Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy explains how Orin Hutchings (“we”, “our”, or “us”) collects, uses, and protects personal information when you visit orinhutchings.com.

2. Information we collect

• Account information: email address, email-verification status, display name, profile image, account role, and account creation and update dates.
• Sign-in information: a securely hashed password for email and password accounts; Google profile and OAuth account information when you use Google; and session, verification, magic link, and password reset tokens and expiry data. Signed-in users are authenticated with session cookies.
• Comments: the text of comments, their date, the related post, and the account that submitted them. Your display name, or a neutral label such as “Reader” if none is set, may appear publicly beside a comment. A profile image may also be shown when one is associated with your account.
• Newsletter information: your email address and, when provided, your name. Subscription preferences are stored in our internal audience list and, when you have an account, on your user profile so your choices can be honored.
• Contact information: information you submit through the site's contact form, including your name, email address, and message, which may be delivered to us via Resend.
• Analytics and technical information: We use analytics (via Vercel) to understand how visitors use the site and improve its performance. Analytics information is generally aggregated and is not intended to identify individual visitors. Hosting and security systems may also process IP addresses, request details, and diagnostic logs.
• Transactional email information: email recipients, message content, and delivery or error metadata for verification, sign-in, and password reset messages may be processed in site logs and by Resend.

3. How and why we use information

We use personal information to:

• create, secure, and administer reader accounts;
• verify email addresses, authenticate sign-ins, and reset passwords;
• publish, attribute, moderate, and remove comments;
• send newsletters when you consent and maintain subscription preferences;
• respond to messages submitted through the contact form;
• understand site use, maintain reliability, prevent abuse, and improve the site; and
• comply with legal obligations and protect legal rights.

Depending on where you live, these activities rely on your consent, performance of the service you request, legitimate interests in operating and securing the site, and compliance with law. You may withdraw consent for future newsletter emails at any time.

4. Cookies

The site uses essential cookies for authentication and functionality, including remembering certain temporary actions during sign-in. We also store your theme preference (light or dark mode) in your browser. Embedded services may apply their own cookies or similar technologies under their respective policies.

5. Passwords, tokens, and email verification

Passwords are securely hashed before storage. We do not store your plaintext password. Verification and password reset tokens are securely stored and expire automatically. Email and password accounts must verify their address before commenting. Google and magic link sign-ins are treated as verified through their authentication flow.

No internet service is completely secure. We use reasonable safeguards, but cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Service providers

We disclose information only as needed to operate the site, honor your requests, protect the service, or comply with law. We currently use the following service providers:

• Google, for OAuth sign-in and associated profile data;
• Vercel, for website hosting, request handling, and analytics;
• Neon, for database hosting; and
• Resend, for verification, magic link, password reset, contact form delivery, and newsletter-related email.

We may change service providers as the site evolves. This Privacy Policy will be updated to reflect material changes where appropriate.

These providers may process information in other countries and under their own privacy terms. The site does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

7. Retention and deletion

Account information and comments are generally retained while your account is active or as needed to provide the service. Expired verification, sign-in, and reset tokens may be retained briefly for security and operational cleanup. We may retain a record of your email address after you unsubscribe solely to ensure we honor your request and do not send additional newsletter emails. Contact messages, analytics, and technical logs are retained according to operational need and provider settings.

To request account or data deletion, email support@orinhutchings.com. Some records may be retained when required by law, needed for security or dispute resolution, or necessary to honor an unsubscribe request as described above.

8. Your choices and rights

Depending on your location and applicable law (including the GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and similar privacy laws), you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a portable copy of your personal information; to object to or restrict certain processing; and to withdraw consent. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority. These rights can be subject to legal exceptions and identity verification.

To stop newsletter messages, use the unsubscribe link in any newsletter, visit orinhutchings.com/unsubscribe, or email support@orinhutchings.com. Transactional account emails may still be sent when needed to complete an action you request.

9. Children's privacy

This site is not directed to children under the age required by applicable law (including under 13 in the United States), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us so it can be reviewed and deleted.

10. Third-party links

This website may contain links to third-party websites, including YouTube and other external services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site or applicable requirements change. The revised version will be posted here with a new “Last updated” date. Material changes may also be communicated through the site or by email when appropriate.

12. Contact

Privacy questions and requests may be sent to support@orinhutchings.com.