Privacy Policy

We respect your privacy, and we want you to know what information is (and is not) collected on this website, and how it is (and is not) used.

Browsing

If you visit this website to browse, read, or download information, your web browser automatically sends information such as

• the Internet domain through which you access the Internet (e.g., yourServiceProvider.com if you use a commercial Internet service provider, or yourSchool.edu if you use an Internet account from your school);
• the Internet Protocol address of the computer you are using;
• the browser and operating system you are using;
• the date and time of your visit; and
• the Internet address of any site from which you linked directly to our site.

We use this information only in the aggregate, to see how many people are visiting different sections of the website.  We do not and will not use this information to identify individuals.

We will not obtain any personally-identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide that information.  In other words, if you fill out a volunteer form with your name and address, we’ll gratefully use that information to get you involved in Libertarian campaigns and other Libertarian Party activities.  But you don’t need to worry that we have some secret way of knowing and recording your name and address unless you choose to give us the information.

If you do choose to provide personally-identifying information, we may use it to provide you with further information about our candidates and activities within the state, but we will not sell, rent, or otherwise disclose your information to anyone else.

Cookies

A cookie, in the online world, is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, which the visitor’s browser then provides to the website each time the visitor returns.  Automattic (the company that wrote all the code in which this website is written) uses cookies to gather information about how visitors are using the website, and to customize the viewing experience for those who have registered with Automattic.  At times, we may also use cookies to improve the cost-effectiveness of digital advertising done by our party or our candidates, e.g., by making that advertising more likely to reach voters who have shown an interest in the Libertarian Party of Maryland.  Third-party widgets from services such as YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook may also make use of cookies depending on their configuration.  Automattic, Google (which owns YouTube), Twitter, and Facebook all have their own privacy policies that may differ from this one, and you should consult their privacy policies if you want to learn more about how they use cookies.

But whatever those other folks are doing, please know that you are not required to accept any cookies to use this site; none are required for site functionality.  In addition, some of these third parties may be members of the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”).  To remove yourself from some or all NAI member advertising programs, please visit the NAI Opt-Out Page and follow the relevant instructions.  Please note that you may need to renew your opt-out choice for each of the computers, browsers, or mobile devices you use.

Analytics

Automattic.com provides us with statistical summaries of how many people visit each page, which blog posts they read, the link they clicked or terms they typed into their search engines to find us, and in some cases the links they click to leave our site.  As far as we know, there is no way to correlate any of this information with any particular person’s identity, but in case such a way gets invented, please know that we will not disclose any personally identifiable information from these data summaries either, unless we have your consent, a subpoena, or both.  If you would like further information on these more esoteric data collections, you can find it here.

Google provides a similar service called Google Analytics, which we may also use from time to time.  Although Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site, the cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google.  Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this site is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy.  You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this site by disabling cookies on your browser.

Reading and Commenting on Blog Posts

Visitors who read our blog posts online without commenting are not revealing any more about themselves than those who browse other parts of our site.  However, when readers choose to subscribe to our blog posts, their e-mail addresses may become visible via the administration tools for the RSS feed.  Please rest assured that we will not share this information with anyone without your consent, a subpoena, or both.

Comments are another matter.  Comments submitted for publication on the blog should be considered entirely public.  When readers choose to become commenters (after reading our Comment Guidelines, of course), they may be asked to type in their names, e-mail addresses, or personal website URLs.  Readers who take this step must understand that whatever they write may well turn up in Internet searches on their names.  The site also automatically tracks the IP addresses of commenters.  In privacy terms, these pieces of information aren’t exactly the crown jewels, but they can be and have been used (by other people on other sites, not by us or by anyone with respect to this site)  to identify the authors of anonymous comments when there are allegations of libel or other wrongful conduct.  We will always protect non-public information from disclosure to the extent we are legally entitled to do so, but if we are served with a subpoena we may (or may not) comply.

Some degree of self-disclosure is almost inevitable in public discourse, but some individuals may knowingly or inadvertently provide personal information in their published comments that they later regret disclosing.  We assume no liability for any self-disclosures made in posts or comments submitted for publication. To the extent that no self-disclosure occurs—that is, to the extent that a commenter’s identity is not evident to the reading public from the face of the blog—please rest assured that we will not share any of this information with anyone without consent, a subpoena, or both.

We reserve the right to change, modify or update this policy at any time without notice.  Any substantial changes in the way we use your personal information will be posted on this site.