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Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 16, 2026

Times Media Service LLC publishes Grand Terrace. This Privacy Notice explains how Times Media Service LLC collects, uses, discloses, and retains personal data when you use https://grandterrace.net, create an account, comment, join a newsletter, enable browser notifications, submit editorial material, contact us, or complete an eligible transaction.

This Notice applies to the current services described below. It does not describe advertising services that have not been activated.

1. Who is responsible for your personal data

Times Media Service LLC is the operator of Grand Terrace and the controller responsible for the personal data covered by this Notice.

Times Media Service LLC, 32 N Gould St., Suite R, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States. Telephone: 307-655-1046. Privacy inquiries and requests: privacy@timesmediaservice.com. Data Protection Officer and appeals: dpo@timesmediaservice.com.

2. Scope and availability of our services

This Notice applies across the Times Media Service publication fleet, including Grand Terrace. Readers worldwide may use our free services, including reading articles, creating eligible reader accounts, commenting, joining newsletters, and enabling browser push notifications.

Paid subscriptions, donations, and merchandise transactions are available only in the United States. An account is required for every transaction.

Other websites and services have their own privacy practices. When a link or checkout redirects you to another provider’s hosted page, review that provider’s notice as well.

3. Personal data we collect

The personal data we collect depends on how you interact with us.

Reader accounts

When you create or use a reader account, we collect your full name, email address, username, password credential, exact date of birth, chosen display name, and any optional profile information you provide. We also store account-security information such as the current last-login timestamp, login IP address, failed-login history, and device or browser information.

An exact date of birth is required at registration. It is stored only in the reader’s WordPress account and is used to apply age rules. We do not request a birth date from visitors who are not creating or using an account.

Account registration requires agreement to both the Terms and this Privacy Notice.

Comments and reactions

You must be signed in to submit a comment. We process the comment or reaction, your account ID or email address, and the submission timestamp. Other visitors can see only your chosen display name with public comments. Reader ratings and reactions are visible only to the reader who submitted them.

Newsletters

Newsletter registration takes place on a Mailchimp-hosted signup page linked from the publication. Mailchimp uses double opt-in for every subscriber. We process your email address, subscription status, consent information, and newsletter engagement information. Open and click tracking is enabled.

Browser push notifications

If you enable browser notifications, our self-hosted push system stores a push-subscription endpoint and associated device or browser information. It also records delivery status, notification clicks or opens, delivery failures, and expired endpoints.

Paid subscriptions, donations, and merchandise

For an eligible transaction, WooCommerce records your full name, email address, telephone number, billing address, shipping address when merchandise must be delivered, order, subscription, or donation details, IP address, and browser user-agent. For recurring payments, it may store a Stripe or PayPal customer identifier and a payment-token reference.

Stripe and PayPal redirect you to their hosted payment pages. Times Media Service LLC does not receive or store your complete payment-card number or card security code.

Checkout requires agreement to both the Terms and this Privacy Notice.

Editorial submissions and communications

We collect the material and contact details you choose to provide when you send a letter to the editor, story pitch, news tip, correction request, ordinary inquiry, or support request. Anonymous news tips are accepted. Verified SecureDrop instructions are available at https://grandterrace.net/secure-drop/.

If we publish a letter to the editor, we normally show the writer’s chosen display name or pseudonym. We do not publish a writer’s email address, telephone number, or private address without separate, explicit consent.

Privacy-rights requests

When you submit a formal privacy-rights request, we collect the request, related correspondence, and identity-verification status. Stripe Identity performs the standard verification described in Section 13.

Data collected automatically

When you visit or use the site, our systems and providers may automatically process IP address, date and time, requested pages, referral information, device and browser information, security events, and similar technical information.

SiteGround processes web-access and security logs to protect and deliver the site. Google reCAPTCHA v3 processes risk signals only on protected account and comment pages. Stripe and PayPal process fraud signals for transactions. WPLP records consent choices and related consent metadata. Google Analytics 4 processes analytics data only after analytics consent.

