1. Overview

The Digital Wise ("we", "our") respects your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, why, and how we protect it. It complies with GDPR (EU), CCPA (California), and similar global privacy frameworks.

By using thedigitalwise.com, you consent to the practices described here.

2. What We Collect

  • Email address — only if you subscribe to the newsletter or submit a contact form
  • Comment information — name, email, URL (optional), comment text — when you post a comment
  • Basic analytics — anonymized IP (last octet masked), browser type, pages viewed, referrer — via Google Analytics 4
  • Cookies — minimal session cookies for site functionality and analytics

We do not collect: payment information (we don't sell anything direct), precise location, contact lists, biometric data, or sensitive personal information.

3. How We Use Data

  • Email addresses: solely for newsletter delivery and direct reply to your contact form
  • Comment information: to display your comment and respond if appropriate
  • Analytics: to understand which articles readers find useful and improve our coverage
  • No advertising profiles: we do not build advertising profiles or use your data for ad targeting

4. Sharing Your Data

We do not sell or rent your data to third parties. We do not share it with advertisers.

We use these third-party services that may process limited data on our behalf:

  • Google Analytics 4 — anonymized site usage (last IP octet masked)
  • Cloudflare — CDN and DDoS protection (IP for security only)
  • Let's Encrypt — SSL certificate issuance (no personal data)
  • Mailchimp/Beehiiv (or equivalent) — newsletter delivery (email + subscription preferences only)

5. Cookies

We use minimal cookies:

  • Essential: WordPress session cookies for commenting
  • Analytics: GA4 cookies (anonymized) for site usage
  • None for advertising: we run no third-party ad cookies

You can disable cookies in your browser; the site remains usable.

6. Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymization enabled. This means the last octet of your IP address is masked before Google receives it. We do not pass any personally identifying information to Google.

7. Newsletter

If you subscribe to The Morning Brief, we store your email address solely to deliver the newsletter. We do not share it. Unsubscribe is one click in every issue.

We use a double opt-in process — you must confirm via email before being added to the list.

8. Data Retention

  • Newsletter emails: retained until you unsubscribe; deleted within 30 days of unsubscription
  • Comment data: retained as part of the public comment record (you can request deletion)
  • Analytics: GA4 default retention (14 months)
  • Contact form submissions: retained 12 months for follow-up, then deleted

9. Your Rights (GDPR/CCPA)

You have the right to:

  • Access — request a copy of the data we hold on you
  • Correction — request we fix inaccurate data
  • Deletion — request we delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Portability — request your data in a machine-readable format
  • Opt-out of "sale" — we don't sell data, but if you're a California resident, this is your right

To exercise any of these, email privacy@thedigitalwise.com. We respond within 30 days.

10. Children's Privacy

The Digital Wise is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe we have, contact us and we will delete it immediately.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy occasionally. Material changes will be flagged at the top of the page with a timestamp. Continued use of the site after an update constitutes acceptance of the new policy.

12. Contact

Privacy questions: privacy@thedigitalwise.com

Data Protection Officer (EU): same address.