Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what information HipHopCitizen.com collects, why, and the choices you have. We keep it short on purpose: we collect very little, and we never sell your information.

1. Who we are

HipHopCitizen.com ("HipHopCitizen," "we," "us") is an independent site covering politics, culture and hip hop. It is operated by J.V. Mack. Questions about this policy: office@hiphopcitizen.com.

2. What we collect

Information you give us

• Newsletter sign-up. When you join "Stay in the Know," we collect your email address, the date and time you signed up, and the page you signed up from.
• Messages you send us. If you email us, for example with a tip, a correction or a question, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to include.

Information collected automatically

• Spam protection. To stop bots from flooding our sign-up form, we briefly record a scrambled (one-way hashed) version of your IP address with the times of your sign-up attempts. We can't turn it back into your IP address, and we only use it to limit repeated sign-ups within an hour.
• Server logs. Like nearly every website, our hosting provider automatically processes technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser type, the pages requested and the time of the request. This is used to deliver the site and keep it secure.
• Settings saved on your device. Some sections may remember a choice you make, such as your country or state, in your browser's local storage. That choice stays on your device; it is not sent to us.

What we don't collect

We don't require accounts, we don't take payments, and we don't currently use advertising or analytics trackers. If that changes, we'll update this policy and our Cookie Policy first.

3. How we use information

• To send the newsletter you asked for.
• To answer your messages, tips and correction requests.
• To keep the site running, secure and free of spam and abuse.
• To meet legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for targeted advertising.

4. Legal bases (EEA and UK visitors)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on your consent for the newsletter (you can withdraw it anytime), and on our legitimate interests in running a secure, working website for spam protection and server logs.

5. Who we share it with

We share information only with service providers that help us run the site, and only as needed:

• Hostinger, our web host and email provider, which stores the site, our subscriber list and our email.
• Google. Our pages load fonts from Google Fonts and video thumbnails from YouTube, and some pages embed YouTube videos. When your browser loads these, it connects to Google's servers, which receive your IP address and may set cookies for embedded videos. Google's use of that data is covered by Google's Privacy Policy.
• An email newsletter service, if we start using one to send the newsletter. It would receive only your email address.

We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights and safety of our readers, our site or others.

6. How our news summaries are made

Some of our daily content, including news summaries and explainers, is prepared with the help of AI tools using publicly available reporting, and each item links to its original source. No reader personal information is sent to these tools.

7. How long we keep it

• Newsletter emails: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them. We remove them within 30 days of your request.
• Spam-protection records: used only for about an hour, then discarded.
• Messages you send us: as long as needed to respond and keep a record of corrections.
• Server logs: for the period set by our hosting provider for security and operations.

8. Your choices and rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to see, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you, and you can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights:

• EEA and UK: the rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing, to data portability, and to withdraw consent. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.
• California and other U.S. states with privacy laws: the rights to know, access, correct and delete your personal information, and to not be discriminated against for using these rights. We do not sell or share personal information as those laws define it.

To make a request, email office@hiphopcitizen.com with the subject "Privacy Request." We'll respond within 30 days and may need to confirm that the request comes from you.

9. International visitors

Our readers are worldwide. Our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries, which may have different data protection rules than yours. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers.

10. Security

We use reasonable safeguards, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and storing our subscriber list outside the public part of our website. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.

11. Children

HipHopCitizen.com is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA and UK), and we don't knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we'll delete it.

12. Links to other sites

Our stories link to news outlets, video platforms and other sites. Their privacy practices are their own, so please review their policies.

13. Changes to this policy

We'll post any changes here and update the effective date at the top. For significant changes, we'll give notice on the site or in the newsletter.

14. Contact

Email office@hiphopcitizen.com.