Human Chronicles

Privacy Policy

humanchronicles.ca

Effective Date: April 2026 | Last Updated: April 2026

At Human Chronicles, stories are at the heart of everything we do — including how we handle yours. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices you have. We’ve written it to be readable rather than impenetrable, because that’s how we prefer to communicate.

By using humanchronicles.ca or purchasing a subscription, you consent to the practices described in this Policy.

Human Chronicles is published by SITOSO Digital Publishing, Ajax, Ontario, Canada. This Policy applies to all personal information collected through humanchronicles.ca and related subscription services.

1. Our Legal Basis for Collecting Your Data

We operate in compliance with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Ontario privacy legislation. We collect personal information only with your consent and only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate under the circumstances.

We do not collect more information than we need. We are not in the data business. We are in the stories business.

2. What Information We Collect

2a. When You Subscribe or Purchase

When you create an account and subscribe, we collect:

  • Your name and email address
  • Your mailing address (print subscribers only)
  • Payment information — processed and stored securely by Stripe; we do not store your credit card or banking details on our servers
  • Your subscription type and history
  • Your account preferences

2b. When You Visit the Website

Like most websites, humanchronicles.ca collects some technical information automatically when you browse, including:

  • Your IP address and general geographic location
  • Browser type and version
  • Pages visited and time spent on the site
  • Referring URLs (how you found us)

This data is collected through Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Tag Manager. We use it to understand how people engage with the magazine so we can make it better. It is aggregated and anonymized wherever possible.

2c. When You Leave a Comment

If you post a comment on our website, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your comment, along with your IP address (used for spam detection). If you use a Gravatar, your profile image may be publicly visible alongside your comment.

2d. Cookies

We use cookies — small text files stored on your device — for the following purposes:

Essential cookies: Required for account login, session management, and site functionality. These cannot be disabled without affecting your ability to use the site.

Preference cookies: Remember your display choices and login state (lasting up to two weeks if you select “Remember Me”).

Analytics cookies: Placed by Google Analytics to help us understand site traffic and reader behaviour. These can be declined.

Payment cookies: Placed by Stripe during checkout to ensure secure transaction processing.

When you first visit the site, you will be given the option to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can also manage cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information only for the following purposes:

  • To process and fulfill your subscription or single-issue purchase
  • To deliver print issues to your mailing address (Canada only)
  • To provide access to your digital issues via your account
  • To send you subscription-related communications (renewal reminders, issue notifications, account updates)
  • To send our newsletter and editorial updates, if you have opted in
  • To respond to your inquiries and customer service requests
  • To improve the website and subscriber experience through aggregated analytics
  • To comply with applicable legal obligations

We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Full stop.

We share data only with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate the magazine, and only to the extent necessary:

  • Stripe: Payment processing. Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant. See stripe.com/privacy.
  • MemberPress: Subscription and membership management on our WordPress site.
  • Canada Post: Print issue delivery. Your name and mailing address are shared for fulfillment purposes only.
  • Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager: Website analytics. Data is anonymized and aggregated.
  • WordPress / Automattic: Website hosting and content management infrastructure.

All third-party providers are required to handle your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws and their own published privacy policies.

We may also disclose your information if required to do so by law or by a valid court order or regulatory authority.

5. How Long We Retain Your Data

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy:

  • Active subscriber records are retained for the duration of your subscription and for a reasonable period thereafter for accounting and legal purposes.
  • Payment transaction records are retained as required by Canadian tax and financial regulations (typically 7 years).
  • Comment data is retained indefinitely to support comment moderation, but can be deleted upon request.
  • Analytics data (via Google Analytics) is retained for 26 months, after which it is automatically deleted.

When you close your account or request deletion, we will remove your personal data from our active systems within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

6. Your Rights

Under PIPEDA and applicable Canadian privacy law, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Withdraw consent for non-essential data uses (such as newsletter communications) at any time
  • Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements
  • File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca) if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@humanchronicles.ca. We will respond within 30 days.

7. International Subscribers

If you are subscribing to Human Chronicles from outside Canada, please be aware that your personal information will be transferred to and processed in Canada. By subscribing, you consent to this transfer.

We make reasonable efforts to ensure that your data receives an adequate level of protection consistent with Canadian privacy standards, regardless of where you are located.

Please note: if you are based in the European Union or United Kingdom, you may have additional rights under GDPR or UK GDPR. At present, Human Chronicles does not specifically market to EU/UK residents, but we will honour reasonable data requests in line with those frameworks.

8. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

  • Secure HTTPS encryption on humanchronicles.ca
  • Payment processing through Stripe’s PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure
  • Password-protected subscriber accounts
  • Limited staff access to personal data on a need-to-know basis

No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the unlikely event of a data breach that poses a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected subscribers and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required by law.

9. Children’s Privacy

Human Chronicles is a publication intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

10. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (including social media platforms, our printer’s site, or partner organizations). This Privacy Policy applies only to humanchronicles.ca. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any external sites and encourage you to review their policies independently.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will:

  • Post the updated Policy on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date
  • Notify active subscribers by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect

Continuing to use humanchronicles.ca or your subscription after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

12. Contact Us

Privacy questions, data requests, or concerns? We’re a small, human operation and we take this seriously.

Privacy Officer, SITOSO Digital Publishing
hello@humanchronicles.ca
humanchronicles.ca
Ajax, Ontario, Canada

We will respond to all privacy inquiries within 30 days.

Stories worth preserving.