Privacy policy

Effective Date: July 2, 2025

Welcome to Grammar Street! We know your privacy matters, and we want to be open about how we collect, use, and protect your information. This policy is written in plain English so everyone can understand it.

1. Who We Are

Grammar Street is a free blog dedicated to helping learners and writers improve their English grammar. We publish clear guides, examples, and quick lessons. When we say “we,” “us,” or “our,” we mean Grammar Street and our team.

2. What Information We Collect

a. Information You Give Us

  1. Newsletter Sign-Ups
    • What we collect: Your name and your email address.
    • Why we need it: To send you our newsletter when you ask for it.
  2. Comments & Feedback
    • What we collect: Whatever you type into the comment box or feedback form (your name, email if requested, and your message).
    • Why we need it: So we can post your comment and reply if needed.
  3. Contact Forms
    • What we collect: Your name, email address, and message when you use our contact page.
    • Why we need it: To answer your questions, fix problems, or respond to your requests.

b. Information We Gather Automatically

  1. Technical Details
    • IP Address: Helps us understand the general area you’re visiting from (for spam and security).
    • Device Info: Your device type (phone, tablet, desktop) and browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.).
  2. Usage Data
    • Page Views: Which pages you read and in what order.
    • Time Spent: How long you stay on each page.
    • Referral Source: How you found us (search engine, link from another site, etc.).
  3. Cookies & Similar Tools
    • Cookies are small files saved in your browser. They help us remember your settings and spot spam bots.
    • We use cookies from services like Google Analytics to see how people use our site and make it better.

3. How We Use Your Information

  1. Provide Site Features
    • Enable you to subscribe, comment, and contact us.
    • Save your preferences (like language or site layout).
  2. Communicate with You
    • Send newsletters if you subscribe.
    • Reply to your comments or messages.
  3. Improve the Site
    • Learn which topics are most popular.
    • Find and fix bugs or technical issues.
  4. Keep Things Safe
    • Detect and block spam or malicious activity.
    • Protect our site and our users from fraud and abuse.
  5. Legal & Policy Compliance
    • Meet our obligations under the law (for example, keep records for tax or legal inquiries).

We do NOT

  • Sell or rent your personal data to anyone.
  • Use your data for advertising or profiling purposes outside of site improvement.

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

  • Essential Cookies: Make basic site functions work (e.g., keeping you logged in).
  • Performance Cookies: Help us see how you use the site (via Google Analytics).
  • Security Cookies: Protect against fake traffic and spam bots.

Your Choices:

  • You can disable cookies in your browser settings.
  • Turning off cookies may break some site features (like staying logged in or posting comments).

5. Sharing Your Information

We share your data only with trusted partners who help us run the site:

  1. Email Service Providers (e.g., Mailchimp) – to send newsletters.
  2. Analytics Services (e.g., Google Analytics) – to understand site traffic.
  3. Web Hosting Companies – to keep the site online and secure.
  4. Spam Protection Services (e.g., Akismet) – to keep comments spam-free.

All of these partners:

  • Can only use your data to perform their job for us.
  • Must follow strict rules to protect your information.

We never share your personal data with advertisers, marketers, or anyone else not directly working to support the site.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

  • Comments: Kept indefinitely until you or we delete them.
  • Newsletter Records: Kept until you unsubscribe.
  • Contact Form Messages: Stored up to 12 months, then removed.
  • Analytics Data: Aggregated and anonymized data may be kept indefinitely; raw logs are deleted after 90 days.

You can ask us to delete your personal data at any time (see Section 8).

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you have rights over your personal data, including the right to:

  1. Access the data we hold about you.
  2. Correct any mistakes.
  3. Delete your data (“right to be forgotten”).
  4. Limit how we use your data.
  5. Withdraw Consent (e.g., unsubscribe or block cookies).
  6. Portability – get a copy of your data to move to another service.

To exercise these rights, email us at Peterson@grammarstreet.com. We aim to respond within 30 days.

8. How to Request Data Deletion

If you want us to delete your data:

  1. Email: Peterson@grammarstreet.com
  2. Subject: “Data Deletion Request”
  3. Include: Your name, email address, and a clear statement that you want your data deleted.

We’ll confirm when your data is removed.

9. How We Protect Your Data

We take security seriously:

  • HTTPS Encryption: All data sent between you and our site is encrypted.
  • Secure Hosting: We use reputable servers with up-to-date security measures.
  • Limited Access: Only authorized team members can access your data.
  • Regular Monitoring: We scan for vulnerabilities and suspicious activity.

No online system is perfect, so please avoid sharing highly sensitive personal details (like Social Security numbers or financial information) in comments or forms.

10. Children’s Privacy

  • Our site is meant for general audiences (teens and adults).
  • We do NOT knowingly collect personal data from children under 16.
  • If we discover data from a child under 16 without parental consent, we will delete it quickly.

11. Links to Other Websites

We may link to other sites (for example, reference articles or resources). We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please check their privacy policies before sharing any personal information with them.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy over time (for new features, legal changes, or improvements).

  • We will post the latest “Effective Date” at the top.
  • By continuing to use our site after updates, you agree to the new terms.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or want to exercise your rights, reach out to us:

📧 Peterson@grammarstreet.com
📬 Subject line suggestion: “Privacy Policy Question” or “Data Request”

Thank you for trusting Grammar Street. We’re committed to keeping your information safe, clear, and easy to understand!