Privacy Policy

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The Pocono Review — poconoreview.com

This policy is governed by our Terms of Service.

1. Who We Are

The Pocono Review is an independent news publication covering northeastern Pennsylvania, including Monroe, Wayne, Pike, Carbon, Lackawanna, and Luzerne counties. We operate the website poconoreview.com (the “Site”). When this policy says “we,” “us,” or “our,” it means The Pocono Review and its editorial staff.

This policy describes how we handle personal information collected through the Site. It applies to all visitors, subscribers, tipsters, and anyone who interacts with our digital properties. It does not apply to information collected offline or through channels not operated by us.

2. What We Collect

We collect different categories of information depending on how you interact with the Site.

Information You Provide Directly

Name and email address (when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit a tip, or fill out a contact form)
Any content you include in messages sent to us (tips, comments, questions, documents)
Payment or billing information if you make a purchase or donation through the Site (processed by third-party payment providers — we do not store credit card numbers)

Information Collected Automatically

IP address
Browser type, version, and language
Operating system and device type
Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
Approximate geographic location derived from IP address (city/region level — not precise GPS coordinates)
Cookies and similar tracking identifiers (see Section 4)

Information from Third-Party Sources

If you reach the Site through a social media platform, search engine, or referring website, we may receive limited referral data such as the URL you came from. We do not purchase personal data from data brokers or third-party data aggregators.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

Delivering the Site and its content to you
Sending newsletters and editorial updates you’ve subscribed to
Responding to tips, inquiries, and correspondence
Understanding how readers use the Site so we can improve it (traffic analytics, content performance, audience demographics)
Displaying advertising that supports our journalism (see Section 6)
Detecting and preventing abuse, spam, and unauthorized access
Complying with legal obligations, including court orders and lawful records requests

We do not use your personal information to build behavioral profiles for sale to third parties. We do not sell your personal information. Period.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Site uses cookies — small text files stored in your browser — and similar technologies. Here’s what’s running and why.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These keep the Site functional: session management, security tokens, and load balancing. You can’t opt out of these without breaking the Site.

Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics (and may use other analytics tools) to understand traffic patterns, popular content, and how readers find us. These cookies collect pseudonymous data such as a randomly assigned client ID, pages visited, session duration, and approximate location. Google Analytics uses this data under Google’s own privacy policy. We have IP anonymization enabled where available.

Advertising Cookies

If we display ads on the Site, our advertising partners may set cookies to serve ads based on your browsing activity across websites. See Section 6 for details on advertising and how to opt out.

Social Media and Embedded Content

When we embed content from third-party platforms (YouTube videos, social media posts, etc.), those platforms may set their own cookies and collect data subject to their own privacy policies. We don’t control those cookies.

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Be aware that disabling cookies may affect Site functionality. For ad-specific opt-outs, see Section 11.

5. Third-Party Services

We rely on third-party service providers to operate the Site. Each has its own privacy policy governing how it handles data. The major ones:

WordPress / hosting provider — powers the Site’s content management system and web hosting
Google Analytics — web traffic analytics (Google Privacy Policy)
Google Site Kit — dashboard integration for analytics and search data
Email service provider — handles newsletter distribution. We share your email address with this provider solely to deliver newsletters you’ve subscribed to.
Ad networks — if applicable, serve display advertising on the Site
Payment processors — handle transactions if you make a purchase or donation. We do not store payment card data on our servers.
Social media platforms — when we embed posts or share buttons, those platforms may collect data per their own policies

We do not authorize any service provider to use your information for purposes unrelated to operating the Site. We do not share, rent, or sell subscriber email lists to outside parties.

6. Advertising

Advertising revenue supports the journalism we produce. We may display ads served by third-party ad networks on the Site. These networks may use cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies to collect information about your visits to this and other websites in order to show you ads that are more relevant to your interests.

We do not provide advertisers with your name, email address, or other personally identifiable information unless you separately consent to that (for example, by filling out an advertiser’s form directly). Ad networks operate under their own privacy policies.

If you want to opt out of interest-based advertising, you can do so through:

Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) opt-out
Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) opt-out
Your browser’s built-in Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control settings (see Section 11)

7. When We Share Your Information

We share personal information only in the following circumstances:

Service providers: Third parties that help us operate the Site (hosting, analytics, email delivery, payment processing) receive only the data necessary to perform their function.
Legal compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or regulatory demand. We will resist overbroad requests to the extent legally permitted, consistent with our commitment to press freedom and source protection.
Protection of rights: We may share information if necessary to protect the safety, rights, or property of The Pocono Review, our staff, or the public.
Business transfers: If The Pocono Review is acquired, merged, or substantially restructured, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We would notify you through the Site before any such transfer.

We do not sell personal information. We have not sold personal information in the preceding 12 months. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as it’s needed for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law.

Newsletter subscriber data: Retained until you unsubscribe. We delete your email address from our active mailing list promptly after an unsubscribe request, though it may persist in backups for a limited period.
Contact form submissions and tips: Retained indefinitely for journalistic and legal purposes, unless you request deletion and no legal obligation requires us to keep them.
Analytics data: Google Analytics data retention is set per our account configuration (typically 14 or 26 months). Aggregated, non-identifiable analytics data may be retained longer.
Server logs: Retained per our hosting provider’s policies, typically 30–90 days.

