Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 23, 2026
Last Updated: September 23, 2026

My Favorite Western respects the privacy of its readers, commenters, and subscribers.

This Privacy Policy explains how My Favorite Western (“My Favorite Western,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information when you visit our website, subscribe to publications, submit comments, communicate with us, or otherwise interact with our services.

My Favorite Western is based in Alberta, Canada.

1. Our Privacy Principles

We seek to collect only information reasonably necessary to operate, secure, understand, and improve My Favorite Western and provide the services requested by our readers.

We do not sell personal information.

We do not rent subscriber lists.

We do not provide subscriber email addresses to third parties for their independent direct-marketing purposes.

We use personal information for the purposes described in this Policy, for purposes that would reasonably be expected in the circumstances, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

2. Privacy Laws

Our handling of personal information may be governed by applicable Canadian privacy legislation, including Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”) and, where applicable, Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”).

Depending on where a visitor resides and how our services are offered to that visitor, additional privacy requirements may apply.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit any privacy right that cannot lawfully be limited.

3. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with the Site.

A. Information You Provide Directly

You may voluntarily provide information including:

your name or display name;
your email address;
information entered when subscribing;
comments you submit;
information contained in messages or inquiries you send to us;
subscription preferences;
requests to unsubscribe;
privacy requests; and
other information you voluntarily provide.

You should not include sensitive personal information in public comments.

B. Email Subscription Information

If you subscribe to My Favorite Western, we may maintain information reasonably necessary to administer your subscription, including:

your email address;
your name, if provided;
your subscription status;
the date and time associated with a subscription request or confirmation;
the source or method of subscription;
records relating to consent where appropriate;
unsubscribe status;
email delivery information; and
information reasonably necessary to prevent accidental or unauthorized resubscription.

Where technically available and enabled, our publishing system may also record limited information concerning delivery or interaction with an email. If we introduce material email-engagement tracking beyond what is described in this Policy, we will update this Policy and implement any consent controls required by applicable law.

C. Comments

If you leave a comment, the Site may collect information associated with that comment, which may include:

the name or display name you provide;
your email address;
the content of your comment;
the date and time of submission;
technical information reasonably necessary for spam prevention, moderation, or security; and
your IP address where collected by WordPress or our hosting infrastructure for security, moderation, or anti-abuse purposes.

Your comment and the name or display name associated with it may be publicly visible.

Your email address is not intended to be publicly displayed as part of your comment.

D. Automatically Collected Technical Information

When you access the Site, our web server, WordPress installation, security systems, analytics services, or related infrastructure may automatically process limited technical information.

This may include:

IP address;
browser type;
device type;
operating system;
referring page or website;
pages requested;
date and time of requests;
general or approximate geographic information;
diagnostic information; and
information associated with cookies or similar technologies.

Some of this information may constitute personal information under applicable law.

4. Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager

We currently use Google Analytics 4 (“GA4”) to understand how visitors use the Site.

GA4 may process information such as:

page views;
sessions;
approximate geographic information;
browser and device information;
referring sources;
interactions with Site features; and
pseudonymous identifiers associated with analytics cookies.

Google Analytics may use first-party cookies, including the _ga cookie, to distinguish users and sessions.

We use analytics information to understand readership, identify technical problems, evaluate Site performance, understand which content is useful to readers, and improve the Site.

We also use Google Tag Manager (“GTM”) to manage website tags and related configurations. GTM may facilitate the operation of analytics or other tags configured by us.

We do not presently use GTM as permission to deploy undisclosed advertising or behavioural-tracking services. If our use of tracking technologies materially changes, we will update this Policy and, where required, our consent mechanisms.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Site may use cookies or similar local technologies for purposes including:

basic Site functionality;
security;
remembering appropriate preferences;
comment functionality;
analytics; and
distinguishing sessions or visitors.

Some cookies may be placed by third-party service providers used to operate the Site.

Where applicable law requires consent before non-essential cookies or similar technologies are used, we will seek that consent.

Browser settings may also allow you to block or delete cookies. Blocking certain cookies may affect some Site functionality.

6. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

operate and maintain the Site;
publish and administer comments;
manage subscriptions;
send publications or updates you requested;
maintain records of subscription consent;
process unsubscribe requests;
respond to questions or correspondence;
moderate spam or abusive activity;
secure the Site;
investigate technical problems;
prevent fraud or misuse;
understand aggregate readership and Site performance;
improve our content and services;
comply with applicable laws;
establish, exercise, or defend legal rights; and
perform other reasonable purposes disclosed at the time information is collected.

We do not use personal information for purposes that are materially unrelated to the purpose for which it was collected unless we obtain any additional consent required by law or the use is otherwise legally permitted.

7. Email Communications and Consent

You may voluntarily subscribe to receive My Favorite Western publications and updates.

Where consent is required, subscription will require an affirmative action by the subscriber.

We may retain records reasonably necessary to demonstrate when and how consent was obtained.

Where appropriate, we may use a confirmation process to verify that the person controlling an email address intended to subscribe.

Each applicable subscription or marketing email will contain a mechanism allowing the recipient to unsubscribe.

An unsubscribe request will be processed as required by applicable law.

After unsubscribing, we may retain limited suppression information, such as an email address or cryptographic representation of it, where reasonably necessary to honour the unsubscribe request, demonstrate compliance, prevent accidental resubscription, or meet legal obligations.

Unsubscribing from publications does not prevent us from responding to a message you send us or providing other non-promotional communications where permitted by law.

8. Public Comments

Comments are intended to be public.

If you post information in a comment, other visitors may read, copy, quote, or otherwise interact with information you have chosen to make public.

