Welcome to Articlesrfree.com, home of Gemstones, Sapphires, Rubies, Emeralds and Birthstones.
This Privacy Notice explains how information may be collected, used, stored and protected when you visit Articlesrfree.com or communicate with us.
Privacy notices are rarely the most enchanting objects in the cabinet. Nevertheless, personal information should be handled carefully, rather like an old family jewel whose history is not to be passed around the village without good reason.
Who We Are
Articlesrfree.com is an independent informational website publishing articles about gemstones, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, birthstones, jewelry, mineral history and related subjects.
For the purposes of applicable data-protection law, the operator of Articlesrfree.com is responsible for deciding how personal information collected through this website is used.
Questions about this Privacy Notice or the handling of personal information may be sent through the contact method available on Articlesrfree.com or to:
Email: [privacy_master@articlesrfree.com]
Information We May Collect
The information collected depends on how you use the website.
You may browse many parts of Articlesrfree.com without deliberately giving us your name or contact details. Certain technical information may nevertheless be transmitted automatically by your browser, device, hosting provider or security services.
The categories of information we may collect include:
Information You Provide Directly
You may voluntarily provide information when you:
- send us an email;
- submit a contact form;
- leave a comment, where commenting is available;
- subscribe to a newsletter or notification service;
- respond to a survey;
- report an error or technical problem; or
- otherwise communicate with us.
This information may include your name, email address, message content and any other details you decide to include.
Please do not send confidential, highly sensitive or unnecessary personal information. A simple gemstone question does not require the chronicles of the entire bloodline.
Technical and Usage Information
When you visit Articlesrfree.com, certain technical information may be collected automatically.
This may include:
- your Internet Protocol address;
- browser type and version;
- device type;
- operating system;
- approximate geographic region;
- referring website or page;
- pages viewed;
- links clicked;
- dates and times of visits;
- session duration;
- language settings;
- error reports; and
- general interaction data.
This information may be recorded in server logs or processed through analytics, security, caching or content-delivery services.
Cookie and Similar Technology Data
Articlesrfree.com may use cookies, local storage, pixels, tags or similar technologies.
These technologies may store or retrieve information from your device for purposes such as:
- maintaining essential website functions;
- remembering preferences;
- measuring website traffic;
- understanding how visitors use the site;
- improving performance;
- preventing fraud and abuse;
- delivering or measuring advertising; and
- recording cookie choices.
More information is available in our separate Cookie Notice.
How We Use Information
We may use personal information and technical data to:
- operate and maintain Articlesrfree.com;
- display website pages correctly;
- respond to messages and inquiries;
- understand which articles are useful or popular;
- improve navigation, design and content;
- diagnose technical problems;
- protect the website from spam, malicious traffic and security threats;
- prevent misuse or unauthorized access;
- comply with legal obligations;
- establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
- administer advertising or affiliate arrangements;
- measure the performance of links and campaigns; and
- maintain records necessary for the operation of the website.
We do not collect personal information merely to admire it in a locked drawer. Information should have a defined and reasonable purpose.
Legal Bases for Processing
Where applicable data-protection law requires a legal basis, we may process personal information under one or more of the following grounds:
Consent
We may rely on your consent when you voluntarily subscribe to communications, accept non-essential cookies or agree to another specific use of your information.
Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not make earlier lawful processing unlawful.
Legitimate Interests
We may process information where it is reasonably necessary for legitimate interests such as:
- operating and improving the website;
- understanding general visitor activity;
- maintaining website security;
- preventing fraud and spam;
- responding to ordinary inquiries; and
- supporting the commercial sustainability of the publication.
We consider whether these interests are balanced against the rights and reasonable expectations of visitors.
Contractual Necessity
If you request a service or enter into an arrangement with us, certain information may be processed where necessary to take requested steps or fulfil that arrangement.
Legal Obligation
Information may be processed where necessary to comply with laws, regulations, court orders or lawful requests from competent authorities.
Legal Claims
We may retain or use information where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
Analytics
Articlesrfree.com may use analytics tools to understand general website activity.
Analytics information can help us learn:
- how visitors find the website;
- which pages are viewed;
- how long visitors remain;
- which devices and browsers are commonly used; and
- whether pages function properly.
Depending on the analytics service and your cookie choices, this information may involve cookies or online identifiers.
Where required, non-essential analytics technologies will be used only after appropriate consent has been obtained.
Analytics reports are generally reviewed in aggregated form. We are interested in whether readers appreciate an article about sapphires, not in following one particular reader through the forest with a notebook.
Advertising and Affiliate Links
Articlesrfree.com may display advertisements or include affiliate links.
When you view an advertisement, click an affiliate link or visit a third-party retailer, the relevant provider may collect information according to its own privacy policy.
This information may include:
- referral data;
- browser or device identifiers;
- cookie identifiers;
- viewed pages;
- clicked links;
- purchase or conversion information; and
- general campaign-performance data.
Articlesrfree.com may receive aggregated reports or commission information showing that a qualifying action occurred.
We may not receive the complete identity or payment information of a customer purchasing from an external retailer.
Third-party advertisers, affiliate networks and retailers operate under their own terms and privacy practices. Visitors should review those documents before supplying personal information or completing a transaction.
Contact Forms and Emails
When you contact us, we may retain your message, contact details and related correspondence for as long as reasonably necessary to:
- respond to your inquiry;
- maintain a record of the discussion;
- prevent abuse or repeated spam;
- resolve disputes; or
- comply with legal obligations.
Messages should contain only information relevant to the inquiry.