9. Your Rights Under State Privacy Laws

If you’re a resident of a state with a consumer data privacy law — including but not limited to California, Connecticut, Colorado, Virginia, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky, and Rhode Island — you may have the following rights:

Right to Know / Access: You can request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we’ve collected about you.
Right to Delete: You can request that we delete personal information we’ve collected from you, subject to certain legal exceptions (including journalistic exemptions where applicable).
Right to Correct: You can request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Right to Opt Out: You can opt out of the sale of personal information and, in some states, targeted advertising and profiling. As stated above, we do not sell personal information.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not deny you service, charge you different prices, or provide a different quality of service because you exercised a privacy right.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at the address in Section 19. We’ll verify your identity before processing the request. We respond to verifiable requests within 45 days (or the timeframe required by your state’s law). If we need more time, we’ll let you know why.

Several state privacy laws — including the CCPA (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.145(n)) — contain exemptions for data collected or maintained in the course of journalistic activities. Where applicable, we may invoke these exemptions. In particular, requests for data deletion or access will not be used to compel disclosure of confidential sources, unpublished editorial material, or other information protected under the Pennsylvania Shield Law (42 Pa.C.S. § 5942) or the First Amendment. Our obligations to protect sources and undisseminated reporting material take precedence over standard consumer data requests.

10. California-Specific Disclosures (CalOPPA / CCPA / CPRA)

This section applies to California residents.

Categories of Personal Information Collected (preceding 12 months)

Identifiers (name, email address, IP address)
Internet or electronic network activity (browsing history on the Site, search queries that led you here, interactions with ads)
Geolocation data (approximate, from IP address)

Sources of Collection

Directly from you (forms, email), automatically through cookies and analytics, and from referring websites or search engines.

Business Purpose for Collection

Operating the Site, delivering newsletters, analyzing traffic, displaying advertising, and maintaining security.

Sale or Sharing of Personal Information

We have not sold personal information in the preceding 12 months. We do not “share” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as that term is defined under the CPRA. If our advertising practices change in a way that constitutes “sharing” under CPRA, we will update this policy and provide an opt-out mechanism.

Authorized Agent

You may designate an authorized agent to make privacy requests on your behalf. We require written authorization from you and will verify both your identity and the agent’s authority.

Financial Incentives

We do not offer financial incentives for the collection, sale, or deletion of personal information.

11. Do Not Track and Universal Opt-Out

Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. There is no universal standard for how websites should respond to DNT, and we do not currently alter our data collection practices in response to DNT signals alone.

We do recognize the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a valid opt-out request where required by applicable law (including California and Colorado). If your browser or extension sends a GPC signal, we will treat it as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information associated with that browser. Because the Site does not require user accounts, we process GPC signals at the browser/device level. If you use multiple browsers or devices, you’ll need to enable GPC on each one.

12. Children’s Privacy

The Site is a general-audience news publication. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we’ve collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us at the address in Section 19.

13. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. These include HTTPS encryption on the Site, access controls on administrative systems, and secure handling of subscriber data.

No system is perfectly secure. We can’t guarantee absolute security, and we encourage you to use strong passwords and exercise caution when sharing personal information online.

Data Breach Notification

In the event of a security breach that compromises your personal information, we will notify affected individuals as required by Pennsylvania’s Breach of Personal Information Notification Act (73 P.S. § 2303) and any other applicable state breach notification laws. Notification will be made without unreasonable delay, consistent with the needs of law enforcement and any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach.

14. Links to External Sites

Our articles frequently link to court records, government documents, other news outlets, and external resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. When you click an outbound link, you’re subject to the privacy policy of the destination site, not ours.

15. User-Generated Content

If the Site allows public comments, letters to the editor, or other user-submitted content, anything you post in a public area of the Site can be read, collected, and used by other visitors. We are not responsible for personal information you choose to disclose in public-facing areas. Think before you post — once something is public, we can’t control how others use it.

16. De-identified and Aggregated Data

This policy does not restrict our use of de-identified or aggregated data that cannot reasonably be used to identify you. We may use and share aggregated readership statistics, traffic trends, and similar non-personal data without limitation.

17. Accessibility

If you have a disability and need to access this policy in an alternative format, contact us at the email address in Section 19 and we’ll work with you to provide it.

18. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. When we make changes, we’ll update the effective date at the top of this page. For material changes — anything that substantially affects how we use your data — we’ll post a notice on the Site. We won’t retroactively reduce your privacy protections without your consent.

19. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy, want to exercise a privacy right, or need to report a concern:

The Pocono Review Email: privacy@poconoreview.com Website: poconoreview.com

For privacy requests, include enough information for us to verify your identity and specify which right you’d like to exercise. We’ll respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

This Privacy Policy applies to poconoreview.com and all digital properties operated by The Pocono Review.

Last updated May 2026.

This policy is provided for informational purposes. It is not a substitute for legal counsel. If you have specific legal questions about your rights, consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.