Privacy Policy — Ama Sora
Last updated: July 1, 2024
Ama Sora Research LLC ("Ama Sora," "we," "us," or "our") operates the website ama-sora.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our Site. We've written it in plain language because we believe you deserve to understand what happens to your data without needing a law degree.
1. Information We Collect
We collect minimal information. The Site does not require registration, login, or account creation. You can browse all content without providing any personal data.
Information you provide voluntarily: If you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, topic selection, and message content. This information is sent to our email inbox and is not stored in a database or shared with third parties.
Analytics cookies: If you accept our cookie banner, we place a small first-party cookie that tracks which pages you visit. This data is stored locally in your browser and transmitted to our server only as anonymized aggregate counts. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party tracking service. We do not collect your IP address, device fingerprint, or browsing history outside our Site.
Server logs: Our web hosting provider automatically logs HTTP requests, including your IP address, browser user agent, requested URL, and timestamp. These logs are retained for 30 days for security and troubleshooting purposes and are then deleted. We do not correlate server logs with personal information or use them for profiling.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to your contact form submissions and inquiries.
- To understand which sea-breeze topics our visitors find most interesting, so we can prioritize future content.
- To maintain the security and technical operation of the Site.
- To comply with legal obligations if required by subpoena or court order.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We do not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes. We do not build profiles or use automated decision-making based on your data.
3. Cookies and Local Storage
The Site uses cookies sparingly. Here's what we set:
- ama_sora_cookie_consent — Stores your cookie preference ("accepted" or "declined"). Persists until you clear your browser data. Essential for compliance.
- ama_sora_topic_views (analytics, optional) — If you accept analytics, stores anonymized page view counts for topic popularity analysis. First-party only. No third-party access.
You can decline analytics cookies using the cookie banner at the bottom of the page. If you decline, no analytics data is collected. Essential cookies (the consent flag itself) are necessary for the Site to remember your preference and cannot be disabled without breaking the consent mechanism.
4. Data Retention
Contact form submissions are retained in our email inbox for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry and maintain a record of our communication. Typically, we delete contact emails 12 months after the last response in the thread. Server logs are retained for 30 days. Analytics data (if collected) is aggregated monthly and raw records are deleted after 90 days.
5. Data Security
We take reasonable measures to protect your information. The Site is served over HTTPS (TLS 1.2 or higher). Our email provider uses encryption in transit and at rest. We do not store personal information in databases that could be exposed by SQL injection or similar attacks — because we don't use databases for user data at all. However, no internet transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Third-Party Services
The Site uses the following third-party services:
- Open-Meteo API: We call this API from your browser to fetch current weather data. Your browser sends the API request directly; our server is not involved. Open-Meteo's privacy policy applies to these requests.
- Google Fonts: We load Literata and Figtree fonts from Google Fonts. Google may log your IP address and user agent. See Google's Privacy Policy for details.
- Web hosting provider: Our hosting provider processes server logs as described above.
We do not embed social media widgets, advertising networks, or tracking pixels. We do not use CDN-hosted JavaScript libraries.
7. Children's Privacy
The Site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
8. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information. Since we collect minimal data, the easiest way to exercise these rights is to contact us directly. We will respond to all requests within 30 days.
9. International Transfers
Ama Sora Research LLC is registered in the United States. If you access the Site from outside the US, your information (including contact form submissions) will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the Site, you consent to this transfer.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We will not reduce your rights under this policy without providing notice.
11. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy, contact:
Ama Sora Research LLC
30 Montgomery Street, Suite 1200
Jersey City, NJ 07302, USA
Email: research@ama-sora.com
Phone: +1 (201) 555-0163