DO NOT SUBMIT, JOIN A NEWSLETTER, COMMENT, JOIN AS A CONTRIBUTOR, OR DONATE MONIES ON A SITE THAT HAS NO PRIVACY POLICY POSTED PUBLICLY.

You have no idea what they are doing with that information.

Some folks took issue with our very basic privacy practices—like logging IPs when someone leaves a comment. That’s normal. That’s standard. That’s how you stop bots, trolls, and spam.

We were denied the ability to coordinate efforts and work together over this.

And here’s the kicker: We were criticized for having a privacy policy at all. Meanwhile, many groups don’t even have one. That’s not okay.

Rescue Our Democracy is doing this the right way. We are transparent, we are accountable, and we won’t compromise our standards just to fit in.

You’re stealing my information!

No I am not.

So before you make yourself look as though you are completely lacking knowledge…as the national group and local groups have…

Yes, I do need to have a privacy policy on my website — and I do. Even though I’m based in Iowa, privacy rules apply if I collect any personal information from any visitor, not just Iowans. That includes things like:

• Names
• Email addresses
• IP addresses
• Comment content
• Contributor sign-ups or logins

Federal and international laws apply if someone from outside Iowa visits the site. For example:

• CalOPPA (California law) requires a privacy policy for any site that collects info from California residents.
• Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) requires a privacy policy for any site that collects info from Colorado residents.
• GDPR (European law) protects users in the EU and UK — and applies even to U.S. websites if they get international traffic.
  • Yes, I have that far of a reach
• Other countries like Canada and Australia have similar laws.
  • Here too

Iowa itself doesn’t currently have a comprehensive state privacy law like California, but that doesn’t mean I’m off the hook. Because my site collects data like newsletter sign-ups, comments and contributor posts, I still have a legal and ethical responsibility to be transparent. That’s why I’ve posted a privacy policy that explains:

• What info is collected
• Why it’s collected
• How it’s used
• What rights users have
• How long it’s stored
• Where to contact us

As for removing content: I don’t have to take down comments or posts just because they’re on the site — as long as they don’t contain private, identifying information that someone didn’t agree to share publicly.

But if someone posts personal data (like their real name, phone number, or address) and later asks me to remove it — or if they didn’t consent to it being posted (not possible if they did it themselves – they consented and I am not in the habit of posting people’s gossip) — I would absolutely take it down. That’s both the respectful thing to do and the legally smart one. With only exceptions being for harassing and defaming comments, those are left up as proof of people’s true colors and for reference for any legal questions later.

It’s called being transparent.

By the way, when you hit the submit button, you ARE consenting.

I want my site to be a safe, transparent space, and I take user privacy seriously — even in Iowa.

I know what I need to about websites. I have done this for 27 years.

Educate before you falsely accuse, again…as seems to be the habit of this particular group of folks.