Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

The Townie is a local publication serving the Greater Newburyport community.

Website: www.townienbpt.com
Privacy contact: info@townienbpt.com

This policy covers information handled by The Townie through our website and related activities described below. Third-party websites and services also have their own privacy policies, which apply to their handling of information.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide

Depending on how you interact with us, we receive information such as:

• Newsletter signups: Your email address and, where requested, your first name.
• Contact forms: Your name, email address, subject, and message.
• Article comments: The name and email address you provide, your comment text, and information connecting replies to other comments.
• Townie Awards nominations: The nominee’s name, an optional business or organization name, your reason for the nomination, your name, and your email address.
• Townie Awards voting: Your email address, ballot responses, and verification information associated with the verification method offered on the form.
• Submissions and correspondence: Your contact information, messages, article drafts, photographs, contributor details, attachments, and other information you choose to send us.

Please provide only information relevant to your inquiry or submission. Avoid sending passwords, payment-card details, government identification numbers, or other sensitive personal information through ordinary contact forms, comments, or email.

When submitting information about another person, provide only what is appropriate for the submission and what you have permission or another lawful basis to share.

Information collected automatically: Our website and connected service providers may collect IP addresses, browser and device information, approximate location derived from technical information, pages viewed, referring websites, visit times, and interactions with website features. Cookies and similar technologies may be used to collect or connect this information, as described in Section 7.

Information from connected services

We may receive information through services used for forms, email delivery, Awards voting, event ticketing, and other website features. The information available to us depends on the service, the feature you use, and its settings.

3. How We Use Information

We use information to:

• Operate and maintain the website and its features.
• Respond to inquiries and communicate with you.
• Review articles, photographs, event information, and other submissions.
• Publish approved content and comments.
• Deliver newsletters and other communications you request or that are disclosed when you provide your information, subject to applicable requirements.
• Administer Townie Awards nominations and voting, verify participation, and help prevent duplicate or improper submissions.
• Manage event-related communications and attendee information available to us.
• Understand website usage and improve content, navigation, and functionality.
• Detect spam, prevent misuse, troubleshoot problems, and protect website security.
• Maintain appropriate records and meet applicable legal obligations.

4. Newsletters and Email Preferences

When you subscribe to our newsletter, we use your email address and any other information requested at signup to deliver the newsletter and the types of updates described at the time you subscribe.

Our email service provider processes subscriber information and supports email delivery on our behalf. Depending on the tools and settings used, email services may also provide delivery, bounce, open, or link-click information to help us manage and understand our communications.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails using the unsubscribe link included in those emails or contact info@townienbpt.com for assistance.

Unsubscribing from marketing does not prevent us from responding to an inquiry or sending necessary non-marketing communications about an activity you initiated. It also does not automatically delete a submitted ballot, published contribution, or other records.

We may retain limited information needed to honor your unsubscribe request and avoid adding you back to a mailing list unintentionally.

The Townie Awards voting form includes a notice that email addresses may be used for marketing purposes. Any marketing use must be consistent with the notice and choices presented when you submit the form and with applicable requirements. You may unsubscribe from marketing emails afterward.

Submitting an article, sending a private inquiry, or making an Awards nomination does not, by itself, sign you up for our newsletter. Simply visiting the website or reading this policy does not constitute consent to marketing.

5. Submissions, Comments, and Public Content

Content you submit for publication, such as articles, photographs, and other community contributions, may appear publicly on the website with an author name or other agreed attribution.

Please clearly distinguish material intended for publication from private correspondence or contact information included with a submission. Sending a private inquiry or email does not, by itself, authorize us to publish its contents.

Article comments are reviewed before publication. Approved comments display the name and comment text you provide. The email address entered in the comment form’s email field is not displayed publicly with your comment. Information you include in the comment text itself may become public.

Public content may be indexed by search engines, copied, or shared by others. Removing content from our website does not necessarily remove copies, screenshots, archives, or search results held by third parties.

Photographs and other uploaded files may contain embedded information, such as location metadata. Remove information you do not want to share before sending files intended for publication.

This Privacy Policy does not transfer ownership of your content or independently grant publication rights. Publication permissions and ownership are addressed through our Terms of Service and any separate submission arrangements.

6. Townie Awards and Event Tickets

Nominations

When nominations are open, we use nomination information to review entries, communicate about nominations, and administer the Awards. Nominee names, business or organization names, and selected nomination material may be used in public Awards coverage or voting materials, subject to the applicable submission arrangements.

Voting

Townie Awards voting is conducted through Fillout. The form collects your email address and ballot responses and may require email verification or offer Google sign-in, depending on the options available on the form.

