Privacy Policy for the African American Wellness Project (AAWP)

Who We Are
The African American Wellness Project (AAWP) is committed to protecting your privacy. Our website address is: https://aawellnessproject.org.

What Personal Data We Collect and Why We Collect It
AAWP collects personal information to enhance our services, communicate with you, and improve your experience on our site. The following outlines the data we collect and the purpose for each type of data.

1. Comments
   When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string, to help with spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (a “hash”) may be sent to the Gravatar service to verify your use of that service. The Gravatar privacy policy is available here. Upon comment approval, your profile picture becomes visible to the public alongside your comment.
2. Media
   If you upload images, please avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS), as visitors to our website can download and extract such data from the images.
3. Contact Forms
   Data submitted via contact forms is collected to enable us to respond to your inquiries or provide support as requested. The data submitted is only used for communication and is not shared with third parties.
4. Cookies
   • If you leave a comment, you may opt to save your name, email, and website in cookies for convenience on future visits. These cookies last for one year.
   • When visiting our login page, a temporary cookie will verify if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded upon closing your browser.
   • Login and screen preference cookies are set when you log in, allowing your login and display settings to persist for future sessions. You may select “Remember Me” for a two-week login session.
   • If you edit or publish an article, a cookie containing the post ID of the article will be saved, expiring after one day.
5. Embedded Content from Other Websites
   Articles may contain embedded content (e.g., videos, images). Embedded content behaves the same as if you had visited the source website directly, where additional data collection and tracking may occur. AAWP has no control over third-party sites’ data collection practices.
6. Analytics
   We collect site usage data to understand how users engage with our content and improve our services. This may involve aggregating non-personally identifiable data for analytical purposes.

Who We Share Your Data With
Data collected by AAWP may be shared with trusted service providers and partners solely for purposes directly related to providing our services and improving your experience. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

How Long We Retain Your Data

• Comments and associated metadata are retained indefinitely for continuity in user interaction.
• For registered users, personal information provided is stored within their user profile. Users may view, edit, or delete their data anytime, excluding changes to their username. Website administrators can also access this data for maintenance and administrative purposes.

What Rights You Have Over Your Data
If you have an account or have left comments, you may request an exported file of the personal data we hold, including any data provided by you. You may also request that we delete your personal data, excluding data kept for administrative, legal, or security reasons.

Where We Send Your Data
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

Opt-Out and Contact Information

• Opt-Out: If you prefer not to have your data collected or used in the ways described, please reach out to us to discuss your preferences. You may also adjust cookie settings directly within your browser for additional control.
• Contact Us: If you have any questions or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at support@aawellnessproject.org.

How We Protect Your Data
AAWP takes measures to protect your personal data, employing secure servers, data encryption, and restricted access protocols.

Data Breach Procedures
In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users and take appropriate action to protect your information, as required by applicable laws and regulations.

Third-Party Data
Our website may integrate with third-party services. We receive limited data from these sources strictly for functionality enhancement and do not share this information beyond what is necessary.

Automated Decision-Making and Profiling
AAWP does not engage in automated decision-making or profiling based on personal data.

Regulatory Disclosures
AAWP complies with all applicable privacy laws and regulations to protect your data and uphold your rights.