Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following information when you create an account and use our services:

• Account Information: Name, email address, and password
• Newsletter Subscriptions: Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter
• Subscription Information: Payment information (processed securely through Stripe), subscription tier, and billing history
• Registration Context: The page or article you were viewing when you created your account, and the website that referred you to us
• Ad Attribution Data: If you arrived via a paid advertisement, we collect campaign identifiers (UTM parameters) to measure advertising effectiveness
• Usage Data: Anonymized page view data (pages visited, device type) and search queries entered on our site. This data is linked to a hashed, non-reversible version of your IP address — not to your account
• Paywall Interactions: Anonymous records of content access patterns to manage our metered access system
• Technical Information: Session cookies necessary for site functionality. We also maintain server access logs and security diagnostic logs containing your IP address, browser/device user-agent, request URL, and timestamp. These are used for security, abuse prevention, and debugging.
• Mobile App: If you use our mobile application, we collect your authentication token (for maintaining your logged-in session) and app usage data consistent with the information described above

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain your account and subscription services
• Send you newsletters and updates about our content (only if you subscribe)
• Process payments and send billing information
• Communicate with you about your account, updates, and important notices
• Measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns
• Improve our services and user experience
• Comply with legal obligations

3. Third-Party Service Providers

We share your information with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate our business:

• Payment Processing: Stripe processes all payment transactions securely. We do not store your credit card information.
• Email Services: We use email service providers to send transactional emails and newsletters
• Hosting Services: Our website is hosted on secure servers that maintain industry-standard security practices
• Advertising Partners: Google AdSense and other advertising networks display ads on our site and may collect browsing data to serve relevant advertisements
• Meta (Facebook/Instagram): We use Meta Pixel to measure advertising effectiveness and run paid advertising campaigns through Meta's ad platform. Meta may collect browsing data when you visit our site. See Meta's Privacy Policy.
• Anthropic (Claude AI): We use AI tools to assist with drafting and editing article content. AI-generated or AI-assisted content is reviewed and edited by our editorial team before publication.

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and may not use it for any other purpose.

4. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes encryption of sensitive data, secure password storage, and regular security assessments.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. Anonymized usage data (page views, search queries) is automatically deleted after 90 days. Server access logs and security diagnostic logs (including records of failed authentication and CSRF protection events) are retained for up to 30 days, then automatically deleted. You may request deletion of your account at any time by contacting us.

6. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. You can download your data directly from your Profile page, or contact us at [email protected]
• Correction: Update or correct your personal information through your Profile page
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and personal information through your Profile page or by contacting us
• Portability: Download a copy of your data in machine-readable JSON format from your Profile page
• Objection: Object to certain processing of your personal information by contacting us

Logged-in users can access most of these features directly from their Profile page. For additional assistance or questions, contact us at [email protected]

7. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You may request details about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt-Out: You may opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information. We do not sell personal information in the traditional sense, but ad-related tracking (Meta Pixel, Google AdSense) may constitute "sharing" under the CCPA.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected] or download your data from your Profile page.

8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies and tracking technologies:

• Essential Cookies: Session cookies to maintain your logged-in state and provide site functionality. These are deleted when you close your browser (unless you select "Remember Me" at login).
• Paywall Cookie: We use a cookie to track the number of free articles you have read as part of our metered access system. This cookie is essential to site functionality.
• Analytics Cookies: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymized information about page visits, traffic sources, and user behavior. You can opt out by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Meta Pixel: We use the Meta (Facebook) Pixel to track conversions from our advertising campaigns and to build audiences for future ads. The pixel may collect data about your browsing activity on our site. You can manage your Meta ad preferences at Facebook Ad Settings. You can also opt out via Your Online Choices.
• Advertising Cookies: We use Google AdSense and other third-party advertising services to display ads on our site. These services may use cookies (including the DART cookie) to serve ads based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your browsing history.
• Anonymized Analytics: We collect anonymized page view data using hashed IP addresses (not linked to your account) to understand traffic patterns and improve our service. This data is automatically deleted after 90 days.

9. Third-Party Advertising

We partner with third-party advertising networks, including Google AdSense, to display advertisements on our site. These advertising partners may collect and use information about your visits to this and other websites to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services that may interest you.