Please do not publish information in a comment that you wish to keep private.

We may retain moderation records associated with comments for legitimate Site administration, security, dispute-resolution, and anti-spam purposes.

You may contact us to request removal of a comment you submitted. We will consider and process requests in accordance with applicable law, although removal from the Site cannot guarantee removal of copies independently made by others, search-engine caches, archives, or other systems outside our control.

9. When We Disclose Information

We may disclose personal information to service providers where reasonably necessary to operate the Site.

These may include providers involved in:

website hosting;
domain and infrastructure services;
email transmission;
website analytics;
security;
backup and recovery;
spam prevention;
software maintenance; and
other technical services required to operate My Favorite Western.

Service providers are permitted to process information for purposes associated with providing their services to us, subject to their contractual obligations and applicable law.

We may also disclose information where reasonably necessary:

to comply with law, legal process, or a lawful government request;
to investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents;
to protect our legal rights or the rights and safety of others;
in connection with a legal claim; or
in connection with a legitimate transfer or reorganization of the Site, subject to applicable privacy requirements.

We do not sell our subscriber list.

10. Service Providers Outside Canada

Some technology providers used by My Favorite Western may process or store information outside Alberta or outside Canada, including in the United States or other jurisdictions.

This may include providers associated with website analytics, infrastructure, email transmission, or other technology services.

When information is processed in another jurisdiction, it may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction and may be accessible to courts, governments, law-enforcement agencies, or regulatory authorities where permitted by applicable law.

Information about our policies and practices concerning service providers outside Canada may be requested using the contact information provided below.

11. Google

Google provides Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager technologies used by the Site.

Information processed through those services may be processed by Google in accordance with Google’s applicable terms, data-processing arrangements, and privacy practices.

We configure these services for Site analytics and tag management and will periodically review our configuration as the Site changes.

12. International Visitors

My Favorite Western is operated from Alberta, Canada but may be accessed by people around the world.

If you access the Site from outside Canada, information may be transferred to and processed in Canada and, depending upon the service providers involved, other countries.

Privacy rights vary between jurisdictions.

Where a privacy law applicable to your interaction with My Favorite Western provides rights beyond those described in this Policy, we will respect those rights to the extent they apply.

13. European Economic Area, European Union, and United Kingdom Visitors

Depending on the nature of our activities involving individuals in the European Economic Area, European Union, or United Kingdom, applicable data-protection legislation may provide individuals with additional rights.

These may include, where applicable, rights relating to:

access to personal data;
correction of inaccurate data;
deletion;
restriction of processing;
objection to certain processing;
withdrawal of consent;
data portability; and
complaints to an appropriate supervisory authority.

The availability of a particular right depends on the applicable law and circumstances of the processing.

Where we rely on consent for particular processing, withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

14. Children’s Privacy

My Favorite Western is a general-audience publication and is not designed or directed specifically toward children.

We do not knowingly seek to collect sensitive personal information from children.

If you believe a child has provided personal information that should not have been collected or retained, please contact us so that we can review the matter.

15. Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for legitimate legal, security, archival, compliance, or operational requirements.

Different information may therefore have different retention periods.

For example:

subscription information may be retained while a subscription remains active;
limited unsubscribe records may be retained after an unsubscribe to honour that request;
comments may remain as part of the historical publication in which they appeared;
security logs may be retained for a limited period appropriate to their purpose; and
records required for legal or compliance purposes may be retained for the applicable period.

When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we will delete, anonymize, or otherwise securely dispose of it as appropriate.

16. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures appropriate to the nature of the information we maintain.

No website, network, storage system, or electronic transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

If we become aware of a privacy or security incident involving personal information, we will investigate and take appropriate action, including any notification or reporting required by applicable law.

17. Your Privacy Choices

Depending on applicable law and the circumstances, you may be entitled to request:

information about personal information we hold about you;
access to that information;
correction of inaccurate information;
withdrawal or modification of consent;
deletion of certain information;
information about how your information has been used or disclosed; or
information concerning our privacy practices.

Some requests may be subject to legal exceptions, identity verification, or retention obligations.

To protect privacy, we may need to verify your identity before providing access to personal information or acting on certain requests.

18. Withdrawing Consent

Where processing depends upon your consent, you may withdraw or change that consent subject to applicable legal or contractual restrictions.

You may unsubscribe from applicable email publications through the unsubscribe mechanism contained in the email.

For other privacy requests, contact us using the information below.

Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide a feature or service that depends upon the information involved.

19. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Controls

Web browsers and privacy tools may transmit privacy preference signals.

Because legal and technical standards concerning these signals continue to evolve, our handling of such signals may depend upon the technologies deployed on the Site and the requirements applicable to us.

Where applicable law requires recognition of a legally valid browser-based privacy preference signal, we will honour that requirement.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our Site, technology, service providers, information practices, or legal requirements.

The current version will be published on this page and identified by its “Last Updated” date.

If a change materially alters how we use personal information previously collected, we will provide additional notice or obtain additional consent where required by law.

21. Privacy Contact

Questions, concerns, access requests, correction requests, consent withdrawals, or complaints concerning privacy may be directed to:

Privacy Officer
My Favorite Western
Alberta, Canada

Email: [PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS]

You may also contact us using the contact form available on the Site.

We will review privacy inquiries and respond as required by applicable law.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to make a complaint to an applicable privacy regulator.

For matters governed by Alberta privacy legislation, this may include the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

For matters governed by federal Canadian privacy legislation, this may include the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

22. Contact

For general questions concerning My Favorite Western that are not privacy-related, please use the contact information or contact form available on the Site.

My Favorite Western
Alberta, Canada