This policy explains what MicroCap Observer collects when you use this website, why we collect it, and what control you have over it. You can read the site without giving us any personal information at all.

Who we are

MicroCap Observer publishes this website. Our postal address is Building 33, Apt 208, 21550 Green Hill Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48335, United States. For any privacy question, write to contact@microcapobserver.com.

What we collect

Information you give us

  • Newsletter. If you subscribe, we store your email address and the topics and frequency you selected.
  • Contact form. If you write to us, we store your name, email address and message so we can reply.
  • Comments. If you comment on an article, we store the name you supply, your email address and the comment itself.
  • Push notifications. If you allow browser notifications, your browser gives us a subscription token that lets us send them. It does not identify you personally.

Information collected automatically

  • Server logs. Our web server records requests, including IP address, browser user-agent, the page requested and the referring page. These logs are used for security and troubleshooting.
  • Article view statistics. To count how often an article is read without building a profile of you, we store a hashed visitor identifier derived from your session and browser, and a hashed IP address. We store these as one-way hashes rather than the underlying values, and we use them only to de-duplicate view counts.
  • Cookie consent. We record your cookie choice so we do not have to ask again on every visit.

Why we use it

We use this information to deliver the newsletter you asked for, to answer your messages, to publish and moderate comments, to measure which articles are read, to keep the site secure and working, and to meet our legal obligations. We do not use it to make automated decisions about you.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We use them to remember your cookie preference and to keep your session working. Where analytics or advertising cookies are used, they are set only after you consent, and you can change or withdraw that consent at any time through your browser settings or by clearing the cookie.

Most browsers let you block cookies entirely. The site remains readable if you do, though some features may not work as intended.

Analytics and advertising

We may use Google Analytics to understand aggregate traffic patterns, and Google AdSense to display advertising. These are third-party services with their own privacy policies, and they may set cookies or receive your IP address when their content loads. We do not control what they collect, and this policy does not cover their practices.

You can review how Google uses data from sites that use its services on Google's own policies page, and you can opt out of personalised advertising through Google's ad settings.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not trade it. We share it only with service providers who help us operate the site — such as our hosting provider and our email delivery service — and only to the extent they need it to perform that work.

We may disclose information where we are legally required to, or where it is necessary to protect our rights, our users, or the security of the site.

How long we keep it

Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. Contact messages are kept while we deal with the enquiry and for a reasonable period afterwards. Server logs and hashed view statistics are kept for a limited retention window and then deleted or aggregated. Comments remain published until you or we remove them.

Your choices and rights

  • Unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the link in every email.
  • Turn off push notifications in your browser's site settings.
  • Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Request correction or deletion of that information.
  • Object to or restrict certain processing.

To exercise any of these, email contact@microcapobserver.com. We will not discriminate against you for making a request. Depending on where you live — for example in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or a US state with its own privacy statute — you may have additional rights, including the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS, and we apply technical and organisational measures to protect the information we hold. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of unauthorised access, loss or disclosure.

International transfers

Our servers are located in the United States. If you access the site from elsewhere, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection law may differ from that of your own country.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Links to other sites

We link to external sites, including regulatory databases and company websites. We are not responsible for their content or their privacy practices, and this policy does not apply to them.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. When we do, we will change the date at the top of this page. Material changes will be noted more prominently.