We also run advertising campaigns through Meta (Facebook/Instagram) to promote our content. If you arrive at our site through a Meta advertisement, we collect campaign identifiers to measure ad performance. Meta may also use its Pixel on our site to track conversions. You can control Meta's ad targeting at Facebook Ad Settings.

You can opt out of personalized advertising by:

• Visiting Google's Ads Settings to manage your ad personalization preferences
• Visiting aboutads.info to opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies
• Visiting networkadvertising.org for the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page

For more information about how Google uses your data, please visit Google's Privacy Policy.

10. AI-Assisted Content

Some articles on Miami Beach Journal may be drafted or edited with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. All AI-assisted content is reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy, fairness, and quality before publication. We are committed to transparency in our editorial process.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page, updating the "Last Updated" date, and displaying a notice on our website.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using Miami Beach Journal, you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our services.

2. Account Terms

• You must be at least 13 years old to create an account
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and password
• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account
• You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account
• One person may not maintain multiple free accounts
• We reserve the right to refuse service or terminate accounts at our discretion

3. Subscriptions, Promotional Pricing, and Automatic Renewal

Plans and pricing.

• Monthly: $1 for the first month, then $24.99 per month, billed monthly.
• Annual: $149 per year, billed annually.
• Promotional pricing (such as the $1 first-month offer) applies only to the first billing cycle. After the promotional period ends, you will be charged the standard rate listed above.

Billing.

• Subscription fees are billed in advance through Stripe and are inclusive of any applicable taxes.
• We do not store credit card information; payment data is handled by Stripe under their security and privacy practices.
• You will receive a confirmation email after each successful charge.

Cancellation.

• You may cancel at any time from your subscription management page.
• Upon cancellation, you will retain access until the end of your current billing period.
• Cancellation does not refund any amount already charged. Refunds are not provided for partial subscription periods.

Failed payments.

• If a renewal payment is declined, we will retry the charge according to Stripe's standard retry schedule and notify you by email.
• If payment cannot be collected, your subscription will be suspended and ultimately canceled.

Price changes.

• We reserve the right to change subscription prices. Existing subscribers will be notified by email at least 30 days before a price change takes effect on their next renewal.

4. Content Access and Availability

Articles on Miami Beach Journal are offered in tiers:

• Public articles are available to everyone. Visitors who are not logged in may read a limited number of public articles before being asked to create a free account (our metered access system).
• Registered articles are available to anyone with a free account.
• Members Only articles are available to active paid subscribers.

We may change the tier of any individual article over time at our editorial discretion. For example, an article that was previously available with a free account may later become Members Only, or a Members Only article may later be made more widely available.

Articles you registered to read. If you created your free account specifically to read a particular article, you will keep access to that article even if it later becomes Members Only. This access is for your personal use and remains subject to the content-usage restrictions in these Terms.

5. Content Ownership and Usage

Our Content:

• All articles and written content published on Miami Beach Journal are protected by copyright and owned by Miami Beach Journal or its content suppliers
• Images and photographs may be owned by Miami Beach Journal, used with permission from copyright holders, credited to third-party sources, or used under fair use provisions for journalistic purposes. Where applicable, image credits are provided.
• You may share brief excerpts (up to 250 words) with proper attribution and a link back to the original article
• You may not reproduce, distribute, or republish substantial portions of our content without written permission
• Premium content is for personal use only and may not be shared or redistributed

Permitted Use:

• Quote brief excerpts in articles, blog posts, or social media with attribution
• Share article links on social media or via email
• Use content for educational or research purposes with proper citation

6. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to:

• Use the service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any laws
• Share your account credentials with others
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or networks
• Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) to access the service
• Reproduce, redistribute, or resell our content without permission
• Circumvent or attempt to circumvent any content protection measures
• Harass, threaten, or impersonate other users or staff

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

Miami Beach Journal is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. We make no warranties regarding the accuracy or reliability of the content.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Miami Beach Journal and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages resulting from your use or inability to use the service.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Miami Beach Journal from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including attorney's fees) arising from your use of the service or violation of these Terms.

10. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

11. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by email or through a notice on our website. Continued use of the service after such modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service or Privacy Policy, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://miamibeachjournal.org