1. Who We Are
Plankton Tech ("we", "us", "our") operates the website located at planktontech.org. We are an independent technology media publication based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Our editorial focus is technology news, analysis, and commentary.
Our registered contact address is: 475 Kingswood Rd, Toronto, ON M4E 3P4, Canada. You may reach us at [email protected] or by telephone at +1 403-470-5298.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website. We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), as well as, where applicable, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:
- Contact form submissions: your name, email address, and message content when you use the contact form on our website.
- Newsletter sign-ups: your email address if you subscribe to our newsletter.
- Comments (if enabled): your name, email address, and comment content.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically by our servers and third-party analytics tools, including:
- Your Internet Protocol (IP) address (anonymised where technically feasible)
- Browser type, version, and operating system
- Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
- Date and time of your visit
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
This information is collected in aggregate form and is not ordinarily linked to any individual person.
2.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience, analyse site traffic, and serve relevant advertising. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for full details.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to your inquiries: when you contact us via our contact form, we use your name and email address to respond to your message.
- To send our newsletter: if you subscribe, we use your email address to deliver editorial content. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link in each email.
- To analyse website traffic: we use aggregated, anonymised data to understand how visitors interact with our content and to improve our website.
- To serve advertising: we may work with advertising partners, including Outbrain, Inc., to display interest-based advertisements. These partners may use cookies to collect data about your browsing behaviour. We do not share personally identifiable information with advertisers.
- To comply with legal obligations: we may retain and disclose information where required by applicable law or legal process.
We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
5. Third-Party Services
Our website may use the following third-party services that have access to certain usage data:
- Google Analytics: web analytics service operated by Google LLC. Google may transfer data to servers in the United States. For information on Google's data practices, please visit policies.google.com/privacy.
- Outbrain: a content discovery and advertising platform. Outbrain may collect data about your browsing activity to serve relevant content recommendations. For information, please visit outbrain.com/legal.
- Google Fonts: fonts served via Google's content delivery infrastructure. Your IP address may be transmitted to Google when fonts are loaded.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law:
- Contact form data: retained for up to 12 months after the inquiry is resolved.
- Newsletter subscriber data: retained until you unsubscribe; upon unsubscription, your email address is removed from our active mailing list within 30 days.
- Server logs: retained for up to 90 days for security and diagnostic purposes.
- Analytics data: anonymised aggregated data may be retained indefinitely for statistical purposes.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right of access: you may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: you may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal information.
- Right to restrict processing: you may request that we limit the way we use your personal information.
- Right to data portability: you may request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to object: you may object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
- Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent to process your information, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
If you are located in the European Economic Area and believe we have not addressed your concerns adequately, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
8. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our website is served over HTTPS (Transport Layer Security). However, no method of transmission over the Internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected individuals and the appropriate regulatory authority as required by applicable law.
9. Children's Privacy
Our website is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without appropriate parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected].
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
Your continued use of our website after any changes to this policy constitutes your acknowledgement of those changes.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Plankton Tech – Privacy Inquiries475 Kingswood Rd, Toronto, ON M4E 3P4, Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 403-470-5298