Privacy Policy

Welcome to dreamsource.xyz (the "Website"), a blog dedicated to publishing informative articles about shipping, logistics, and the maritime industry. Your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our blog or interact with its features, including contact forms, comments, and cookies.

By using the Website, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the site. We reserve the right to update this policy at any time; changes will be posted here with an updated "Last updated" date.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Voluntarily Provide

We collect personal information that you choose to share with us through the following interactions:

• Contact Forms: When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry.
• Comments: If you leave a comment on an article, we collect your name (or display name), email address, and the comment text. Your email is not publicly displayed; only the name and comment appear on the site.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit dreamsource.xyz, certain data is automatically collected to improve your experience and analyze site performance:

• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies (small text files stored on your device) to remember your preferences, understand how you navigate our blog, and enhance functionality. For example, we may use a cookie to remember if you have accepted our cookie notice.
• Basic Analytics: We use a simple analytics tool (such as a privacy-focused service like Plausible or a minimal Google Analytics setup) to collect anonymized data including: pages visited, time spent on the site, browser type, device type, and general geographic location (country/city level). This data is aggregated and does not identify individual users.
• Log Data: Our servers automatically record information such as your IP address (which may be anonymized), browser type, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps. This data helps us diagnose technical issues and protect against abuse.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries submitted via contact forms.
• To publish and manage comments on blog posts.
• To analyze site traffic and improve our content, layout, and user experience.
• To remember your preferences (e.g., cookie consent settings).
• To detect and prevent fraudulent or abusive activity.
• To comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes. We do not collect payment card information or maintain user accounts for purchases, as this is a blog, not an online store.

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Cookies help us make your visit more enjoyable. Here’s how we use them:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the basic functioning of the site, such as remembering your cookie consent choice.
• Analytics Cookies: Used to collect aggregated data about how visitors use the site. This helps us understand which articles are most popular and how users navigate the blog.
• Comment Preference Cookies: If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name and email in cookies for convenience so you don’t have to fill in your details again.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Website. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking for targeted ads.

4. Comments

When visitors leave comments on our blog, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture (if any) is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Your email address will never be published or shared publicly on the site. We reserve the right to moderate or delete comments that violate our commenting guidelines (e.g., spam, offensive language, or off-topic content).

5. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not share your personal information with third parties except in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We may use trusted third-party services (e.g., website hosting, email delivery, analytics) that process data on our behalf. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for the services we request.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests (e.g., a subpoena or court order).
• Protection of Rights: To enforce our policies, protect the safety, rights, or property of dreamsource.xyz, our users, or others.

We never sell your data to third parties.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 12 months after the last correspondence, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
• Comments: Retained indefinitely as part of the blog’s content, unless you request deletion. You can ask us to remove your comment and associated data at any time.
• Analytics data: Aggregated data is retained indefinitely; individual-level data (if any) is anonymized or deleted after 26 months.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal obligations.
• Objection: Object to the processing of your data for analytics or other legitimate interests.
• Data Portability: Request a structured, machine-readable copy of your data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days. If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8. Third-Party Links

Our blog may contain links to external websites (e.g., shipping industry news, reference sources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

9. Children’s Privacy

dreamsource.xyz is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in certain jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to delete such information.

10. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include SSL encryption, secure server configurations, and limited access to personal data. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the Website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Mailing Address: 5367 Park Blvd, Austin, TX 78701, United States

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 5 business days.