4. Where personal data comes from

We obtain personal data from the following sources:

  • Directly from you: information you submit through accounts, comments, newsletters, push settings, editorial channels, support, transactions, and privacy requests.
  • From your device or browser: technical, security, consent, analytics, and push-subscription information produced when you use the site.
  • From transaction providers: payment result, fraud-screening result, customer identifier, and token reference from Stripe or PayPal; sales-tax information from Stripe Tax; and fulfillment status from Printful.
  • From identity verification: a verification result from Stripe Identity. Authorized Times Media Service personnel can access only the result, not the identity document, selfie, or database-check details.
  • From optional profile services: a Gravatar image from Automattic only after you select Gravatar.

5. Why we use personal data and our legal bases

The legal basis depends on the service, your location, and the applicable law.

Provide accounts and free reader services

We use account, comment, reaction, newsletter, and push data to provide features you request, administer your account, authenticate you, and deliver communications. Depending on the context, we rely on performance of a contract or steps requested before a contract, consent, and our legitimate interests in operating reader services.

Communicate with you

We use contact details and correspondence to answer questions, send requested newsletters or notifications, process corrections, and administer editorial submissions. Depending on the communication, we rely on consent, performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and editorial or public-interest purposes.

Process U.S. transactions

We use customer, order, payment-reference, tax, and shipping data to process paid subscriptions, donations, and merchandise purchases; prevent fraud; deliver orders; keep business records; and resolve disputes. We rely on performance of a contract, legal obligations, and legitimate interests in secure transactions and recordkeeping.

Protect the site, accounts, and transactions

We use login history, IP and device information, reCAPTCHA signals, hosting-security events, and provider fraud-screening results to prevent abuse, protect accounts, investigate incidents, and enforce our terms. We rely on legitimate interests, contract necessity, and legal obligations where applicable.

Measure site use

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand readership and improve our publications only after analytics consent. Where consent is required, consent is our legal basis. We do not use a pseudonymous User-ID for signed-in readers.

Record privacy choices and handle rights

We process consent records, Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track status, privacy requests, verification status, and related correspondence to honor choices, demonstrate compliance, and protect personal data from unauthorized disclosure. We rely on consent where applicable, legal obligations, and legitimate interests in secure request handling.

Conduct journalism and maintain editorial records

We process letters, pitches, tips, SecureDrop communications, correction records, and related material for newsgathering, editorial review, publication decisions, record integrity, and the public interest. Depending on applicable law, we rely on legitimate interests, freedom of expression and information, journalism-related provisions, consent where appropriate, and legal obligations.

Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims

We may use relevant records to respond to lawful demands, enforce agreements, resolve disputes, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. We rely on legal obligations and legitimate interests.

6. Cookies, consent, and privacy signals

WPLP presents the consent banner worldwide. Its first layer provides Accept All, Reject All, and Manage Options with equal prominence.

Before you make a choice, strictly necessary technologies are on and locked. Functional or preference, analytics, and advertising or marketing categories are off. You can change optional choices through the publication’s cookie-settings control.

We treat a browser Global Privacy Control signal and a Do Not Track signal as an opt-out from optional technologies. This treatment is separate from whether a signal creates a legal obligation in a particular jurisdiction.

Google Analytics 4 is fully blocked until analytics consent, including denied-state pings. For more detail, see the Cookie Policy.

7. What other people can see

  • Other visitors can see only the display name you choose for your reader profile or public comments.
  • Reader ratings and reactions are visible only to the reader who submitted them.
  • A published letter normally shows the writer’s chosen display name or pseudonym.
  • A letter writer’s email address, telephone number, and private address are never published without separate, explicit consent.
  • Donor names, donation amounts, and other donation details remain private.
  • Published comments and reactions remain part of the publication record. When the related account is deleted, the retained content remains and linked identity is anonymized.

8. When we disclose personal data

We disclose only the information reasonably needed for the relevant service.

