Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

Welcome to rcxqh.top (the "Website"), a blog dedicated to publishing articles about astronomy and space science. Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our blog. Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms, please do not access or use the Website.

We operate in full compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), where relevant. We are committed to being transparent about our data practices.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Voluntarily Provide

We collect information that you voluntarily submit when interacting with our blog. This includes:

• Contact form submissions: When you send us a message via the contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. We use this solely to respond to your inquiry.
• Comments: When you leave a comment on an article, we collect your display name, email address (not publicly visible), and the comment text. Your IP address may be recorded to help detect spam.
• Newsletter sign-ups (if applicable): If you choose to subscribe to any future newsletter, we will collect your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit rcxqh.top, certain information is automatically collected through cookies and similar technologies:

• Log data: Your browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, date/time stamps, and your IP address.
• Cookies and tracking technologies: We use minimal cookies to enhance your experience, as detailed in Section 4 below.
• Basic analytics: We use a privacy-respecting analytics service (such as a self-hosted or anonymized tool) to understand general traffic patterns — which articles are popular, geographic region (city-level only), and how users navigate the site. No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes only:

• To respond to your inquiries submitted via the contact form.
• To publish and manage comments on our blog posts.
• To improve the content and user experience of the blog.
• To monitor and analyze traffic trends and usage patterns (aggregated, non-personal data).
• To detect and prevent spam, abuse, or security threats.
• To comply with legal obligations, if required.

We will never sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes.

3. Comments and User-Generated Content

When you leave a comment on rcxqh.top, the comment text and your display name are publicly visible. Your email address is stored in our database but is never displayed publicly. We reserve the right to moderate, edit, or delete comments that are spam, offensive, or off-topic.

If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

4. Cookies Policy

Our blog uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve functionality and understand usage. Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser.

4.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential/Functional cookies: Required for basic site functionality, such as remembering your comment preferences (name/email). These do not require consent.
• Analytics cookies: We use a lightweight analytics tool (e.g., Plausible, Fathom, or a similar privacy-first service) that does not use persistent cookies or collect personal data. It provides aggregate statistics only.
• Preference cookies: To remember if you have accepted or declined cookies (if a cookie consent banner is active).

4.2 Managing Cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. However, please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the blog. You can also opt out of analytics tracking by using browser "Do Not Track" settings or by installing privacy extensions.

5. Third-Party Services

We do not use third-party advertising networks, payment processors, or e-commerce services. The only third-party services we may use are:

• Web hosting provider: Our hosting company stores server logs temporarily for security and performance purposes. They do not have access to your personal data beyond what is necessary to maintain the server.
• Email service (for contact form): If we use an email relay service to receive contact form submissions, that service processes your email address and message temporarily. We ensure they are GDPR-compliant.
• Analytics provider: As mentioned, we use a privacy-focused analytics tool that anonymizes IP addresses and does not share data with third parties.

We do not integrate Facebook, Twitter, Google Analytics (in its standard form), or any other tracking-heavy third-party scripts.

6. Data Retention

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

• Contact form inquiries: Retained for up to 12 months after the last communication.
• Comments: Retained indefinitely as part of the blog content, unless you request removal.
• Analytics data: Aggregated, anonymized data is retained for up to 26 months.
• Server logs: Retained for up to 30 days for security purposes, then deleted.

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 certain exceptions (e.g., we may need to retain comment data if it is integral to a published discussion).
• Restriction: Request that we limit processing of your data.
• Data portability: Request a machine-readable copy of your data.
• Objection: Object to the processing of your data for analytics purposes.
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes using HTTPS encryption, secure server configurations, and limiting access to personal data to only those who need it for legitimate purposes. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

Our blog is intended for a general audience and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EU). If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal data, we will delete it immediately. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has submitted information, please contact us.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. When we make changes, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this document. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Material changes will be notified via a prominent notice on the blog.

11. Contact Information

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