This policy explains what information Reportedly True ("we," "us," reportedlytrue.com) collects when you visit the site, how it is used, and the choices you have. We have tried to keep our data collection minimal. Where third parties are involved, we say so plainly.
The short version
- We run our own lightweight, privacy-preserving analytics. It does not store your name, email, or raw IP address, and it sets no cookies for ordinary visitors.
- If we display advertising (through Google AdSense), Google and its partners may use cookies and similar technologies to serve and measure ads. That is disclosed in full below, and consent is requested where the law requires it.
- We never sell your personal information.
Information we collect
First-party analytics
For each visit we record a limited set of technical details: the page viewed, the referring site or search term, your approximate location and internet provider (derived from your IP address), and your device type and browser. To count unique visitors without identifying anyone, we store a salted, one-way hash of your IP address — a value that cannot be reversed back into your IP. We do not store the raw IP address, and we do not attempt to identify individual people. This analytics runs on our own server and does not set cookies in your browser.
To translate an IP address into an approximate city and internet provider, that IP is sent, at the moment of your visit, to a third-party lookup service (ipwho.is). The result is cached on our server. If you would rather this not happen, most privacy tools and VPNs will obscure the underlying location.
Things you choose to send us
If you use the "Report a Sighting" form, we store the text you submit, a timestamp, and the same salted visitor hash described above. Please do not include personal or sensitive information in a submission. Submissions are moderated and may be used to inform future content.
Server logs
Like most websites, our hosting provider maintains standard access logs for security and reliability.
Cookies
For ordinary browsing, Reportedly True itself does not set tracking cookies. The only cookie we may set is a technical preference cookie (used by the site operator to exclude their own visits from analytics), and it is only set through an internal, password-protected dashboard.
Advertising cookies. When advertising is enabled, our advertising partners (see below) may set and read cookies and similar technologies in your browser to serve, personalize, cap, and measure ads. You can manage or refuse these as described in the next section.
Advertising and third-party services
Google AdSense
We may use Google AdSense to display advertising. In that case:
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to our site and/or other sites on the internet.
- You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising at aboutads.info and youronlinechoices.eu (EU).
- For more on how Google uses data from sites that use its services, see "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services."
Embedded YouTube videos
Case files embed the companion episode from YouTube. We use YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode, and the player only loads — and only then may set cookies — after you click to play. YouTube's handling of your data is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
Social sharing
Our share buttons are plain links; they load no third-party scripts and set no cookies unless you actually click through to that platform.
Your choices and rights
EEA, UK, and Switzerland. Where required, personalized advertising is shown only with your consent, collected through a consent management platform when ads are enabled. You may withdraw or change consent at any time. You have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of personal data we hold; contact us using the details below.
California. We do not sell your personal information. Some sharing of identifiers with advertising partners may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" under California law; you can limit personalized advertising through the opt-out links above and any consent controls presented on the site.
Do Not Track. Because there is no common standard for interpreting it, we do not respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals, but our first-party analytics already avoids cookies and personal identifiers.
Children
This site is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Data retention and security
Analytics records and any submissions are kept only as long as useful for understanding traffic and improving the site, and are stored on our server with access restricted to the operator. No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure, but we keep what we collect deliberately minimal.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site evolves. Material changes will be reflected by the "last updated" date above.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to contact@reportedlytrue.com.