Privacy Policy of The Georgia Gazette
Effective Date: February 2, 2020
Last Updated: June 11, 2026
1. Introduction
Welcome to The Georgia Gazette. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and respect. This Privacy Policy outlines our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your information through our services, which include TheGeorgiaGazette.com (the “Website”) and the The Georgia Gazette mobile application (the “App”) (together, the “Services”). By using the Website or the App, you agree to the practices described in this Policy.
2. Information Collection
Types of Information Collected:
- Personal Identification Information: We may collect personal information such as your name, email address, and contact details when you voluntarily provide it to us (e.g., through newsletters, contact forms, or by creating an account in the App).
- Account Information (App): When you create an account in the App, we collect your email address, a unique username (“handle”), an optional display name, and a password, which is stored only in a securely hashed form (we never store your password in plain text).
- User Content (App): We collect and store the comments, votes, replies, and @-mentions you submit, along with the handle they are posted under.
- Moderation Data (App): When you report content or block another user, we collect the reason you select, any details you provide, your handle, and a snapshot of the reported content.
- Device & Notification Data (App): If you enable push notifications, we collect a device push notification token and your device platform (iOS/Android) in order to deliver alerts. We also store your notification preferences.
- Browsing Data: We automatically collect information about your visit to our Website, such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited, through cookies and similar tracking technologies. When the App communicates with our servers, we may receive standard technical data such as IP address and request timestamps for security and abuse prevention.
Methods of Collection:
- Directly from you when you provide it to us (e.g., account registration, comments, contact forms).
- Automatically as you navigate through our Services (usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies on the Website).
3. Use of Information
Your information is used for the following purposes:
- To create and operate your account and the community features of the App.
- To display the news and community feed, including comments and votes.
- To send notifications you have enabled — in-app, push, and email — about replies, mentions, posts in counties you follow, and related activity.
- To review reported content and enforce our Community Guidelines and Terms of Use.
- To personalize and improve our Services.
- To communicate with you about services or information you have requested.
- To maintain the security and integrity of the Services and comply with legal obligations.
4. Information Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal identification information to others. We may share generic aggregated demographic information not linked to any personal identification information with our business partners for the purposes outlined above. We may share information with service providers who help us operate the Services (see Section 7), under obligations of confidentiality. We may also disclose your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property, or safety.
The Georgia Gazette maintains the authority to disclose any communications received through various channels, including but not limited to letters, telephone calls, contact forms, direct emails, or similar methods of communication. This disclosure may encompass all aspects of the received communications, such as the subject matter, content, sender’s name, and email address, among other relevant details. It is important for individuals reaching out to The Georgia Gazette to acknowledge and understand that such communications are not regarded as confidential. By initiating contact with us, you expressly consent to the potential disclosure of your communication details in accordance with our operational procedures and policies.
5. User Rights
You have the right to:
- Access and receive a copy of your personal data.
- Request correction or deletion of your personal data.
- Object to processing of your personal data.
- Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent to process your personal data.
App users can delete their account and associated content directly from within the App at any time (see Section 12). To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 10.
6. Data Security
We adopt appropriate data collection, storage, and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your personal information. Account passwords are stored only in hashed form, App authentication tokens are stored in your device’s secure storage (Keychain/Keystore), and data transmitted between the App and our servers is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS).
7. Third-Party Services
Third-party service providers used by our Services may collect or process information about you when you use the Services, governed by their respective privacy policies. These providers include:
- Brevo — delivery of transactional and notification emails.
- Apple Push Notification service, Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, and Expo — delivery of push notifications to your device.
- DigitalOcean and Cloudflare — server hosting, content delivery, and security.
We do not use third-party advertising networks or cross-app analytics/tracking services in the App.
8. Compliance with Laws
We will comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding data protection and privacy, including but not limited to GDPR and CCPA.
9. Policy Updates
We may update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the top of this page. We encourage users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect.
10. Contact Information
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:
The Georgia Gazette Support@TheGeorgiaGazette.com 912-226-0111
11. Case Alert Notifications
When you choose to follow a case on our website, we collect your email address and record your IP address at the time of confirmation. This information is used to send you email notifications when a case you follow is updated, and to maintain a record of your consent. You may unfollow a specific case or unsubscribe from all case notifications at any time using the links provided in each notification email. Unsubscribing will stop all future notifications but your consent record may be retained for compliance purposes.
12. Mobile Application
This section describes practices specific to the The Georgia Gazette mobile app.
Account & content. Creating an account requires an email address, a unique handle, and a password (stored hashed). Comments, votes, replies, and @-mentions you post are public and displayed alongside your handle. You may follow counties and block other users; these preferences are stored to operate your feed and moderation.
Notifications. With your permission, the App sends push notifications via your device’s notification service and email notifications via Brevo (for replies, mentions, posts in counties you follow, and milestones). You can turn any notification channel on or off at any time in Settings → Notifications, and disabling notifications stops the associated data use.
News & public-records content. News, arrest, and booking content is provided for informational purposes and sourced from TheGeorgiaGazette.com and third-party public records. An arrest or booking is not a conviction. To request a correction or removal, contact us at Section 10.
Information we do NOT collect in the App. We do not collect precise location, your contacts, your photo library, payment information, or biometric data, and we do not track you across other apps or websites for advertising.
Account & data deletion. You can permanently delete your account and associated content (your comments, votes, follows, blocks, and notification settings) at any time from within the App via Settings → Account → Delete account, or by contacting us. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
13. Children’s Privacy
The Services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Because the App contains mature content (including crime and arrest information), it is intended for older audiences consistent with its app-store age rating. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.