Last updated: June 2025
1. Introduction
TidalMark ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of every visitor to our website at tidalmark.top. We believe that your personal information belongs to you, and we take seriously our responsibility to handle it with care, transparency, and respect. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what choices you have when you visit our site.
By accessing or using TidalMark, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, we kindly ask that you discontinue use of the website.
2. Information We Collect
TidalMark is a static informational website dedicated to coastal tidal photography and seaside travel chronicles. As such, we collect very limited personal data. The information we may collect falls into two categories:
Automatically Collected Information
When you visit our website, certain technical data may be collected automatically by our analytics service, including:
- IP address (anonymized where possible)
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- Referring website or search engine
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Approximate geographic location based on IP (country or region level only)
This data is collected solely for the purpose of understanding how visitors interact with our content so that we can improve the website experience. No individual user profiles are created or sold to third parties.
Voluntarily Submitted Information
If you choose to contact us via our contact page or email, we may collect the following information that you provide:
- Your name (if provided)
- Your email address
- The content of your message
We use this information only to respond to your inquiry. We do not add your email to any mailing list, and we do not share your message with any third party without your explicit consent.
3. How We Use Your Information
The information we collect serves the following purposes:
- Website Analytics: To understand visitor traffic patterns, popular content, and general usage trends so we can improve the quality and relevance of our coastal photography and travel content.
- Communication: To respond to inquiries, comments, or questions you submit through our contact page.
- Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations, should the need ever arise.
We do not use your information for advertising, marketing, or any commercial solicitation. TidalMark does not sell, rent, or trade personal data under any circumstances.
4. Cookies and Tracking
TidalMark may use a limited number of cookies to enhance your browsing experience:
- Analytics Cookies: We use privacy-respecting analytics (such as privacy-focused configurations of Google Analytics or similar tools) to collect anonymized usage data. These cookies help us understand which pages are most visited and how visitors navigate the site.
- Essential Cookies: Certain technical cookies may be necessary for the basic functionality of the website, such as remembering your preferences for dark mode or other display settings.
We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels from social media platforms, or any third-party cookies designed to follow you across the web. You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. Please note that disabling all cookies may affect certain features of the website.
5. Third-Party Services
TidalMark makes use of the following third-party services:
- Unsplash: The photographs displayed on this website are sourced from Unsplash contributors and are used under the Unsplash License, which permits free use for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Unsplash images do not require attribution, though we gratefully acknowledge the talent of the photographers whose work brings our coastal themes to life. Unsplash may set its own cookies when images are loaded from their CDN.
- Analytics Provider: We may use a privacy-respecting analytics service to collect anonymized traffic data. This data is processed in aggregate and cannot be used to identify individual visitors.
We do not integrate social media widgets, comment systems, or any third-party services that would create user profiles or track your activity beyond our website.
6. Data Security
We take reasonable measures to protect the information associated with our website, including:
- Serving the website over HTTPS to encrypt data in transit
- Hosting on reputable infrastructure providers with robust security practices
- Anonymizing or pseudonymizing analytics data wherever possible
- Limiting access to any voluntarily submitted information to authorized personnel only
While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to maintaining a high standard of data protection consistent with the nature of our static informational website.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: You may request correction of any inaccurate personal data.
- Right to Erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data from our records.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit how we process your data.
- Right to Data Portability: You may request to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
- Right to Object: You may object to our processing of your data based on legitimate interests.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through our contact page. We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days. Please note that because TidalMark collects minimal personal data, many of these rights may have limited practical application to your interaction with our site.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will:
- Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
- Post the revised policy on this page
- Significant changes will be indicated by a prominent notice on the website
We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Your continued use of TidalMark after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, we welcome you to reach out through our Contact Us page. We are committed to addressing your inquiries promptly and transparently.
For visitors located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, if you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.