Privacy policy

Pinerook Media (“Pinerook”, “we”) publishes pinerook.com and the Pinerook apps. This policy explains what personal data we handle, why, and what you can do about it. Questions: use our contact page.

What we collect

• Reading the site: we count page views per story without cookies and without storing anything that identifies you. Our servers keep technical logs (IP address, browser, time) for security for up to 14 days.
• Account: your name, email, password (stored only as a strong one-way hash), how and when you signed up, the stories you save, the devices you are signed in on, and your approximate country (from our network provider).
• Sign in with Google: Google shares your name, email and a Google account identifier with us. We do not receive your Google password or anything else from your Google account.
• Newsletter: your email, when and where you subscribed, and when you unsubscribed.
• Help and contact: your messages, name, email and any files you attach.

Why, and on what basis

• To run your account and the features you ask for — performance of our agreement with you.
• To send the newsletter — your consent, which you can withdraw at any time with the link in every email.
• To answer you and keep the service secure — our legitimate interests.

Cookies

We use only cookies that the site needs to work: one that keeps you signed in, and one that lets the help widget continue your conversation. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. See the cookie policy.

Who processes data for us

Our hosting provider (servers), our email delivery provider (to send codes, replies and newsletters), Cloudflare (network protection, if enabled), and Google (only if you choose Sign in with Google). Our newsroom uses Anthropic's API to draft social-media copy from published stories; no reader data is sent to it. Where these providers are outside your country, we rely on standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards.

How long we keep it

• Account data: until you delete your account.
• Newsletter: until you unsubscribe (we keep a record of the unsubscription).
• Help conversations: up to 3 years, so we can follow up; they lose their link to you when you delete your account.
• Security logs: up to 14 days; our internal audit trail of staff actions: up to 5 years.

Your rights

You can see, download (Your account → Download my data), correct and delete your data yourself at any time, and object to or restrict our use of it. If you are in the EU or UK you may also complain to your data protection authority. We will answer any request within one month.

Security

Passwords are hashed with scrypt, sessions can be signed out from every device, and staff need two-factor authentication. If a breach affects you, we will tell you and the relevant authority as the law requires (within 72 hours in the EU).

Children

Pinerook is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their data.

Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will say so on this page and, where appropriate, by email.