The short version: We use one privacy-friendly analytics tool to see which pages are useful. No cookies, no tracking you across the web, no selling anything to anyone.

Last updated: July 30, 2026

What we collect

We use Umami for basic site analytics. It’s a privacy-focused tool that doesn’t use cookies and doesn’t build a profile of you. Here’s what it records:

• Page views - which pages get visited
• Referral sources - how you found the site (a search engine, Facebook, the newsletter)
• General location - country or region level, never anything more specific
• Device and browser type - basic things like mobile vs. desktop, and screen size

What it doesn’t do: no cookies, no storing your IP address, no following you to other websites. Because it doesn’t use cookies, there’s no annoying consent banner to click through.

This data is aggregated, used only to make the site more useful, and never sold or shared for marketing.

If you’d rather not be counted at all, any standard ad or tracker blocker will stop it, and the site works exactly the same.

Links in our newsletter

Links in the weekly newsletter that point back to this site have a tag on the end (you’ll see utm_source=newsletter in the address). That just tells us the newsletter is worth sending — it doesn’t identify you personally. Links to other people’s websites are left alone.

Hosting and technical details

This site is hosted on Netlify. As with any web hosting service, Netlify’s servers automatically log technical information when you visit, including:

• Your IP address
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referring website

This is standard web server logging and happens automatically. Netlify’s data handling practices are governed by their privacy policy.

Contact forms and communication

If you contact us through the site or via email:

• We’ll keep your email and any information you provide only as long as needed to respond to your inquiry
• We won’t add you to any mailing lists without your explicit consent
• Your contact information won’t be shared with anyone else

Third-party links

This site links to external websites (local businesses, organizations, event pages, etc.). We’re not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. When you click a link to leave the Comox Valley Commons, you’re subject to that website’s privacy policy.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Know what data we collect about you (it’s listed above, but ask if anything’s unclear)
• Request deletion of any personal information we may have
• Opt out of analytics entirely by using a tracker blocker
• Ask questions about how your data is handled

Children’s privacy

The Comox Valley Commons doesn’t knowingly collect information from children under 13. The site is designed for adults looking for community information and resources.

Changes to this policy

When we do implement analytics or make other changes that affect privacy, we’ll update this page and note the date at the top. Major changes (like adding a new data collection tool) will be clearly indicated.

Questions?

If you have questions about privacy or data handling, or want to request information about what data we have (if any), get in touch:

The honest take

Privacy policies are usually exhausting legal documents designed to cover every possible scenario. This one tries to be straightforward instead.

The goal is simple: collect only what’s actually useful for making the site better, be transparent about what that is, and respect your privacy. No dark patterns, no data harvesting, no selling your information to advertisers.

If we ever change that approach, this policy will reflect it clearly. And if you think we’re not living up to these principles, please call us out.