Privacy Policy

Updated 08/2019

Introduction

Here at Spark Sisterhood, we take your privacy very seriously. We have made your personal data protection our priority.

We want you to feel safe and your privacy protected while visiting our site and communicating with us. That is why we adhere to the strictest laws and guidelines available worldwide. At present, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the leader in consumer data protection. Therefore, even though we are based in the United States, we have adopted the EU’s strict guidelines as they pertain to our storage and handling of personal data.

What is this Privacy Policy for?

This privacy policy is for this website http://www.SparkSisterhood.com and governs the privacy of its users who choose to use it.

The policy sets out the different areas where user privacy is concerned and outlines the obligations & requirements of the users, the website and website owners.  Furthermore, the way this website processes, stores and protects user data and information will also be detailed within this policy.

The Website

This website and its owners take a proactive approach to user privacy and ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of its users throughout their visiting experience.

General Data

While visiting our website, general, anonymous, data is collected and stored in our server logs and Google analytics. http://www.SparkSisterhood.com receives this anonymous data through normal use of our website. This information is needed to 1) deliver the website content correctly, 2) to optimize our content on our website and advertisements, 3) ensure the viability of our content and website technology, and 4) provide law enforcement authorities with the information necessary for criminal prosecution in the case of a cyber-attack. This data may include the following:

• The browser types and versions used (e.g. Google Chrome, Explorer, Firefox, etc.)
• The operating system used by the visitor (e.g. Windows, Apple OS, Linux, etc.)
• The referring link or means used to reach our website (e.g. Facebook ad, Google Search, entering the website URL directly, etc.)
• The (ISP) internet service provider (e.g. AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner, etc.)
• The Language used to read our content (e.g. English-US, English-UK, Spanish, etc.)
• The general location of the visitor (e.g. country, city, etc.)
• The screen resolution used by the visitor (e.g. 768×124, 360×640, etc.)
• The possible age and gender of the user. This is assumed by Google analytics based on user history and online behavior. http://www.SparkSisterhood.com only receives anonymous data, not personal information.
• The possible interests of visitors. This is assumed by Google analytics based on user history and online behavior. http://www.SparkSisterhood.com only receives anonymous data, not personal information.
• User behavior such as a new visitor or a returning visitor.
• User frequency (e.g. has the user visited just once, or do they visit frequently)
• Session Duration (How long users stay engaged on the website and how many pages visited)
• Landing Page (which page the user visits when first entering the website)
• The user IP address (Internet Protocol Address)

Personal Data

In certain instances, personal data is collected from users and stored safely on our server logs. This information is used to reply to user comments and follow up on comments, questions, and other purposes. No personal data is sold to third parties nor shared with companies/people outside http://www.SparkSisterhood.com. In addition to the general data listed above, the personal data collected may include:

• User name. The user enters this information into the form. Entering just a first name is acceptable.
• User email address. This information is required for security purposes.
• The comments, links, and any other information entered voluntarily by the user.

Email Newsletter

This website operates an email newsletter program, used to inform subscribers about services supplied by this website, new added services, changes to services, policy changes, and other uses.  Users can subscribe through an online automated process should they wish to do so but do so at their own discretion.  Some subscriptions may be manually processed through prior written agreement with the user.

Subscriptions are taken in compliance with relevant GDPR laws.  All personal details relating to subscriptions are held securely and in accordance with those Laws and Regulations.

No personal details are passed on to third parties nor shared with companies/people outside of the company that operates this website.

Email marketing campaigns published by this website or its owners may contain tracking facilities within the actual email.  Subscriber activity is tracked and stored in a database for future analysis and evaluation.  This information is used to refine future email campaigns and supply the user with more relevant content based around their activity.

In compliance with the GDPR Laws on Privacy, subscribers are given the opportunity to unsubscribe at any time through an automated system.  This process is detailed at the footer of each email campaign.

Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect information from children.  We will take steps to delete it if we learn we have collected it.

We do not knowingly collect, maintain or use Personal Information from children, and no part of the Site is directed to children.  If you learn that your child has provided us with Personal Information without your consent, you may alert us at Judy@SparkSisterhood.com If we learn that we have collected any Personal Information from children, we will promptly take steps to delete such information and terminate the child’s account.

Use of Cookies

This website uses cookies to better the users experience while visiting the website.  Where applicable, this website uses a cookie control system allowing the user on their first visit to the website to allow or disallow the use of cookies on their computer/device.  This complies with legislation requirements for websites to obtain explicit consent from users before leaving behind or reading files such as cookies on a user’s computer/device.

