Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for newBluePlanet.org
Effective Date: [10/16/25]

1. Our Commitment to Privacy
Newbl is a nonprofit, ad-free social network and think tank dedicated to progressive community-building. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it—always in service of transparency, empowerment, and stewardship.

2. What We Collect We collect only the minimum data necessary to operate the platform:

• Account Information: Username, email address, password (encrypted)
• Content Contributions: Posts, comments, uploads, and profile details
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device info (used for security and performance optimization)
• Optional Metadata: Tags or affiliations you choose to share
• Sensitive Personal Information: Certain profile fields or private messages may include sensitive personal information (such as religious beliefs or sexual orientation). This information is provided voluntarily and used only for core site features such as profiles, matching, and messaging.

3. How We Use Your Data
We use your data to:
• Provide and maintain the platform
• Moderate content and ensure community safety
• Improve site performance and accessibility
• Communicate updates or essential notices
We do not sell, rent, or share your data with advertisers or third-party marketers.

4. Data Sovereignty & Control
You retain full control over your data. You may:
• Edit or delete your profile and posts at any time
• Request account deletion and data removal
• Export your contributions for personal archiving

5. Cookies & Tracking
Newbl uses minimal cookies for session management, navigation and security. We do not use behavioral profiling, or third-party analytics.

6. Platform & Third-Party Services
Newbl is built on the Invision Community platform, developed by Invision Power Services, Inc. (“IPS”). As such, some data processing and technical functionality are handled by IPS and its authorized sub-processors. According to Invision Community’s Privacy Policy, IPS complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

While we do not directly integrate or vet third-party services ourselves, we rely on IPS to ensure that any tools or services used within the platform meet appropriate privacy and security standards. Newbl does not add any additional analytics, advertising, or tracking technologies beyond what is provided by the IPS platform.

For more information, please refer to Invision’s legal documentation.

7. Children’s Privacy
Newbl is intended for users 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in law or platform functionality. We’ll notify users of significant updates via site announcements.

9. Contact
For questions or concerns, contact us via the newBluePlanet.org contact form.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

This section supplements the information provided throughout this Privacy Policy and applies solely to California residents. It describes the rights granted under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), and explains how we comply with those requirements.

Categories of Personal Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to operate this community, including:

• Account information (username, email address, password)

• User‑submitted content (posts, comments, messages, profile details)

• Technical information (IP address, device/browser data, security logs)

• Cookies required for site functionality and minimal analytics

• Sensitive personal information voluntarily provided by users (such as religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and the contents of private messages)

Purposes for Collection

We use this information to:

• Create and maintain user accounts

• Provide community features and site functionality

• Secure the platform and prevent abuse

• Improve site performance and reliability

These purposes are already described in the main sections of this Privacy Policy.

Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described above:

• Account information is retained until the user deletes their account or requests deletion.

• User‑generated content remains until removed by the user or moderated according to community guidelines.

• Technical logs (IP addresses, security logs) are retained for a limited period for security and troubleshooting.

• Cookies persist only for their standard functional or analytics lifespans.

No Selling or Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell or share personal information as defined under the CCPA/CPRA. We do not use cross‑context behavioral advertising, ad networks, marketing trackers, or data brokers.

Sensitive Personal Information

Users may voluntarily provide certain sensitive personal information, such as religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and the contents of private messages. This information is used solely to operate core site features (such as profiles, matching, and messaging) and is not used for advertising, profiling, or any secondary purposes. Because of this, the CPRA “Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information” does not apply.

Your Rights Under the CCPA/CPRA

California residents have the following rights:

• Right to Know the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collect.

• Right to Delete personal information we have collected.

• Right to Correct inaccurate personal information.

• Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing (not applicable because we do not sell or share personal information).

• Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information (not applicable because we do not use sensitive personal information for advertising, profiling, or secondary purposes).

• Right to Non‑Discrimination for exercising any privacy rights.

These rights align with the user‑controlled tools already available in your account settings (edit, export, delete).

How to Submit a Request

To submit a request under the CCPA/CPRA — including access, correction, or deletion — contact us via the newBluePlanet.org contact form. We will verify your identity using the information associated with your account and respond within the time‑frames required by law.

Notice at Collection

When you create an account or submit information on this site, we collect the categories of personal information listed above for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. By completing registration or using the site, you acknowledge this Notice at Collection.