Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Mary J Essence

Effective Date: November 18, 2024

Mary J Essence (“MJE,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our platform, including our website at https://maryjessence.com, applications, and services (collectively, the “Platform”).

By accessing or using the Platform, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are

Our website address is: https://maryjessence.com. Mary J Essence is a directory and resource platform designed to connect businesses and individuals within the wellness and community-focused space.

2. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly

• Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, business name, and other details you provide during registration or when contacting us.
• Business Information: Details about your business or organization, including licensing information (if applicable) and descriptions submitted for listing purposes.
• Comments: When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, the visitor’s IP address, and browser user agent string to help with spam detection. An anonymized string (hash) created from your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to check if you use it. The Gravatar privacy policy is available here.

B. Information Automatically Collected

• Usage Data: IP address, browser type, pages viewed, time spent on the Platform, and other interaction data.
• Device Information: Operating system, device type, and unique device identifiers.

C. Media Uploaded by Users

• If you upload images, avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract location data from these images.

D. Cookies

• Comment Cookies: If you leave a comment, you can opt-in to save your name, email, and website in cookies for convenience. These cookies last for one year.
• Login Cookies: Temporary cookies determine if your browser accepts cookies. Login cookies last two days; screen preference cookies last a year. Selecting “Remember Me” extends login cookies to two weeks.
• Editor Cookies: Editing or publishing an article saves an additional cookie, which expires after one day.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and improve the Platform.
• Publish and manage business listings, comments, and other user-generated content.
• Verify user and business eligibility for Platform use.
• Detect and prevent spam or fraudulent activity.
• Send notifications about updates, changes, or communications related to your use of the Platform.
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

4. Sharing of Information

We may share your information as follows:

A. With Service Providers

We may share information with vendors who provide services such as hosting, analytics, or spam detection.

B. For Legal Obligations

We may disclose information to comply with legal requirements or protect our rights and users.

C. Embedded Content

Articles may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images). Embedded content behaves as if you visited the source website, which may collect data, use cookies, or track your interactions.

5. How Long We Retain Your Data

• Comments: Comments and metadata are retained indefinitely for spam detection and recognition of follow-up comments.
• User Profiles: For registered users, we store personal information in user profiles indefinitely unless the user edits or deletes it. Website administrators can also access this data.

6. Your Rights Over Your Data

You have the right to:

• Request an exported file of personal data we hold about you.
• Request the deletion of your personal data, except for data we must retain for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

7. Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection services.

8. Security

We implement measures to protect your information. However, no system is entirely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Age Restrictions

The Platform is intended for users aged 21 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from individuals under this age.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. We will notify users of significant changes through the Platform. Continued use after changes signifies acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

For questions or concerns, contact us at:
Email: support@maryjessence.com