Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2021

We are committed to protecting your privacy.

We get outraged every time we see social media corporations and government agencies exploit our personal data for their gain, putting us at risk of fraud, hacking, and abuse. We want you to know that your private data is safe with us, so we wrote this Privacy Policy to help you understand how we use it, and how we keep it secure.

Our Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, maintain, and disclose information collected from the people who use our website.

By accessing www.commondreams.org, you agree to fully comply with our Privacy Policy. You also consent to the collection and use of any information you provide. If you don't agree to fully comply with our Privacy Policy, we ask that you do not access our website.

What information do we collect?

Common Dreams collects two types of information:

Analytics/Non-personally Identifiable Information

We use Google Analytics to monitor and analyze the use of our Service. Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. For more information on Google’s privacy practices, please see Google’s Privacy and Terms: https://policies.google.com/?hl=en You can opt-out of having your data used by Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

We use Chartbeat to monitor and analyze the use of our Service. Chartbeat is a web analytics service offered by Chartbeat that tracks and reports website article traffic. For more information on Chartbeat’s privacy practices, please see Chartbeat’s Privacy: https://chartbeat.com/privacy

We may collect the following non-personally identifiable information through Google Analytics or Chartbeat:

• The type of browser and operating system you use
• The date and time you visited our website
• The Internet address of the site from which you linked to our website
• Which pages you viewed on our website
• Your Internet Protocol (IP) address—a number that is automatically assigned by your internet service provider to the computer you used

We may also use small text files called “cookies” to measure aggregate web statistics, such as collecting the number of users to our websites, the number of repeat users, the most popular webpages, and other purposes. You may choose to set your web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you do so, however, some parts of our websites may not function properly.

Personally identifiable information

In some instances, Common Dreams may ask you to submit information that could be used to identify you. We only collect this information when you voluntarily provide it to us:

• Your name, email address, ZIP code, country, and other information you share when you sign-up for our newsletter, sign-up to comment or make a donation.
• Details of any donations you make to Common Dreams, including the amount, currency, and method of payment. We do not store your credit-card information or banking details—that's handled by our third-party secure-payment processors.
• Your responses to optional reader surveys
• Other information you voluntarily submit in a form on our website or that you share when you contact us

If you'd like to know what identified information we have about you, and to request corrections, contact info@commondreams.org or write to us at:

Common Dreams
P.O. Box 443
Portland, ME 04112-0443
US

How do we use this information?

We use the personally identifiable information for the very reason you submitted it to us. For example, if you subscribe to our email list, we will save your email address to send you our newsletter and other communications.

We use the non-identifiable personal information we collect to refine your experience, improve our site, and optimize ways to forward our mission.

Common Dreams does not rent or sell your personal information and we will share it only with the parties described below, as required by law, or with trusted third parties with your permission.

• Collaborating organizations—Sometimes we work with other progressive groups to expand our impact. In these cases, email addresses contributed to a petition, or online action, created in collaboration with other groups, may be shared with one or more members of that collaborative effort. In these cases, email addresses contributed to a petition, or online action, created in collaboration with other groups, may be shared with one or more members of that collaborative effort.
• Service providers—We work with a wide range of service providers, including database administrators, cloud-computing services, and others. We do not authorize them to use or disclose your personal information except in connection with providing their services. We also sometimes use survey applications on external platforms, such as Survey Monkey, to collect information from those who voluntarily fill out our surveys. The personal information of survey participants will be transferred to Common Dreams and is subject to this Privacy Policy.
• Payment Processors—We work with PayPal, Stripe and ActBlue to help process credit card transactions and other payment methods when you donate to Common Dreams. These payment processors will store certain personal information about you. However, they are required to protect the confidentiality of the information, and to use it only for the limited purpose for which it was provided.

It is possible that Common Dreams could be legally required to share personally identifiable information about you. We reserve the right to share your data if it's legally necessary, or out of safety concerns.

We may also share generic, aggregated demographic information not linked to personally identifiable information with third parties.

Do we update this policy?

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when the policy was last updated. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this Privacy Policy periodically and become aware of any modifications since your last visit. By continuing to use this site, you agree to all terms of the most recent version of this Privacy Policy.

How can you get more information?

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, please email editor@commondreams.org.