Privacy Policy
The principle before the details
TIMES OF CANNABIS covers a subject that is lawful in some jurisdictions and prohibited in others. We are acutely aware that a record of reading about cannabis is, for some of our readers, a sensitive fact. That awareness shapes this policy. Our rule is data minimalism: we collect as little as the site needs to function, we keep it no longer than necessary, and we never build profiles of individual readers’ interest in cannabis. You can read every page on this site without creating an account, and we prefer it that way.
What we collect, and why
Server logs
Like nearly every website, our servers automatically record technical information when you visit: your IP address, the pages requested, the time of the request, your browser type, and the referring page. We use these logs to keep the site running, to diagnose faults, and to defend against abuse such as scraping and denial-of-service attempts. Logs are retained for a short operational window and then deleted or reduced to anonymous aggregate form.
Cookies and similar technologies
We use a small number of cookies for essential site functions, for remembering preferences, and, where advertising partners require it, for serving and measuring ads. Cookies are covered fully in our separate cookie policy, including how to refuse them. Nothing essential to reading the news on this site depends on advertising cookies.
Analytics
We measure readership in aggregate: which stories are read, from which regions, on which kinds of devices. This tells us which desks to invest in. We configure analytics to avoid tracking identified individuals, and we do not attempt to join analytics data with any identity.
Email you send us
If you write to support@timesofcannabis.com, we receive your address and whatever you include. We use it to reply and to act on your message. We do not add correspondents to any marketing list, and we do not sell, rent, or trade email addresses with anyone, ever.
What we do not collect
- We do not require registration or accounts to read the site.
- We do not ask for, and do not want, information about your personal use of cannabis. Do not send us medical histories or descriptions of conduct that may be unlawful where you live; if you do, we will delete them.
- We do not collect precise location data.
- We do not knowingly collect any information from minors. This publication is intended for adults, and if we learn that a minor has submitted personal information, we will delete it.
Advertising partners
Advertising funds this site, as our ownership and funding page explains. Some advertising partners use cookies or similar technologies to serve and measure ads, and those partners operate under their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to read. We do not hand advertisers our readers’ identities, and we contractually expect partners to comply with the privacy laws that apply to them. Where the law requires consent for advertising cookies, we seek it before they are set.
Affiliate links
Some articles contain disclosed affiliate links. When you follow one, the destination site may recognize that you arrived from Times of Cannabis so that a commission can be attributed. What happens on the destination site is governed by that site’s privacy policy, not ours.
Sharing and disclosure
We share personal information only with service providers who operate the site on our behalf, such as hosting and email infrastructure, and only to the extent needed for those services. We may disclose information where the law genuinely compels it, and if a demand for reader data ever arrives, our practice is to disclose the minimum the law requires and to resist overbroad requests. We do not volunteer reader information to anyone.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have legal rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict the use of your personal data, and to object to certain processing. Whatever the local statute, our practice is the same everywhere: write to support@timesofcannabis.com with the subject line PRIVACY and tell us what you want. We will verify that the request comes from the person concerned, act on it within the time the applicable law allows, and tell you what we did. If you believe we have mishandled your data, you may also complain to the supervisory authority in your jurisdiction, though we would appreciate the chance to fix the problem first.
Retention
We keep personal data only as long as it serves the purpose it was collected for. Server logs are kept for a short operational period. Correspondence is kept while a matter is open and for a reasonable archival period afterward, since correction requests and legal notices sometimes require history. Aggregate statistics, which identify no one, may be kept indefinitely.
Security
The site is served over encrypted connections, access to our systems is restricted to the small team that runs them, and we apply security updates promptly. No system on the internet is beyond compromise, and we will not pretend otherwise. If a breach ever affects personal data we hold, we will notify affected readers and the relevant authorities as the law requires, and we will say publicly what happened.
International readers
This site is read worldwide, and the infrastructure that serves it may process data in countries other than yours. Where data protection law imposes conditions on such transfers, we rely on the safeguards recognized by that law.
Changes to this policy
When we change this policy, we change the text on this page and note the date of revision. If a change is material, we will say so prominently on the site rather than relying on readers to diff the document. Continued use of the site after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
