Privacy Policy

Effective February 15, 2022.


This privacy policy is designed to tell you about the information Freedom Fries, LLC d/b/a Freespoke (“Freespoke”) collects, what it does with that information, and related topics and applies to our website www.freespoke.com (the “Website”).


Sections of this Privacy Policy

You can use the hyperlinks below to navigate to a section of the privacy policy.
What we do
Freespoke’s Note about Policy Information we collect Default

Information

Auto-Form Information User Provided Information Usability Information

Information About Others You Share with Us Information we do not collect
When we collect this information What we do with this information
Your Rights with Respect to Your Information Retention of Your Information
Processors we use Cookies and Log Files Do Not Track
Data Security
Other sharing of your information Accuracy of Information
Opt-Out Children
Location of Website and Data Application of this privacy policy Changes to this privacy policy Contact information
What we do

The Website puts you back in control of your news feed. Instead of being bombarded with tons of articles and very few ways to sort, we let users see the political leanings of news articles before they read them, customize their homepage to show them the types of news they want to see, and search for news articles.

Freespoke’s Note about Privacy

Your personal data is your business, not ours.

We believe in giving people an alternative to the Big Data model used by the handful of big technology companies that control the vast majority of the Internet, namely Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft. Your personal information is not the product we’re selling. And it never will be.

But we’ve learned, the hard way, that to reach a like-minded audience we must participate in the very system that we’re trying to overthrow. Ironic? Yes. Hypocritical. No. Because we’re working inside the beast to overthrow it. We’re a trojan horse trying to restore the Internet to a time when no one company could censor the information flowing to billions of people because

that information dared to challenge said beast’s political ideology. We include all points of view

- so long as they’re not totally cringe, creepy or morally objectionable to 99% of fair-minded people.

Information we collect
Default Information

This Website is hosted on Netlify. By default, Netlify collects your connection request, including timestamp, referring URL, IP address, and user agent, and all of that data is provided to and used by us only in the aggregate for basic analytics purposes (“Default Information”). According to Netlify’s policies, access logs, including IP address, are deleted after 30 days. You can find out more about how Netlify manages privacy here. Netlify does not sell any of the data collected on our behalf. Netlify uses cookies to collect this information. The Website will not function without collecting some Default Information about when and where users are visiting our Website. This cannot be turned off, but it is stored and analyzed in the aggregate.

Auto-Form Information

Currently, when you send us feedback, sign up for an account, or provide us with information through a form on our Website, Netlify collects and stores your IP address (“Auto-Form

Information”) and provides it to us. We do not request or utilize this information and take steps to remove it quickly upon our receipt. We have also requested that Netlify help us stop this from happening.

User Provided Information

If you decide to sign up for marketing emails, newsletters, contact us by email, provide us feedback or create an account on the Website, we only collect the information that you give us, which may include your email address and any other information you choose to provide, as well as account preferences, “likes,” and other individual choices you make for your account (“User Provided Information”). User provided information is the only personally identifiable information we collect.

Usability Information

In order for us to provide you the best possible experience on our website, we need to collect and process certain information (“Usability Information”). Our service for collecting this usability data is Matomo. Matomo is a web analytics application which allows us to analyze reports and better understand and improve upon our customers’ experiences. This is achieved by collecting data such as; the website from which you visited us from, the parts of our site you visit, the date and duration of your visit, your anonymized IP address, information from the device (device type, operating system, screen resolution, language, city in which you are located in, and web browser type) you used during your visit.


To collect this information Matomo utilizes technologies such as cookies (small data files transferred onto computers or devices by sites). Cookies can be deactivated or restricted through settings on your web browser. Cookies which have already been stored may be deleted at any time.


Matomo collects and stores the Usability Information on our behalf. Further information on Matomo’s privacy policies can be found here.

Information About Others You Share with Us

If you disclose any personally identifiable information relating to other people to us (such as by inviting them to join), you represent that you have the authority to do so and to permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.


The above is a full description of the types of information Freespoke has collected about consumers in the past 12 months.

Information we do not collect

We do not collect information not explicitly described above.

When we collect this information

Netlify collects Default Information when you visit and use our Website.


Auto-Form Information is collected when you submit a form on the Website such as to provide feedback or sign up for an account.


User Provided Information is collected when you choose to sign up for an account, use our feedback form, sign up for updates, or when we receive an email from you.


Matomo collects Usability Information when you visit and use our website. Back to Top
What we do with this information

We use the Default Information to understand how many, when and where visitors come to our site and how they got there. We also want to understand which parts of our page(s) are relevant and how, when and where they are being used. This data is provided to us by our hosting service, Netlify, and we cannot identify any individual user who visits our site. You can find out more about how Netlify manages this data here.


We do not use the Auto-Form Information.


We use the User Provided Information, which you give us through our feedback form or by signing up for updates, in order to improve our product and to stay in touch with you. If you sign up for an account, we use that information to store your preferences, “likes” and other individual choices you make for your account, we may also use your email address to contact you about important Website issues or maintenance, or notifications required under this Privacy Policy.

