Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

NewsProceed.org is an independent, reader-supported news organization based in Asheville, North Carolina (1218 Watson Lane, Asheville, NC 28806). We publish local journalism covering Western North Carolina and the surrounding region. This policy describes how we collect, use, and protect any information you share with us when you visit our website or sign up for our newsletter.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in two ways: what you give us directly, and what we observe automatically.

Information you provide:

• Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter or contact us
• Name, message, and any other details included in a contact form submission

Information collected automatically:

• Pages you visit, time spent, and navigation patterns (via anonymized analytics)
• Your browser type, operating system, and general geographic region
• Referring URL — where you came from before landing on our site

We do not collect credit card numbers or financial data directly. Donations and payments are handled by third-party processors (see Section 5).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected data only for the following purposes:

• Delivering our newsletter and email updates you've subscribed to
• Responding to messages sent through our contact form
• Understanding which stories and topics our audience cares about
• Improving website performance, layout, and accessibility

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your data for targeted advertising. We do not build behavioral profiles or share your data with marketing firms.

4. Cookies and Tracking

We use a small number of cookies to make the site work correctly and to understand aggregate traffic patterns. These include:

• Essential cookies: needed to remember your newsletter preferences and session state
• Analytics cookies: anonymized usage data to help us improve the site — no personally identifiable information is retained

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. Doing so may affect some website functionality, but you will still be able to read our content freely.

5. Third-Party Services

We use a limited set of third-party tools to run the site. Each has its own privacy policy:

• Email provider: We use an email service to deliver newsletters. Your email address is stored with this provider and subject to their data practices.
• Payment processor: Donations are processed by a PCI-compliant third party. We never see or store your full payment details.
• Analytics: We use privacy-respecting web analytics that do not fingerprint users or sell data.

6. Data Retention

We retain your email address for as long as you remain subscribed to our newsletter. If you unsubscribe, your email is removed from our active lists within 7 days. Contact form submissions are retained for up to 12 months and then deleted unless ongoing correspondence requires it.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your data
• Opt out of email communications at any time using the unsubscribe link in any newsletter

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at our contact page or email us directly at privacy@newsproceed.org.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal data to us, please contact us and we will remove it promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, we'll let newsletter subscribers know via email. Continued use of the site after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach us at:

• Email: privacy@newsproceed.org
• Mail: 1218 Watson Lane, Asheville, NC 28806
• Phone: +1 (828) 292-0429