Cookies are small files saved to the user’s computer’s hard drive that track, save and store information about the user’s interactions and usage of the website.  This allows the website, through its server, to provide the users with a tailored experience within this website.

Users are advised that if they wish to deny the use and saving of cookies from this website on to their computer’s hard drive they should take necessary steps within their web browsers security settings to block all cookies from this website and its external serving vendors.

This website uses tracking software to monitor its visitors to better understand how they use it.  This software is provided by Google Analytics which uses cookies to track visitor usage.  The software will save a cookie to your computer’s hard drive in order to track and monitor your engagement and usage of the website, but will not store, save or collect personal information.  You can read Google’s Privacy Policy here for further information.

When you visit our website, the following information will automatically be processed and is solely for the use of Google Analytics:

• The requested web page or download;
• Whether the request was successful or not;
• The date and time when you accessed the site;
• The Internet address of the website or the domain name of the computer from which you accessed the site;
• The operating system of the machine running your web browser and the type and version of your web browser;
• The type of device used to access this website.

Other cookies may be stored to your computer’s hard drive by external vendors when this website uses referral programs or other third party involvement.  Such cookies are used for conversion and referral tracking and typically expire after 30 days, though some may take longer.  No personal information is stored, saved or collected.

External Links

Although this website only looks to include quality, safe and relevant external links, users are advised to adopt a policy of caution before clicking any external web links mentioned throughout this website.  (External links are clickable text/banner/image links to other websites.)

The owners of this website cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite their best efforts.  Users should therefore note that they click on external links at their own risk and this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned.

Social Media Platforms

Communication, engagement and actions taken through external social media platforms that this website and its owners participate on are custom to the terms and conditions as well as the Privacy Policies held with each social media platform respectively.

Users are advised to use social media platforms wisely and communicate/engage upon them with due care and caution in regard to their own privacy and personal details.  This website nor its owners will never ask for personal or sensitive information through social media platforms and encourage users wishing to discuss sensitive details to contact them through primary communication channels such as email.

This website may use social sharing buttons which help share web content directly from web pages to the social media platform in question.  Users are advised before using such social sharing buttons that they do so at their own discretion and note that the social media platform may track and save your request to share a web page respectively through your social media platform account.

Shortened Links in Social Media

This website and its owners through their social media platform accounts may share web links to relevant web pages.  By default, some social media platforms shorten lengthy URL’s (web addressed) for example: https://tinyurl.com/yyzkeyzh

Users are advised to take caution and good judgement before clicking any shortened URL’s published on social media platforms by this website and its owners.  Despite the best efforts to ensure only genuine URL’s are published many social media platforms are prone to spam and hacking and therefore this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any shortened links.

Contact & Communication

Users contacting this website and/or its owners do so at their own discretion and provide any such personal details requested at their own risk.  Your personal information is kept private and stored securely until a time it is no longer required or has no use.  Every effort has been made to ensure a safe and secure form to email submission processes but advise users using such form to email processes that they do so at their own risk.

This website and its owners use any information submitted to provide you with further information about the services they offer or to assist you in answering any questions or queries you may have submitted.  This includes using your details to subscribe you to any email newsletter program the website operates but only if this was made clear to you and your express permission was granted when submitting any form to email process.  Or whereby you the consumer have previously purchased from or enquired about purchasing from the company a service that the email newsletter relates to.  This is by no means an entire list of your user rights in regard to receiving email marketing material.  Your details are not passed on to any third parties.

International Users

The Personal Information collected on our Site is processed and stored in the United states.  If you are visiting from the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use, please note that you are agreeing to the transfer of your information to the United States.  By providing your information or registering on our Site, you consent to any transfer, processing and storage in accordance with this Privacy Policy.  You also acknowledge that applicable laws in jurisdictions to which your Personal Information is transferred might permit governments, courts, law enforcement or regulatory agencies to access your Personal Information in those jurisdictions.

Online Payment System

This website uses PayPal to process donations.  PayPal collects your billing information and credit card.  Refer to the PayPal privacy policy for further information. You can find it here.

Feedback

Any comments or suggestions that you may have and which may contribute to a better quality of service will be welcome and greatly appreciated.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy & Practices

We will post any adjustments to the Privacy Policy on this web page, and the revised version will be effective when it is posted.  If you are concerned about how your information is used, bookmark this page and read this Privacy Policy periodically.