Privacy Policy
Last updated: February 3, 2026
Website: https://www.christiancontrarian.com/
Contact for privacy inquiries: {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}
Who we are
The Christian Contrarian is a personal commentary blog focused on faith, culture, literature, and compassionate politics. “We,” “us,” or “our” refers to the site owner.
What personal data we collect and why
Comments
If you leave a comment, we collect the data shown in the comments form and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user‑agent string to help spam and abuse detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you use it. After approval, your profile image (if any) may be visible with your comment.
Contact forms and email
If you contact us, we receive the information you submit (e.g., name, email, message). We use it only to respond and for basic record‑keeping. You can request deletion at any time.
Analytics
We may use privacy‑friendly analytics or Google Analytics to understand site traffic and usage (e.g., pages viewed, referring URLs, approximate geography by IP, device and browser info). We use this to improve content and performance. You can control many analytics and advertising cookies via your browser settings and built‑in consent tools where available.
Cookies
Cookies are small files stored on your device. WordPress may set cookies when you comment (to remember your details). If you visit the login page (authors/editors only), a temporary cookie checks if your browser accepts cookies; it contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser. Performance and optimization tools may set cookies to help the site load quickly. You can block cookies in your browser; some features may not work as intended.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you visited the other website and may collect data about you, use cookies, embed third‑party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content.
Security and performance
We use WordPress security tools such as Wordfence to help detect and block malicious activity. These tools process technical data such as IP addresses, request URLs, headers, and error logs for threat prevention and logging. We also use performance tools like WP Super Cache to cache pages and speed up delivery; cached copies of pages are temporary and may be stored in memory or on disk.
Images and media
If you upload images (e.g., as a guest contributor), avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract location data from images on the website. We use Smush (image optimization) to compress images; Smush does not interact with site visitors but processes images stored in the media library to reduce file size and improve performance.
Who we share your data with
We do not sell personal data. We may share limited data with service providers that operate our website and services (hosting, security, performance, optimization, analytics, email delivery) under agreements that protect your information. We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect rights, safety, and security. Visitor comments and certain form submissions may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
How long we retain your data
- Comments: retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow‑up comments automatically.
- Contact messages: retained as long as needed for service and records unless you request deletion.
- Security logs: typically retained 30–90 days for threat detection and may be kept longer for investigations.
- Analytics: may be retained in aggregate or pseudonymous form for historical reporting.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal data, to object to certain processing, and to data portability. To exercise these rights, email {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}. We may ask you to verify your identity. These rights may be subject to legal limits.
Where your data is processed
Our site is hosted by DreamHost. Hosting and service providers may process data in the United States and other countries. When data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards where required.
How we protect your data
We use reasonable security measures appropriate for a personal blog, including HTTPS/SSL, least‑privilege account access, timely software updates, and security monitoring. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.
Children’s privacy
This site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Third‑party links
We may link to external sites (e.g., book retailers). Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will appear on this page with an updated “Last updated” date.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests: {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}
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