Privacy Policy
This policy is in effect as of May 25, 2018. If you continue to use TolkienGuide after this date, you agree to abide by these terms. Please contact TolkienGuide if you have any questions or feedback.
Who TolkienGuide Is
TolkienGuide is a privately owned website (the "Service") managed by the owner and a small number of volunteers. This website provides a forum and tools for discussing and collecting the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and related materials, and is based in California.
What TolkienGuide Collects and Receives
In order to use certain functions on the website, TolkienGuide may need to collect and process certain information. Depending on your use of the Service, that may include:
You may decline to provide TolkienGuide with any personal information, but will not be able to submit anything if so. You may review, change or remove your information through your account settings.
How TolkienGuide Uses This Information
The information collected is used for the following purposes:
European Union Users
Data protection law in Europe requires a "lawful basis" for collecting and retaining personal information from citizens or residents of the European Economic Area. Our lawful bases include:
How This Information Is Shared
Information that's shared publicly
When you create an account, TolkienGuide creates a basic profile page for you
Your username and avatar appear with any posts you make, along with any signature you create to append to your posts.
You can modify your displayed username, avatar and public personal information at any time.
Information that isn't shared publicly
Information that's shared with trusted third-party services
Information that's shared to protect TolkienGuide and comply with the law
We do reserve the right to disclose the above mentioned personal information when required to comply with the law or law enforcement or to protect TolkienGuide's legal rights, property or the safety of the staff, volunteers or users.
Retention
TolkienGuide will retain your information as long as your account is active, as necessary to provide you with the services of the site. We also collect and maintain aggregated, anonymized information which may be retained indefinitely to protect the safety and security of the site, improve the site or comply with legal obligations.
Data Transfers
Because TolkienGuide is based in the United States, your information will be collected and processed in the United States. The United States has its own laws governing data protection and government access to information. The rules that protect your personal information under United States law may be different than in your home country. If you choose to use TolkienGuide, you need to agree to our Terms of Use which set out the contract between TolkienGuide and its users.
Your Rights
Users residing in certain countries, including the EU, are afforded certain rights regarding their personal information. Except where an exception or exemption applies, these rights include the ability to access, correct, and request deletion of your personal information. All TolkienGuide users can manage their personal information, as further described below, in their account settings.
You can request a downloadable copy of your personal data from TolkienGuide by contacting us through [email protected] or the site contact form. To modify or delete your personal information you've provided, please log in and update your profile. You may also request to delete your account by contacting us as well. We may retain certain information as required by law or as necessary for legitimate business purposes.
Email and Mobile Notifications
TolkienGuide will only communicate with you if you have requested it. No marketing emails are sent. You will receive emails relating to account maintenance (password reset messages, for example). Also, email notifications are sent if you have elected to get them when new messages are posted to the forums. These new message notifications can be turned off at any time through the notifications management page. You may receive service-related announcements when it's necessary to do so.
Security
We take security seriously, and the security of your personal data is important to us. We follow industry-standard practices to protect the data we collect and maintain, including using Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt information as it travels over the Internet. No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, so TolkienGuide cannot guarantee its absolute security. Your account information is protected by a password, which you should choose carefully and keep secure. Your password is not stored as clear text by TolkienGuide but rather hashed in an industry approved fashion to protect it as much as is possible.
Children
People under 18 (or the legal age in your jurisdiction) are not permitted to use TolkienGuide on their own. TolkienGuide does not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of 13 and children under 13 are not permitted to register for an account or use our Services.
If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected]. If we become aware that a child under age 13 has provided us with personally identifiable information, we'll delete it.