Welcome to our website (https://www.phototora.com/). We value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the GDPR and Google AdSense requirements.

1. Who We Are

Our website address is:
https://www.phototora.com/

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Comments and Contact Data

When visitors leave comments or contact us through the website, we may collect:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Message content
  • IP address
  • Browser user agent

Purpose:

  • Respond to inquiries
  • Prevent spam
  • Ensure website security

We may also generate an anonymized string (hash) from your email address and provide it to the Gravatar service to display profile images.
Gravatar Privacy Policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/

2.2 Media Uploads

If you upload images to the website, you should avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Other visitors may download and extract location data from images on the website.

2.3 Analytics Data (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. This may include:

  • Pages visited
  • Time spent on pages
  • Device and browser information
  • IP address (which may be anonymized)

Purpose: to improve website performance and user experience.

Google Privacy Policy:
https://policies.google.com/privacy

2.4 Advertising Data (Google AdSense)

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google and its partners may:

  • Use cookies (including DoubleClick cookies)
  • Collect browsing behavior
  • Display personalized ads based on user interests

Data collected may include:

  • IP address
  • Device information
  • Browsing activity

You can manage or opt out of personalized advertising here:
https://adssettings.google.com

You can also opt out of third-party vendor cookies here:
https://www.aboutads.info

3. Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website.

Types of cookies used:

Essential cookies:

  • Required for login and security functions

Functional cookies:

  • Save comment information

Analytics cookies:

  • Used by Google Analytics

Advertising cookies:

  • Used by Google AdSense

Cookie duration:

  • Login cookies: 2 days (or 2 weeks if “Remember Me” is selected)
  • Preference cookies: 1 year
  • Advertising cookies: determined by Google

You can disable cookies through your browser settings, but some features of the site may not function properly.

4. Embedded Content

Articles on this site may include embedded content such as videos or images. Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if you visited those websites directly.

These websites may:

  • Collect your data
  • Use cookies
  • Track your interaction with the content

5. Legal Basis for Processing Data (GDPR)

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

  • Your consent (for cookies, analytics, and advertising)
  • Legitimate interests (website operation, security, and improvement)
  • Compliance with legal obligations

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share data with:

  • Google (Analytics and AdSense services)
  • Gravatar
  • Spam detection services (such as Akismet)

If you request a password reset, your IP address may be included in the reset email.

7. Data Retention

We retain your data only as long as necessary:

  • Comments: retained until removal or deletion request
  • Account data: retained until account deletion
  • Analytics data: retained according to Google settings

8. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed outside your region (for example, in the United States), particularly by:

  • Google services
  • Gravatar

We ensure that such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws.

9. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your data
  • Restrict or object to data processing
  • Request data portability

You may exercise your rights through the website contact form.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including:

  • Secure connections (SSL)
  • Access control measures

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us through the website contact form.