Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 3, 2025

Welcome to Eastern Psychologist (https://www.easternpsychologist.com). Your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have regarding that information. By using our website you agree to the terms described below.

Who we are

Website: https://www.easternpsychologist.com

Privacy contact: privacy@easternpsychologist.com

Eastern Psychologist is an educational platform that publishes articles, guides, and resources about psychology, motivation, parenting, research methods, and related topics.

Information we collect

We collect information in several ways. The short bullets below are now expanded with concrete examples so visitors — and reviewers like AdSense — can clearly see what we collect and why.

a. Information you provide directly

  • What we collect: When you submit a contact form, comment, or newsletter signup we typically collect your name, email address, the content of your message or comment, and any other information you voluntarily provide (for example, a phone number if you include it in the form). If you create an account (if enabled), we collect profile information you submit such as display name and biography.
  • Where it goes / who processes it: Contact messages and comments are stored on our website database and may be processed by our hosting provider and spam-filtering services (e.g., Akismet). Newsletter signups are processed by our email provider (e.g., Mailchimp / SendinBlue — see Section 9). We use this information only to respond to requests or provide the services you asked for.

b. Technical and usage data

  • What we collect automatically: IP address, timestamp, browser type and version, operating system, device type, pages visited, referral URLs, page interaction data (clicks/scrolls), session duration, and approximate geographic location (country/region derived from IP).
  • Why we collect it: For analytics, troubleshooting, improving UX, load balancing, and security (for example, detecting suspicious activity or abuse).

c. Cookies and tracking technologies

  • Types of cookies we use:
    • Essential cookies: session identifiers required for secure logins and form submissions (session cookies).
    • Preferences cookies: to remember language, display settings, or comment form details (e.g., comment_author_* cookies retained for 1 year).
    • Analytics cookies: Google Analytics cookies such as _ga (retention: 2 years) and _gid (retention: 24 hours) used to measure usage and improve performance.
    • Advertising cookies: cookies used by advertising partners (for example, IDE, _gads, or DART) to deliver and measure ads served by Google AdSense and other networks.
  • Cookie management: You can manage and delete cookies via browser settings (Chrome/Firefox/Safari). We recommend using our cookie consent controls (see below) to customize which categories you accept. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.

d. Media you upload

  • What to avoid: If you upload images or other media, do not include sensitive or location metadata (EXIF GPS). Uploaded media may be publicly accessible and can be downloaded by other visitors.

How we use your information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

  • To provide, maintain, and improve the website and its features.
  • To respond to inquiries, feedback, and requests.
  • To moderate comments and reduce spam.
  • To personalize content and recommend articles (aggregate, non-identifying usage).
  • To detect and prevent abuse and ensure site security.
  • To comply with legal obligations.

Lawful bases (where applicable): We process personal data on the basis of consent (e.g., newsletter subscriptions and certain personalized advertising), performance of a contract (services you request), and legitimate interests (security, analytics, and preventing abuse). If you are an EU user and need more detail about the legal basis for a specific processing purpose, contact privacy@easternpsychologist.com.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

Advertising & Google AdSense

Eastern Psychologist uses third-party advertising services, including Google AdSense, to display advertisements.

  • How ads work on our site: Google and other ad partners may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads tailored to your interests based on your visits to this site and other sites. These vendors collect data such as cookie identifiers, device and browser information, and interaction with ads.
  • Opt-out / privacy controls: To opt out of personalized advertising from Google, visit: https://www.google.com/settings/ads. You can also opt out of certain third-party ad tracking via network-specific opt-out pages or via your browser privacy settings.
  • More info: For details on how Google uses data, visit: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics (including Google Analytics 4) and other analytics providers to understand how visitors use the site and to improve content and performance.

  • Data collected by analytics: Pageviews, session duration, bounce rate, device and browser type, and referral source. This data is typically aggregated and non-identifying.
  • Opt-out: You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Comments and public content

When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the comments form and the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent to help detect spam.

  • Retained data: We store comment text, name, email, website (optional), IP address, and date/time. Comments may be held in moderation before publishing.
  • Gravatar: An anonymized string (hash) of your email may be provided to the Gravatar service to check for a profile image. Gravatar’s privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/.
  • Public visibility: Approved comments, usernames and profile pictures will be publicly visible in the context of the comment.

Cookies — what we use and why

We use cookies for:

  • Essential site functionality (session cookies, login cookies)
  • Preferences (display and language choices)
  • Analytics and performance
  • Advertising and personalization (third-party cookies)

Representative cookie names & durations (examples): _session (session), comment_author_* (1 year), _ga (2 years), _gid (24 hours), IDE / DART (advertising, varies).

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings; however, disabling certain cookies may reduce site functionality. For granular control, use our cookie consent tool available on first visit (Accept / Manage preferences).

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, tweets, and Journal articles). Embedded content behaves as if you visited the source website directly and may collect data about you, use cookies, or track interactions. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites; please review the privacy policies of those providers.

Who we share your data with

We may share data with:

  • Service providers who help operate the site (hosting, CDN, analytics, email/newsletter, spam filtering). Typical providers include: Site hosting (e.g., SiteGround / Bluehost), CDN (e.g., Cloudflare), Email provider (e.g., Mailchimp / SendinBlue), Analytics (Google Analytics), and Spam filtering (Akismet). If you would like a current, detailed list of providers we use, contact privacy@easternpsychologist.com.
  • Legal and regulatory authorities when required by law.
  • Advertising and analytics partners (as described in this policy).

We require service providers to handle data securely and only for specified purposes.

Data retention

  • Comments and related metadata are retained indefinitely to facilitate comment moderation and user recognition.
  • Account data (if any) is retained while the account exists.
  • Analytics data is retained in aggregated/anonymized form for up to 24 months, unless otherwise required by law.
  • Backup copies of site content and logs may be retained for up to 90 days for disaster recovery.

Your rights and choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Request correction or deletion of your personal data.
  • Object to our processing or request restriction of processing.
  • Request a portable copy of your data.
  • Opt out of certain uses of your data (for example, targeted advertising).

How to exercise your rights:
To exercise these rights, email: privacy@easternpsychologist.com with the subject line “Data Request” and describe your request. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days. If we cannot comply we will explain why and provide options. California residents may submit a CCPA request using the same contact address with subject line “CCPA Request”.

Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information. Examples of our security measures include:

  • Use of TLS/HTTPS to encrypt data in transit.
  • Restricted access to personal data for authorized personnel only.
  • Regular security updates and patching of software.
  • Daily backups and secure storage.
  • Passwords stored using secure hashing techniques.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.

Children’s privacy

Our content is educational and intended for general audiences. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 (or under the age required by local law). If you believe a child under this age has provided us with personal information, contact us at privacy@easternpsychologist.com so we can remove the information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date on this page. For significant changes, we may also post a site notice and notify newsletter subscribers where feasible.

Contact information

Privacy contact: privacy@easternpsychologist.com

Website: https://www.easternpsychologist.com

Thank you for trusting Eastern Psychologist. If you have questions about this Policy, please get in touch.