Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly and information collected automatically as you use the Site.

Information You Provide

• Email address — when you sign up for our newsletter, create an account, or submit a comment. We use your email to send news updates, confirmations, and service notices. You may unsubscribe at any time.
• Comment content — when you post a comment on an article, we collect your display name, comment text, and submission timestamp. Comments are publicly visible after moderation.
• Account information — display name, biography, and optional profile photo if you register as a contributor or advertiser.

Automatically Collected Information

• Analytics data — pages viewed, time on page, referral source, device type, and browser type, collected via third-party analytics services (see Third-Party Disclosure below).
• Advertising and cookie data — ad networks and advertising partners may set cookies on your device to serve relevant advertisements. These cookies track your browsing behavior across websites. See the Third-Party section for details.
• Log data — IP address, browser version, and operating system recorded in server logs for security and performance purposes.

Third-Party Analytics & Advertising Disclosure

AtlantaStar uses third-party analytics and advertising services, including those operated by Google and Meta (Facebook). These companies may collect information about your visits to this and other websites to serve targeted advertisements and to provide us with site analytics.

Specifically, these third parties may use cookies, pixel tags, device fingerprinting, and similar tracking technologies to:

• Track your browsing activity across AtlantaStar and other websites in their ad networks.
• Fingerprint your device based on browser settings, installed fonts, screen resolution, and other hardware/software characteristics to recognize you across sessions.
• Serve you interest-based or behavioral advertising on AtlantaStar and third-party sites.
• Measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

Google Analytics & Google Ads: governed by the Google Privacy Policy. You may opt out via Google Analytics Opt-out.
Meta Pixel (Facebook): governed by the Meta Privacy Policy. You may manage your ad preferences in your Facebook account settings.

How We Use Your Information

• To deliver news articles, newsletters, and service updates.
• To display and moderate reader comments.
• To analyze site traffic and improve content relevance.
• To serve advertisements and measure their effectiveness.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Use.
• To prevent fraud, spam, and security threats.

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with:

• Service providers — hosting, email delivery, analytics, and advertising partners who process data on our behalf under contractual data-protection obligations.
• Legal authorities — when required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our users and the public.
• Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

Your Rights & Choices

• Newsletter unsubscribe — use the unsubscribe link in any email or contact us directly.
• Cookie opt-out — adjust your browser settings to block or delete cookies. Note: some features may not function correctly without cookies.
• Analytics opt-out — install the Google Analytics browser add-on or use your browser's Do Not Track settings.
• Access & deletion — residents of Georgia and other jurisdictions with applicable privacy laws may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their personal data by contacting us (see below).

Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures including TLS 1.3 encryption in transit and AES-256 encryption at rest for sensitive fields. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security but we take reasonable precautions to protect your data.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and, for material changes, notify newsletter subscribers by email.

Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, data requests, or concerns, contact us at: