DotCrush  ·  www.dotcrush.com  ·  Last updated: 2026

Who we are

DotCrush operates the website at www.dotcrush.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data when you visit or interact with our site.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us through our website.

Comments

When you leave a comment on this site, we collect the information you enter in the comment form, along with your IP address and browser user-agent string. This helps us detect and prevent spam.

An anonymized hash derived from your email address may be shared with the Gravatar service to display your profile picture, if you use Gravatar. You can review Gravatar’s own privacy policy at that link. Once your comment is approved, your profile picture will be publicly visible alongside it.

What we collect:

  • Comment content and display name
  • Email address (hashed for Gravatar lookup)
  • IP address and browser user-agent (spam detection only)

Media uploads

If you upload images to our website, please be aware that they may contain embedded metadata — including GPS location data (EXIF data). Visitors to this site can download your uploaded images and extract any location information embedded within them.

Recommendation: Strip location metadata from images before uploading. Most smartphones and cameras embed GPS coordinates by default.

Cookies

We use cookies in the following situations:

  • Comment cookies: If you leave a comment and opt in, your name, email, and website are saved in cookies for one year so you don’t have to re-enter them next time.
  • Login detection: When you visit our login page, a temporary cookie is set to check if your browser accepts cookies. It contains no personal data and is deleted when you close your browser.
  • Login session: When you log in, we set cookies to remember your session (2 days) and display preferences (1 year). Selecting “Remember Me” extends login persistence to two weeks. These cookies are removed when you log out.
  • Article editing: If you publish or edit a post, a cookie storing only the post ID is saved for 1 day. It contains no personal data.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, though some site features may not function correctly without them.

Embedded Content

Articles on this site may include embedded content such as videos, images, and articles from external websites. Embedded content behaves exactly as if you had visited those external sites directly.

Those third-party websites may collect data about you, set their own cookies, and use additional tracking — including if you have an account with them and are logged in.

We do not control the data practices of third-party embedded content providers. Please review their privacy policies for details.

Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. Data is shared with third parties only in limited circumstances:

  • Password resets: If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
  • Spam detection: Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
  • Gravatar: A hashed version of your email may be sent to Gravatar solely to look up a profile picture.

How long we retain your data

Comments: Comments and their associated metadata are retained indefinitely so we can recognize and auto-approve follow-up comments without manual moderation.

Registered users: If you create an account, your profile information is stored for as long as your account exists. You can view, update, or delete your personal information at any time through your profile settings (your username cannot be changed). Website administrators can also view and edit this information.

What rights you have over your data

If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you have the following rights:

  • Data export: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
  • Data erasure: Request that we delete your personal data from our records.
  • Data correction: Update your personal information at any time via your account profile.

Note: We may be required to retain certain data for administrative, legal, or security purposes even after a deletion request.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the website.