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Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 13, 2026

The Blackford Ledger ("the Ledger," "we," "us," or "our") publishes local news for Blackford County, Indiana. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website, how we use it, and the choices you have. We try to collect as little personal information as possible to run a community news site.

1. Analytics (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics to understand how readers use our site — for example, which articles are read most, how visitors find us, and what devices they use. Google Analytics collects information such as your approximate location, device and browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site. It uses cookies and similar identifiers to distinguish visitors.

This information is aggregated and does not identify you by name. Google processes this data on our behalf and under its own privacy policy, available at policies.google.com/privacy . You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on , or limit tracking by using your browser's private browsing mode or a content blocker.

2. Information you give us directly

Comments. When you comment on an article, we ask for a display name. The name and your comment are stored with the article and shown publicly. Do not include personal details you would not want public. Your display name is also saved in your own browser so the comment form can pre-fill it next time; that copy stays on your device.

Contact and edit-request forms. If you contact us or request a correction, we receive the name, email address, and message you provide. We use them only to read and respond to your note. These messages are delivered to the editorial team and are not stored in the website's database.

Reader polls and approval votes. When you vote in an article poll or an approval rating, we do not store your name or your IP address. To keep votes to one per reader, we store a one-way scrambled code (a salted hash) derived from your IP address. This code cannot be reversed to reveal your address.

3. Advertiser accounts and payments

If you create an advertiser account, we collect your username, contact email, company or display name, and a securely hashed password. We also keep records of your ad campaigns, wallet balance, and transaction history.

Payments are processed by Stripe. Your card details go directly to Stripe and never touch our servers; we store only Stripe's reference identifiers so we can credit your wallet. Stripe's privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy .

4. Comment spam protection (reCAPTCHA)

Comments, votes, contact form submissions, and advertiser signups Article comments are protected by Google reCAPTCHA, which helps us tell people apart from automated bots. reCAPTCHA collects device and behavior signals and is subject to Google's privacy policy and terms of service .

5. Advertising

Google AdSense. We use Google AdSense to display ads on the site. Google and its partners use advertising cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites, which may include personalized ads. You can learn how Google uses advertising data at policies.google.com/technologies/ads , opt out of personalized ads from Google at adssettings.google.com , and opt out of some other vendors' advertising cookies at aboutads.info .

Local sponsor ads. We also show ads from local advertisers through our own advertising program. These ads do not use tracking cookies. When you click one, we briefly record a one-way scrambled code derived from your IP address, used only to detect click fraud; it expires and cannot be reversed to identify you.

6. Translation

Our optional translation feature is powered by Google Translate. If you choose a language, Google Translate loads on the page and sets a cookie remembering your language choice. Using the translation feature is subject to Google's privacy policy.

7. Cookies and local storage

In addition to the Google services described above, we use:

  • Preference storage on your device — your theme choice (light or dark), audio narration settings, and comment display name are saved in your browser's local storage. They never leave your device.
  • A random ad session code — a randomly generated identifier stored in your browser so we don't count the same ad view twice. It is not linked to your identity.
  • An advertiser login cookie — if you sign in to the advertiser portal, a secure session cookie keeps you logged in.

8. How we use information

We use the information described above to:

  • Publish and improve our journalism
  • Understand readership through aggregate analytics
  • Display comments and poll results
  • Respond to messages, tips, and correction requests
  • Operate the advertising program and process payments
  • Prevent spam, fraud, and abuse

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties except the service providers named in this policy (Google and Stripe) or when required by law.

9. Data retention

Comments and poll votes remain as part of the public record of the article unless removed. Advertiser account and transaction records are kept as long as the account is active and as needed for tax and accounting purposes. Contact messages are retained only as long as needed to respond.

10. Children's privacy

Our site is intended for a general audience and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Your choices

  • Opt out of Google Analytics with the browser add-on linked in Section 1, or use a content blocker.
  • Clear your browser's cookies and local storage at any time to remove saved preferences and identifiers.
  • Ask us to remove a comment you posted, or to delete your advertiser account, by contacting us.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make a material change, we will post the updated policy on this page and update the effective date above.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your information? Email us at help@theblackfordledger.com or use our contact form.