  • SiteGround: hosts publication servers and databases in the United States, processes web-access and security logs, and provides SMTP delivery for account verification, password-reset, purchase, and administrative messages.
  • Google: provides reCAPTCHA v3 for protected account and comment pages and Google Analytics 4 after analytics consent.
  • Mailchimp: hosts newsletter signup, manages double opt-in and suppression records, sends newsletters, and measures opens and clicks.
  • Stripe and PayPal: host payment pages, process payments and recurring token references, and perform transaction fraud screening.
  • Stripe Tax: calculates sales tax during WooCommerce checkout.
  • Printful: receives the order and shipping details needed to fulfill merchandise orders.
  • Stripe Identity: verifies identity for formal privacy-rights requests and returns a verification result.
  • Automattic: provides Gravatar only after the reader selects it.
  • SecureDrop: provides the secure channel described on the publication’s verified instructions page.
  • Professional advisers, authorities, and other lawful recipients: receive data when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights or safety, investigate wrongdoing, complete a corporate transaction, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Access by authorized Times Media Service employees and contractors is limited to personnel in the United States. Our internal AI tools do not receive reader, subscriber, customer, commenter, or confidential-source personal data.

Article pages do not currently use third-party social-media, video, or map embeds.

9. Advertising and sale or sharing of personal data

Times Media Service LLC does not currently sell personal data or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising. Google AdSense is not active on the publication sites.

Google Analytics 4 advertising personalization is disabled for all regions. The GA4 properties have no links to Google Ads or another Google advertising product, and they do not receive a User-ID for signed-in readers.

If our advertising practices change, we will update this Notice and the Cookie Policy and obtain consent or provide choices where required before activating the changed practice.

10. International data transfers

Publication servers and databases are located in the United States. Readers may access free services globally, so personal data may be transferred to and processed in the United States and in other countries where a service provider operates.

For major vendors, Times Media Service LLC has accepted data-processing terms that include applicable European Union Standard Contractual Clauses and United Kingdom transfer safeguards. We also use access controls and other appropriate safeguards. Laws in the destination country may differ from those where you live.

11. How long we retain personal data

We retain personal data only for the periods described below or longer when necessary for a legal hold, dispute, security investigation, or other binding legal requirement.

  • Reader accounts: until you delete the account or the account is automatically deleted after 24 months of inactivity. Account backups may persist for up to 90 additional days.
  • Login-security history: detailed login IP, failed-login, device, and browser history is retained until the account is deleted. The current last-login timestamp remains part of the active account record.
  • Comments and reactions: retained indefinitely as part of the publication record. When the related account is deleted, linked identity is anonymized while the retained content remains.
  • Letters, story pitches, news tips, SecureDrop submissions, and source communications: retained indefinitely as editorial records.
  • Correction requests and resulting correspondence: retained for 12 months after the matter is closed.
  • Ordinary inquiries and support emails: retained for 12 months after the matter is resolved.
  • Mailchimp engagement history: retained while the person remains subscribed and removed when the contact is reduced to a minimal suppression record.
  • Mailchimp suppression record: the minimal record is retained indefinitely to honor the opt-out.
  • Browser-push endpoint and associated device or browser data: retained until you withdraw the subscription or the endpoint expires.
  • Browser-push delivery and engagement history: retained for 30 days.
  • WPLP browser-side consent record: retained for 24 months before consent is requested again.
  • WPLP server-side consent log: retained for 12 months in the publication’s WordPress database.
  • Google Analytics 4 user-level event data: retained for 14 months. Aggregate reports may remain available beyond that period.
  • SiteGround web-access and security logs: retained for up to 30 days.
  • WooCommerce order, subscription, donation, billing, and tax records: retained for 3 years after the transaction or customer relationship ends.
  • Closed privacy-rights cases: the request, identity-verification status, and related correspondence are retained for 12 months after closure.
  • Stripe Identity verification session: we request redaction from Stripe Identity when the privacy request is closed.

12. Your choices

You can control your personal data in several ways.

