This privacy policy explains how Wake Forest Matters collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website at wakeforestmatters.com.
Who We Are
Wake Forest Matters is an independent local news publication serving Wake Forest, NC. We operate the website at wakeforestmatters.com. For questions about this privacy policy, contact us at publisher@wakeforestmatters.com.
Information We Collect
When you leave a comment, we collect the data shown in the comments form along with your IP address and browser user agent string. These help us detect spam. Additionally, an anonymized hash of your email address may go to the Gravatar service to display your profile picture.
Cookies We Use
If you leave a comment, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies for your convenience. These cookies last one year. When you log in, we set cookies to save your login information and display preferences. Login cookies last two days, while screen options cookies last one year. Selecting “Remember Me” extends your login to two weeks.
Embedded Content
Our articles may include embedded content such as videos or social media posts from other websites. This embedded content behaves as if you visited those websites directly. As a result, those sites may collect data about you, use cookies, and track your interaction with their content.
How We Share Your Data
We do not sell your personal data. If you request a password reset, your IP address appears in the reset email. We also use automated spam detection to check visitor comments.
Data Retention
We retain comments and their metadata indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically. For registered users, we store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time, except for their username.
Your Rights
If you have an account or have left comments, you can request an exported file of your personal data. You can also request that we erase your personal data. However, this does not include data we must keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this privacy policy, email publisher@wakeforestmatters.com. You can also learn more about our journalism ethics standards and about Wake Forest Matters.
Last updated: March 2026