Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

Welcome to aetherium.top (the “Website”). We are a blog dedicated to publishing articles about wildlife conservation. Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Website, including any interactions via contact forms, comments, cookies, analytics, and third-party advertising (such as Google AdSense).

By using aetherium.top, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Website.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Voluntarily

• Contact forms: When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and any message you submit. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry.
• Comments: If you leave a comment on an article, you may provide your name, email address, and website (optional). Your name and comment text are publicly visible. Your email is stored but not displayed publicly.

We do not operate an online store, and we never ask for payment card details, billing addresses, or account registration for purchases.

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Cookies and similar technologies: We use cookies and device identifiers to improve your experience, analyze traffic, and serve relevant advertisements.
• Analytics data: We collect non-personal data such as browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and time spent on the site. This helps us understand how readers engage with our wildlife conservation content.
• IP address: Anonymized IP addresses may be used for analytics and security purposes.

2. How We Use Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use both session and persistent cookies for the following purposes:

• Essential cookies: To ensure basic functions of the Website (e.g., comment forms, security).
• Analytics cookies: To track aggregated usage data via services like Google Analytics (or similar).
• Advertising cookies: To deliver personalized or non-personalized ads through third-party ad networks, including Google AdSense.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.

3. Third-Party Advertising & Personalized Ads

3.1 How Ads Use Cookies / Device Identifiers

• Ad networks (including Google) use cookies or mobile device identifiers to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads across websites.
• These cookies track your visits to this site and other sites, enabling personalized advertising.
• We do not control the specific cookies set by ad networks. For details, refer to Google’s Privacy & Terms site.

3.2 Opt-Out Options

You can opt out of personalized advertising from Google by visiting Google Ads Settings. Additionally, you can opt out of many third-party ad networks through the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page (aboutads.info) or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (for EU visitors).

Even if you opt out of personalized ads, you may still see non-personalized ads based on context (e.g., the content of the page).

4. Analytics

We use analytics services (such as Google Analytics) to collect aggregated data about how visitors interact with our blog. This data helps us improve content and user experience. Analytics providers may set their own cookies. You can learn more about Google Analytics’ data practices and opt-out via the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

5. Contact Forms & Comments

• Contact forms: Information submitted via our contact form is used exclusively to respond to your message. We do not share this data with third parties for marketing purposes.
• Comments: When you leave a comment, we collect the data shown in the comment form (name, email, website) and your IP address for spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email (hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. After approval of your comment, your profile picture (if any) is visible to the public alongside your comment. Your email address is never publicly displayed.

We reserve the right to moderate or delete comments that violate our guidelines.

6. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share data in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: With trusted third parties who assist us in operating the Website (e.g., hosting, analytics, email delivery) under strict confidentiality agreements.
• Legal requirements: If required by law, court order, or governmental regulation.
• Advertising partners: Ad networks may collect and use data as described in Section 3.

7. Data Retention

• Contact form submissions: Retained for a reasonable period (up to 12 months) for customer service purposes, then deleted.
• Comments: Retained indefinitely to maintain the continuity of discussions on our articles. You may request deletion of your comment by contacting us.
• Analytics data: Retained in aggregated form for up to 26 months.

8. Your Rights (GDPR & Similar Laws)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or other regions with similar privacy laws, you have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal obligations.
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data.
• Data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests (including analytics and advertising).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children’s Privacy

aetherium.top is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

10. Third-Party Links

Our articles may contain links to external websites (e.g., research papers, conservation organizations). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Material changes will be notified via a prominent notice on the Website.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us: