Privacy Policy

Effective: October 24, 2026 · Last revised: October 24, 2026

This policy explains, in plain language, what personal information Obskene (“Obskene”, “we”, “us”) collects when you use obskene.org (the “Site”), why we collect it, who we share it with and what control you have over it.

1. Who is responsible
2. What we collect
3. Why we use it
4. Lawful bases (EEA/UK)
5. Cookies
6. Amazon & affiliate links
7. Service providers
8. When we disclose data
9. How long we keep data
10. How we protect data
11. Your rights
12. California & other U.S. states
13. Do Not Track & GPC
14. Children
15. International transfers
16. Third-party websites
17. Updates to this policy
18. How to reach us

1. Who is responsible for your data

Obskene is the data controller for personal information processed through the Site. Questions or requests can be sent to Bruce Burkhart at [email protected].

2. What we collect

When you contact or interact with us

• Contact form & email: your name, email address, the topic you select and your message.
• Comments: the name, email address and optional website you provide, your comment, and the IP address and browser user-agent recorded to help detect spam.
• Optional programs: if we ever run a newsletter, survey or giveaway, the details you choose to submit.

Automatically, when you browse

• Technical data: IP address, device and browser type, operating system, language, referring page, pages visited and timestamps.
• Cookie data: identifiers stored by cookies and similar technologies (see Cookies).
• General location: country or city inferred from your IP address — never your precise location.

We do not ask for, and ask you not to send, sensitive information such as health data, government ID numbers or payment card details.

3. Why we use your information

• To deliver the Site and keep it fast, secure and working properly.
• To answer your messages, review suggestions, corrections and privacy requests.
• To publish and moderate comments and block spam.
• To understand, in aggregate, which reviews readers find useful.
• To receive credit (and commissions) for purchases made through affiliate links.
• To prevent fraud and abuse, enforce our policies and meet legal obligations.

We never sell personal information for money, and we do not use it for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

4. Lawful bases (EEA, UK and Switzerland)

• Consent — for non-essential cookies where the law requires it. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests — operating, securing and improving the Site, replying to you, moderating comments and measuring affiliate referrals, balanced against your rights.
• Legal obligation — where processing is required by law.

5. Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. On Obskene they fall into four groups:

• Essential: needed for security, performance and core features, including cookies from our security/CDN provider and WordPress cookies when you log in or comment.
• Preference: remember your comment details if you tick the box to save them (kept for up to one year).
• Analytics: where enabled, measure traffic in aggregate so we know what’s useful.
• Affiliate: set by partners such as Amazon after you click an affiliate link, so a qualifying purchase can be credited to Obskene.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; blocking third-party cookies stops affiliate tracking cookies. Some parts of the Site may not work properly without essential cookies. Where required, we ask for consent before setting non-essential cookies.

6. Amazon and affiliate links

Obskene is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Clicking an Amazon link takes you to Amazon, which may collect information and set cookies under the Amazon Privacy Notice. Amazon does not share your name, address or payment details with us; we only receive aggregated reports of qualifying sales. More in our Affiliate Disclaimer.

7. Service providers we rely on

• Web hosting & WordPress — stores Site content, form submissions and server logs.
• Cloudflare — content delivery and protection against attacks; processes IP addresses and request data. Cloudflare Privacy Policy.
• Google Fonts — serves the Site’s typefaces; Google receives your IP address and browser details when fonts load. Google Privacy Policy.
• Gravatar — if you comment, a hashed version of your email may be checked against Gravatar for a profile image. Automattic Privacy Policy.
• Email delivery — contact form messages are delivered to our inbox via our host’s mail service.
• Embeds — videos or widgets embedded in posts behave as if you visited the source site and may use their own cookies and tracking.

8. When we disclose information

• To service providers acting on our behalf under confidentiality and data protection commitments.
• To affiliate partners, limited to the click and cookie data needed to credit referrals.
• When required by law or valid legal process, or to protect the rights, safety or property of Obskene, our readers or others.
• As part of a merger, acquisition or sale of the Site, with this policy continuing to apply.
• With your permission or at your request.

9. How long we keep data

• Messages: as long as needed to handle your request, then up to 24 months for reference before deletion.
• Comments: kept with their metadata until you ask us to remove them.
• Logs: normally deleted within 90 days unless needed to investigate a security incident.

10. How we protect data

The whole Site runs over HTTPS, sits behind a security-focused CDN, and administrative access is limited and password-protected. No system is completely secure, but we take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information.

11. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you can ask to:

• access the personal information we hold about you and get a copy;
• correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
• delete your information;
• restrict or object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
• receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format;
• withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent; and
• complain to a data protection authority, such as the UK ICO or your local EU supervisory authority.

To make a request, email [email protected] or use the contact form and choose “My privacy data”. We respond within the time the law requires — usually 30 days (45 days under U.S. state laws) — and may need to verify your identity first. Exercising your rights will never lead to worse treatment.

12. California and other U.S. state rights

If you live in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon or another state with a comprehensive privacy law, you may have the right to know what personal information we collect and why, to access, correct and delete it, and to opt out of the “sale” of personal information or its “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising.

In the last 12 months we collected: identifiers (name, email, IP address), internet activity (pages viewed, referrers) and approximate geolocation, from you and your device, for the purposes in Section 3. We do not sell personal information for money. Affiliate cookies placed when you click a link may count as “sharing” under some laws — you can opt out by blocking third-party cookies, turning on Global Privacy Control, or contacting us. We do not knowingly sell or share data of anyone under 16. You may use an authorized agent, and you can appeal a decision on your request by replying to our response.

13. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

There is no agreed standard for “Do Not Track” signals, so the Site does not respond to them. Where the law requires, we honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as an opt-out of sale or sharing for that browser.

14. Children

Obskene is meant for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA and UK). We do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, contact us and we’ll delete it.

15. International transfers

Our providers may process data in countries other than yours, including the United States, where data protection laws may differ. For transfers from the EEA, UK or Switzerland we rely on safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent mechanisms.

16. Third-party websites

Links on Obskene lead to sites we don’t control, including Amazon and other retailers. Their privacy practices are their own, so please review their policies before sharing information with them.

17. Updates to this policy

We’ll update this policy when our practices or the law change. The “Last revised” date at the top always shows the latest version, and significant changes will be highlighted on the Site. Continuing to use the Site after an update means you accept the revised policy.

18. How to reach us