Due to the importance of these communications to the service you have signed up for, you cannot opt out of these emails. If you email us, we use the User Provided Information to communicate with you in response to your request.


If you agree, we may also send you information about new products and product updates. You may opt out of these types of communications at any time by using the link at the bottom of the email, or by contacting us using any of the methods described at the end of this Privacy Policy.


We use the Usability Information collected by Matomo to improve the performance of our site, to develop new product features, and to identify and fix bugs. We also use it to understand which parts of our page(s) are relevant and how, when and where they are being used.


We do not share any information with marketers or advertising platforms, and we do not sell any personally identifiable information.

Your Rights with Respect to Your Information

You may have heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) in Europe, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) as well as other similar regulations and laws elsewhere. Such laws give people certain rights with respect to their personally identifiable information collected by us. Accordingly, Freespoke recognizes and intends to comply with GDPR, CCPA and other laws, and provide those rights for all users, except as limited by applicable law. These rights include:

Right of Access – This includes your right to access the personally identifiable information we gather about you, and your right to obtain information about the sharing, storage, security, and processing of that information.
Right to Correction – This is your right to request correction of your personally identifiable information.
Right to Erasure – This is your right to request, subject to certain limitations under applicable law, that your personally identifiable information be erased from our possession (also known as the “Right to be forgotten”). However, if applicable law requires us to comply with your request to delete such information, fulfillment of your request may prevent you from accessing and taking advantage of certain services offered to users of the Website that have signed up and can log-in (you will still be able to use the basic features of the Website).
Right to Complain – You have the right to make a complaint regarding our handling of your personally identifiable information with the appropriate supervisory authority.
Right to Restrict Processing – This is your right to request restriction of how and why your personally identifiable information is used or processed.
Right to Object – This is your right, in certain situations, to object to how or why your personally identifiable information is processed.
Right to Portability – This is your right to receive the personally identifiable information we have about you and the right to transmit it to another party.
Right to not be subject to Automated Decision-Making – This is your right to object and prevent any decision that could have a legal, or similarly significant, effect on you from being made solely based on automated processes. This right is limited, however, if the decision is necessary for performance of any contract between you and us, is allowed by applicable law, or is based on your explicit consent.


Freespoke does not discriminate against any user, in terms of price, service, or otherwise, for exercising these rights. However, as noted above, the exercise of certain rights may prevent or limit your access to certain services as your personally identifiable information is necessary to provide those services.


Some of these rights, including the right to correction, can be exercised by simply logging into your account. You can also exercise these rights by making a request to Freespoke by contacting us using any of the contact information located below. Upon receiving a verifiable request – verified by two-factor authentication or other similar method – by a user to exercise these rights, Freespoke intends to comply within a reasonable time, but in no event more than 30 days, unless we notify you otherwise in writing. If the request is uniquely burdensome or otherwise causes Freespoke to incur significant costs, we reserve the right to request reimbursement, to the extent allowed by applicable law or regulation.

If you have questions about exercising these rights, or need assistance, please contact us at the information located below.


We also do not require or seek any “special categories” of information under GDPR including racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, sexual orientation or health information. If you wish to designate an agent to make a request on your behalf, please contact us at the information located below.

Retention of Your Information

We retain your personally identifiable information only as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or as required for necessary business purposes. For example, if you sign up for an account, we will keep your personally identifiable information for as long as you have the account. If you cancel your account, we will delete your personally identifiable information as unless we are required to keep it for legal reasons. If you provide personally identifiable information in order to communicate with us, we keep that information to respond to your question or request and delete the information once we have closed the issue (unless we need to keep the information for legal reasons).

Processors we use

As part of the services we provide, and only to the extent necessary, we may use certain third- party processors to process some or all your personally identifiable information. The processors we use for this purpose, and a short description of what they do, are:


Microsoft: We use Microsoft Azure, to store user preferences, “likes” and other individual choices you make for your account. We also use Microsoft 365 to host our email, and therefore Microsoft stores personally identifiable information regarding people with whom we email.

Netlify: We use Netlify to store User Provided Information relating to account creation (such as name and email), as well as store and provide us with information provided in our feedback and other forms, which may include personally identifiable information. Netlify uses various sub processors in its provision of services, which are described here.

Matomo: We use Matomo to collect Usability Information, improve the performance of our site, to develop new product features, and to identify and fix bugs. We also use it to understand which parts of our page(s) are relevant and how, when and where they are being used. You can learn about Matomo’s subprocesses here.

We have signed appropriate contracts that comply with GDPR with each processor.

Cookies and Log Files

Besides as described above with respect to Netlify, Matomo and Facebook, the Website does not use cookies or log files to track personally identifiable information about you. Cookies are small strings of text that are sent by a website to your browser on your computer’s hard drive. Cookies can be used to recognize you when you return to a website, to maintain your Web session while you browse throughout the website, as well as help provide you with a better, more personalized experience. Matomo’s cookies are not tied to personally identifiable information. Facebook Pixel tracks personal information, but personally identifiable information and information that could be used to identify a specific person is not available to us. Facebook is certified under the EU- US Privacy Shield Framework and the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, and otherwise states that it complies with European Data Protection Laws.


Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but it is possible to change your browser setup so that it does not accept cookies. To learn more about cookies, including how to see which cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, please visit: www.allaboutcookies.org. In following the steps provided through the previous link to delete cookies it will reset your preference on our site and give you the option to opt-in again to our cookies, or you can dismiss the notification which will by default opt you out of tracking.

Do Not Track

When you visit a website, your browser automatically shares certain information, such as your IP address and other device information. Some of this information may also be sent to third-party content providers (for example: advertisers, website analytic companies, and others) that provide content on the website. Such sharing may allow the website and/or content providers to track you over time and across multiple websites. Today, many browsers offer Do Not Track plugins that allow you to express a preference that you not be tracked, and that tell websites that you visit, by sending an electronic beacon, this preference. At this time, our Websites do not respond to Do Not Track beacons sent by browser plugins, however, while Freespoke does collect non-personally identifiable information about our users, Facebook will collect information on you if you choose to opt-in to our collection. We do not have access to see any of the personal information which Facebook collects. We at Freespoke also do not track you beyond visiting our Website.

Data Security

We use Netlify to host this Website, as well as to store account information. You can learn more about their security measures here.

Matomo stores Usability Information on our behalf. You can find out more about their security measures here.

We also store information about your preferences, “likes” and other individual choices you make for your account on Microsoft Azure. Additionally, we use Microsoft 365 to host our email. You can learn more about Microsoft’s data security practices here.

Other sharing of your information

If we have User Provided Information (i.e., your personally identifiable information) – as a result of your creating an account or contacting us – we may be required by law to respond to subpoenas, court orders, and other types of legal requests. We may also share user-provided information as required by law with the relevant legal authorities. We anticipate few requests for this information. We may also share your information to defend ourselves against any lawsuit, claim or similar action, or to investigate potential violations of our policies or otherwise protect Freespoke or the Website.

If Freespoke is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, we will give affected users whose contact information they have provided to us notice before their information becomes subject to a different privacy policy and the opportunity to delete such information prior to any other privacy policy going into effect. We are unable to notify users who have not provided us their contact information because that information is anonymous.

Accuracy of Information

We endeavor to keep accurate and up-to-date records to help ensure the integrity of the services we offer. It is your responsibility, however, to ensure that such information is accurate, complete, and up to date. If you would like to review the personally identifiable information we have about you, or if you know there is an inaccuracy, or need to make a change to any personally identifiable information you have provided to us, please update the information using any of the methods below. Please include your name and the email address you previously provided to us when you contact us.

Opt-Out

Even after you have consented to our collection and use of your personally identifiable information, you may opt-out of having your personally identifiable information data collected or used by us by contacting us via any of the methods below.

Because Matomo does not associate information with a particular person, we cannot request to delete that information from Matomo on your behalf. If you wish to opt-out of Matomo tracking the usability information you can follow the following steps based on your browser.


Chrome:

Settings

Privacy and Security

Cookies and other site data

Enable “Send a ‘Do Not Track’ request with your browsing traffic


Safari:

Safari

Preferences

Privacy

Select “Prevent cross-site tracking”


Edge:

Settings

Privacy, search, and services

Under Privacy, enable “Send ‘Do Not Track’ requests


Firefox:

Click on the cog to enter settings

Privacy & Security

Firefox allows for custom do not track settings, however you can change the setting “Send web sites a ‘Do Not Track’ signal that you don’t want to be tracked” to “Always”

Children

In compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501-06 and 16

C.F.R. §§ 1.1-1.1, our Website does not knowingly permit children under 18 years of age to become users, and we do not knowingly collect information from children. By using our Website and/or contacting us, you represent that you are not under 18 years of age. If we discover that a user is under 18 years of age, Freespoke will cancel the user’s account (if any) and delete all information relating to that user.

Location of Website and Data

This Website is operated in the United States. If you are located in the European Union or elsewhere outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide to us will be transferred to the United States. By using our Website, participating in any of our services and/or providing us with your information, you consent to this transfer.

Application of this privacy policy

This Privacy Policy applies to the services provided by Freespoke on our Website. This Privacy Policy does not apply to:

The information practices of other companies and organizations that advertise on our website;

Services offered by other companies or individuals that are displayed to you in search results on our web or mobile applications; and/or

Any other product Freespoke may offer now or in the future.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will not reduce your rights under this Privacy Policy without your explicit consent, and will not reduce any rights guaranteed under GDPR or CCPA, or other similar laws. We always indicate the date the last changes were published, and we offer access to archived versions for your review. When we make changes to this privacy policy we will post the changes in red font.

Contact information

If you have questions about, or issues with, this privacy policy, or wish to exercise any rights or opt-outs under this privacy policy, please contact us as follows:

By email at: privacy@freespoke.com

By mail at:
Freedom Fries, LLC PO Box 0613
Chicago, IL 60606