Voluntary Information: This includes your email address when you sign up for the Barkcouver Newsletter or any information you provide when using our contact form or submitting a news tip.
Automated Information (Cookies): Like most websites, we use cookies via the Blocksy theme and WordPress to ensure the site functions correctly. These are small files stored on your device that help with site navigation and performance.
Analytics: We use Google Analytics to track anonymized data (such as which articles are most read). This does not identify you personally but helps us understand what the Vancouver pet community cares about most.

2. How Your Information is Used
The data we collect is used strictly to:
Deliver the Barkcouver Newsletter to your inbox.
Respond to your news tips or inquiries.
Monitor and protect the security of our website.
Improve our editorial content based on general reader trends.

3. Comments and Community Interaction
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.

Please note that comments are public. If you choose to leave a comment, that information is visible to other readers. We reserve the right to moderate and remove comments that violate our community standards.

4. Third-Party Service Providers
To provide a high-quality news experience, we partner with the following services:

MailPoet: Manages our subscriber list and sends our newsletters.
Google Analytics: Provides insights into website traffic.
WordPress: Our Content Management System (CMS).
Blocksy: Our design and layout framework.

Each of these providers has its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review them if you have concerns about how they handle data on their end.

5. Data Retention & Security
We do not store your information longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

Newsletter: Your email is kept as long as you are a subscriber. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of any email.

Comments: Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.

We implement standard security measures to protect your information, but please remember that no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

6. Your Rights (British Columbia PIPA)
As a resident of British Columbia, you have rights regarding your personal information under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). You may request access to the personal information we hold about you, or request that we correct or delete it.

7. External Links
Barkcouver often links to external sites (local businesses, government resources, or event pages). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party websites.

8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on this page.

9. Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding your privacy, please contact our editorial team at:
barkcover@gmail.com