Verification is used to help confirm participation and prevent duplicate or improper votes. Voting records may be associated with the email address or account information used for verification; you should not assume that voting is anonymous.

See Section 4 for information about the voting form’s marketing notice and email preferences.

Tickets

Townie Awards event tickets are sold through Eventbrite. Payment processing is handled through Eventbrite and its payment providers. The Townie does not process or store your full payment-card details.

Depending on the event setup, The Townie may receive attendee names, email addresses, ticket types, order status, and responses to registration questions. We use the information available to us to administer the event and communicate about attendance.

Fillout, Google, and Eventbrite also process information according to their own privacy policies and the features you use.

7. Cookies, Analytics, and Third-Party Features

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies, which may include browser local storage and tracking technologies provided by connected services.

These technologies support website functionality, form submissions, security, usage measurement, and related marketing features. Form submission and marketing tracking tools may recognize repeat visits or associate website activity with a session or submitted contact information.

Third-party features currently described in this policy include:

• Fillout for Townie Awards voting.
• Eventbrite for event ticketing.
• Instagram for embedded social content.
• CitySpark for the community calendar.

We also use service providers for website hosting, forms, email delivery, analytics, and related operations.

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website and to improve its content and functionality. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information about website interactions, browser and device characteristics, and approximate location. For more information about how Google collects and processes information, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.

Embedded content and connected services may collect technical information when they load or when you interact with them. Depending on the provider and your settings, that information may be associated with an account you hold with that provider.

You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking cookies or similar technologies may affect forms, verification, embedded content, and other website features. Browser cookie settings do not necessarily prevent every form of information collection.

You can also review privacy settings and available controls directly with the third-party services you use.

Links to other websites are provided for convenience. Their operators are responsible for their own information practices. Review their privacy policies before providing information to them.

8. How Information Is Shared

Information may be shared in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: With providers that support hosting, forms, email delivery, analytics, security, comment administration, Awards voting, event ticketing, and other operations described in this policy.
• Public contributions: Through approved comments, published submissions, attribution, and Awards materials, as described in Sections 5 and 6.
• Connected services: When you use third-party forms, sign-in options, ticketing services, embeds, or other features that involve those providers.
• Legal and security matters: Where required by law or reasonably necessary to respond to a valid legal request, address fraud or misuse, protect people and systems, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
• At your direction: When you ask us to share information or provide permission for a specific disclosure.

Some providers process information on our behalf. Others also process information for their own purposes under their privacy policies. The role of a provider may depend on the particular service and interaction.

9. How Long We Keep Information

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, taking into account the type of information, the reason it was collected, ongoing relationships, security needs, and applicable legal obligations.

For example, subscriber information may be retained while a subscription is active, correspondence and Awards records may be retained for administration and recordkeeping, and limited unsubscribe information may be retained to honor your preferences.

Published articles, approved comments, attribution, and Awards coverage may remain in our editorial archives unless removed through an applicable editorial or legal process.

Deletion from active systems may not immediately remove information from backups. Information independently held by third-party services is also subject to their retention practices.

10. Information Security and Processing Locations

We take reasonable measures to protect information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. However, no website, email transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

The Townie operates in the United States. Our service providers may process or store information in the United States or other countries where they operate. Privacy protections may differ between locations.

11. Your Choices and Privacy Requests

You can:

• Choose whether to provide optional information. Some features cannot operate without the information they request.
• Unsubscribe from marketing emails.
• Manage cookies and related settings through your browser.
• Review privacy settings offered by connected third-party services.
• Contact us to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we hold about you.

Depending on where you live and which laws apply, you may have additional rights, such as obtaining a copy of your information, restricting or objecting to certain processing, or appealing a decision about a privacy request.

Send requests to info@townienbpt.com. Please describe your request and provide enough information for us to locate the relevant records. Do not send sensitive identification documents unless we specifically request an appropriate verification method.

We may need to verify your identity or authority before acting on a request. We will respond as required by applicable law and explain relevant limitations or available next steps.

Some information may need to be retained for legal, security, recordkeeping, or other permitted purposes. Requests involving published journalism, public contributions, or editorial archives may also be subject to applicable legal protections and editorial considerations.

12. Children’s Privacy

The Townie is a general-audience publication and is not directed to children under 13. Our signup, contact, commenting, and voting features are not intended for children under 13 to submit personal information.

If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information through our online features, contact info@townienbpt.com. We will investigate and take appropriate steps, including deleting information collected without any legally required parental consent.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as our website, services, or information practices change.

The current version will appear on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date. Where required, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent before applying a change.

14. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or to make a privacy request, contact:

The Townie
Greater Newburyport, Massachusetts
Email: info@townienbpt.com
Website: www.townienbpt.com