Email is useful, but it is not a sealed iron chest carried across the Carpathians under moonlight. Avoid sending passwords, payment-card details or highly confidential documents through ordinary email.
Comments
Where commenting is enabled, information such as your chosen display name, email address, IP address, website address and comment content may be collected.
Comments may be checked through automated spam-detection services.
Information entered into a public comment field may become visible to other visitors. Do not publish details you would prefer to keep private.
We may remove comments that are unlawful, abusive, misleading, promotional, repetitive, defamatory or unrelated to the discussion.
Embedded Content
Articles on Articlesrfree.com may contain embedded content such as videos, images, maps, social-media posts or interactive elements supplied by third parties.
Embedded content may behave in much the same way as though you had visited the third-party website directly.
Those providers may:
- collect technical information;
- place cookies;
- use tracking technologies;
- monitor interaction with the embedded item; or
- connect activity to an account you hold with them.
Their handling of information is governed by their own privacy notices and settings.
External Websites
Articlesrfree.com contains links to external websites.
We are not responsible for the privacy, security or data-handling practices of those websites. A link from our pages does not place the destination under our control.
Once you cross an external link, the road belongs to another estate.
You should review the privacy notice of the destination website before submitting personal information.
Hosting, Security and Content Delivery
Articlesrfree.com may rely on third-party providers for services such as:
- website hosting;
- domain administration;
- content delivery;
- caching;
- security and firewall protection;
- backup storage;
- spam filtering;
- analytics;
- advertising;
- email delivery; and
- technical maintenance.
These providers may process technical or personal information where necessary to perform their services.
We seek to use providers with appropriate contractual, organizational and security safeguards. However, no internet-based system can be guaranteed completely secure.
WordPress
Articlesrfree.com is operated using WordPress and may use WordPress themes, plugins and related services.
Depending on the features enabled, WordPress or installed plugins may process information connected with:
- page delivery;
- login security;
- contact forms;
- comments;
- spam detection;
- backups;
- analytics;
- caching;
- image optimization; and
- website administration.
We periodically review installed tools, but their features and practices may change over time.
How Information May Be Shared
We may share information only where reasonably necessary and permitted by law.
Recipients may include:
- hosting and infrastructure providers;
- website-security services;
- analytics providers;
- email and communication providers;
- technical contractors;
- professional advisers;
- advertising or affiliate partners;
- regulators, courts or public authorities; and
- a purchaser or successor if the website or its relevant assets are transferred.
We do not sell ordinary contact-form messages as a catalogue of personal information.
We may disclose information where we reasonably believe this is necessary to comply with law, enforce our rights, investigate abuse, protect website security or prevent harm.
International Data Transfers
Some service providers may operate servers or personnel in countries other than the country where you live.
As a result, information may be transferred internationally.
Where applicable law requires safeguards for such transfers, we may rely on mechanisms such as:
- an official adequacy decision;
- approved contractual protections;
- binding corporate rules;
- your explicit consent where appropriate; or
- another legally recognized transfer mechanism.
The laws of a destination country may differ from those of your home country.
Data, unlike a ruby in a velvet box, can cross several borders in the blink of an eye.
How Long We Keep Information
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, security and dispute-resolution requirements.
Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information.
For example:
- routine server logs may be retained for a limited operational or security period;
- contact correspondence may be kept until the inquiry is resolved and for a reasonable period afterward;
- records relevant to legal obligations or disputes may be kept longer;
- analytics information may be retained according to the settings of the relevant provider;
- consent records may be kept as evidence of privacy choices; and
- backup copies may remain temporarily until they are automatically overwritten.
Information that is no longer required may be deleted, anonymized or securely overwritten.
Data Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures intended to protect information against:
- unauthorized access;
- accidental loss;
- alteration;
- improper disclosure;
- destruction; and
- malicious activity.
Measures may include encrypted connections, access controls, security monitoring, software updates, backups, firewalls and restricted administrative access.
Despite these precautions, transmitting information over the internet always involves some risk.
No gate is unbreakable merely because it has an impressive lock and a wolf carved above it.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location and the law that applies, you may have rights concerning your personal information.
These may include the right to:
- ask whether we process your personal information;
- request access to personal information we hold about you;
- request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
- request deletion of information in certain circumstances;
- request restriction of processing;
- object to certain processing;
- withdraw consent where consent is the legal basis;
- request a portable copy of certain information;
- object to certain direct marketing;
- ask about safeguards used for international transfers; and
- lodge a complaint with an appropriate data-protection authority.
These rights are not absolute. Legal exceptions may apply, and we may need to retain certain information where required or permitted by law.
To exercise a right, contact us using the details provided in this Privacy Notice.
We may need to verify your identity before responding. This is intended to prevent another person from walking into the hall and requesting your private records while wearing a convincing hat.
Complaints
Please contact us first if you have concerns about the use of your information. We will attempt to review and address the matter reasonably.
Depending on your location, you may also have the right to complain to the data-protection or privacy authority responsible for your country or region.
Children’s Privacy
Articlesrfree.com is a general informational publication and is not designed to collect personal information specifically from young children.
Children should not submit personal information without the knowledge and guidance of a parent or legal guardian.
If you believe that a child has supplied personal information improperly, please contact us so the situation can be reviewed and appropriate action taken.
Automated Decision-Making
Articlesrfree.com does not ordinarily use information submitted directly by visitors to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects through fully automated processing.
Some third-party security, spam-detection, advertising or analytics services may use automated systems to classify activity, detect suspicious traffic or select content.