be communicated to you in writing. Please note that the appeal process does not apply to job applicants.

If your appeal is denied, in some US states you may refer the denied appeal to the state attorney general if you believe the denial is in conflict with your legal rights. The process for how to do this will be communicated to you in writing at the same time I send you my decision about your appeal.

Controllers and Responsible Companies

Automattic’s Services are worldwide. Different Automattic companies are the controller (or co-controller) of personal information, which means that they are the company responsible for processing that information, based on the particular service and the location of the individual using my Services.

Depending on the Services you use, more than one company may be the controller of your personal data. Generally, the “controller” is the Automattic company that entered into the contract with you under the Terms of Service for the product or service you use. In addition, Automattic Inc., my US-based operation, is the controller for some of the processing activities across all of my Services worldwide.

The chart below explains the current controllers for processing your personal information. I use the term “Designated Countries” to refer to Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, and all countries located in Europe (including the UK and ROI).

Automattic Services (except Woo)

If you reside outside of the Designated Countries:Automattic Inc.
60 29th Street #343
San Francisco, CA 94110
If you reside in the Designated Countries:Aut O’Mattic A8C Ireland Ltd.
Grand Canal Dock, 25 Herbert Pl
Dublin, D02 AY86
Ireland
Automattic Inc. is also the controller for some of the processing activities related to Services provided by Aut O’Mattic A8C Ireland Ltd.

Woo Services

Woo services includes WooCommerce, WooPayments, WooCommerce Shipping, WooCommerce Tax, MailPoet, and other products and services available at woocommerce.com.

If you reside outside of the Designated Countries:WooCommerce, Inc.
60 29th Street #343
San Francisco, CA 94110
Automattic Inc. is also the controller for some of the processing activities related to Services provided by WooCommerce, Inc.
If you reside in the Designated Countries:WooCommerce Ireland Ltd.
Grand Canal Dock, 25 Herbert Pl
Dublin, D02 AY86
Ireland
Automattic Inc and WooCommerce, Inc are also the joint controllers for some of the processing activities related to Services provided by WooCommerce Ireland Ltd.

How to Reach Us

If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, or you would like to contact me about any of the rights mentioned in the Your Rights section above, please contact me through my web form or via email. These are the fastest ways to get a response to your inquiry.

Other Things You Should Know (Keep Reading!)

Transferring Information

Because Automattic’s Services are offered worldwide, the information about you that I process when you use the Services in the EU or the UK may be used, stored, and/or accessed by individuals operating outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK who work for me, other members of my group of companies, or third-party data processors. This is required for the purposes listed in the How and Why I Use Information section above.

When providing information about you to entities outside the EEA or the UK, I will take appropriate measures to ensure that the recipient protects your personal information adequately in accordance with this Privacy Policy as required by applicable law. These measures include entering into European Commission or UK government approved standard contractual arrangements with entities based in countries outside the EEA or the UK.

You can ask me for more information about the steps I take to protect your personal information when transferring it from the EU or the UK.

Ads and Analytics Services Provided by Others

Ads appearing on any of my Services may be delivered by advertising networks. Other parties may also provide analytics services via my Services. These ad networks and analytics providers may set tracking technologies (like cookies) to collect information about your use of my Services and across other websites and online services. These technologies allow these third parties to recognize your device to compile information about you or others who use your device. This information allows me and other companies to, among other things, analyze and track usage, determine the popularity of certain content, and deliver ads that may be more targeted to your interests. Please note this Privacy Policy only covers the collection of information by Automattic and Briar Pirinian and does not cover the collection of information by any third-party advertisers or analytics providers.

Privacy Policy Changes

Although most changes are likely to be minor, Briar Pirinian may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. I encourage visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to the Privacy Policy. If I make changes, I will notify you by revising the change log below, and, in some cases, I may provide additional notice (like adding a statement to my homepage or blog, or sending you a notification through email or your dashboard). Your further use of the Services after a change to my Privacy Policy will be subject to the updated policy.

Other Information and Resources

Jetpack Privacy Center

Woo and the GDPR

Change Log