  • Account: update eligible account details or delete an ordinary reader account through account settings.
  • Comments and profile: choose the display name shown publicly and manage eligible profile information while signed in.
  • Newsletter: use the unsubscribe link in any newsletter. Mailchimp then retains only the minimum suppression record needed to honor your opt-out.
  • Browser push: disable notifications through reader-account notification settings, browser site-permission settings, or the publication push-settings control.
  • Cookies: use Reject All or Manage Options in the WPLP banner or reopen the publication cookie-settings control.
  • Browser signals: enable Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track; the site treats either signal as an opt-out from optional technologies.
  • Gravatar: do not select Gravatar, or change the profile-image choice in account settings.
  • Account deletion: use self-service deletion in account settings for an ordinary reader account.

13. Privacy rights and identity verification

Depending on where you live and the law that applies, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to processing of your personal data; receive a portable copy; withdraw consent; opt out of certain uses; appeal a denied request; or complain to a regulator. These rights are not absolute, and journalism, freedom of expression, security, recordkeeping, legal claims, and other exemptions may apply.

To submit a formal privacy-rights request, email privacy@timesmediaservice.com. We will respond within the deadline required by the law that applies to the request. To appeal a denial, email the Data Protection Officer at dpo@timesmediaservice.com.

Our standard process refers every formal privacy-rights request to Stripe Identity to help prevent unauthorized disclosure or deletion, unless the Data Protection Officer approves the alternative described below. The standard checks are a government-issued identity document, a selfie and facial match, and a name and address database check. Authorized Times Media Service personnel can access only the verification result, and our case file retains only verification status. We request redaction of the Stripe Identity verification session when the request is closed.

If you cannot or do not wish to use facial verification, contact the Data Protection Officer. The DPO will determine an alternative verification method case by case, taking account of the request and the risk of disclosing or deleting data belonging to another person.

Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the data-protection or privacy regulator where you live.

14. Automated security and fraud decisions

Some security and fraud controls make automated decisions that can significantly affect access to an account, a site function, or a transaction.

  • Google reCAPTCHA v3 can reject the current login or comment based on automated risk signals.
  • SiteGround security can reject the current login or comment, temporarily block an IP address or browser, or temporarily lock a reader account.
  • Stripe or PayPal fraud screening can restrict or reject a transaction.

For a Stripe or PayPal transaction decision, request human review or appeal directly to the relevant payment provider through its support or dispute process. Times Media Service LLC does not provide a manual review route for a reCAPTCHA or SiteGround website-access block. You may still contact us about the underlying account or exercise any applicable legal right concerning an automated decision.

15. Children and age rules

Times Media Service publications are general-audience publications and are not directed primarily to children under 13.

  • Reader accounts: the minimum age is 13. An exact date of birth is required at registration, and account creation is technically blocked worldwide for a person who indicates an age under 13.
  • Consent-based services outside the United States: where we rely on the user’s own consent, the service is restricted to people 16 or older. This international 16-and-over restriction is currently stated as a policy rule and is not separately technically enforced beyond the account age controls described here.
  • Paid subscriptions, donations, and merchandise: the minimum age is 18. An account is required, and WooCommerce checkout is technically blocked for an account holder known to be under 18.
  • Signed-out visitors: the consent flow does not request a birth date or ask a signed-out visitor to declare whether they are under 18.

Account and consent registration flows apply age-based controls to a signed-in reader. If a signed-in reader is known to be under 18, the WPLP advertising or marketing category is locked off. At sign-out, consent is cleared and optional cookies and browser identifiers already stored are deleted immediately where controllable.

16. Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal data. These include access restrictions, authentication controls, security logging, hosted payment and identity-verification pages, consent controls, backups, and vendor safeguards.

No system can be guaranteed completely secure. Protect your password, use a secure device, and contact us if you believe your account or personal data has been compromised.

17. Changes to this Notice

We may update this Notice when our services, vendors, practices, or legal obligations change. We will show a revised last-updated date. For a material change, we will also provide a prominent website notice and ask for consent again through the consent-management platform when required.

18. Contact us

Questions, ordinary privacy inquiries, and formal privacy-rights requests may be sent to privacy@timesmediaservice.com.

Appeals and Data Protection Officer inquiries may be sent to dpo@timesmediaservice.com.

You may also write to Times Media Service LLC, 32 N Gould St., Suite R, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States.