Privacy Policy

Blacke Arts respects the privacy of its visitors and is committed to handling personal information responsibly, transparently, and with appropriate safeguards. This Privacy Policy explains what information may be collected when you visit https://blackearts.com, how that information is used, and the measures taken to protect it.

1. Website Ownership and Purpose

Blacke Arts is an independently operated literary website based in Trinidad and Tobago. It showcases original fiction, fictional worlds, artwork, and related creative material published under the pseudonym A. R. Blacke.

The website does not currently offer visitor memberships, subscriptions, newsletters, or online purchases.

Visitors may browse publicly available content without creating an account or providing identifying information.

2. Information We Collect

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit Blacke Arts, certain technical information may be processed through website hosting, security, and analytics systems.

Depending on the service involved, this may include:

Internet Protocol (IP) address
Browser type and operating system
Device information
Pages requested and visited
Date and time of access
Referring websites
Technical information necessary for website operation and security

This information is used to operate and protect the website, monitor performance, understand general visitor activity, and identify technical problems.

Information You Provide Voluntarily

Blacke Arts provides a limited contact form for copyright, intellectual property, and reproduction-permission enquiries.

When using this form, you may be asked to provide your name, email address, subject, and message. This information is used solely to review, manage, and respond to the enquiry submitted. It is not used for newsletters, promotional mailing lists, or unrelated marketing activities.

3. Website Analytics

Blacke Arts uses Independent Analytics, a privacy-focused WordPress analytics plugin, to understand general website traffic and reader engagement.

Independent Analytics operates without analytics cookies and stores its collected analytics information within the website's WordPress database rather than transmitting it to an external analytics provider.

The plugin temporarily processes technical information, including IP addresses and browser information, to generate visitor identifiers. Original IP addresses are not retained in its analytics database as part of this process.

Analytics information may include page views, general geographic location, referral sources, device types, and visitor activity.

Blacke Arts has configured Independent Analytics to exclude the website administrator's designated IP address from visitor statistics.

Analytics records are configured for automatic deletion after 30 days.

These statistics are used to understand which content interests visitors and to improve the website's presentation and performance. They are not used for targeted advertising or the creation of individual marketing profiles.

4. Contact Form and Enquiry Retention

The contact form is provided exclusively for copyright, intellectual property, and permissions-related correspondence.

Information submitted through the form is used to assess and respond to the relevant enquiry.

Contact-form submissions stored within the website are configured for automatic deletion after 10 days.

Copies of enquiries delivered by email, retained for ongoing correspondence, or included in website backups may remain available beyond this period.

Such information will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to address the enquiry, maintain relevant records, resolve disputes, or comply with applicable legal obligations.

Visitors are requested not to submit sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for their enquiry.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Blacke Arts respects visitors' privacy and seeks to minimise the use of cookies and similar tracking technologies.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that websites may place on a visitor's device. They can be used to support website functionality, remember preferences, improve performance, and collect information about website usage.

Some websites also use related technologies, such as local storage, to retain information in a visitor's browser.

Types of Cookies

Blacke Arts may use the following categories of cookies or similar technologies, depending on the features enabled:

Essential Cookies: These support necessary website functions, security, and the management of privacy preferences. Where strictly necessary, they may operate without consent, as permitted by applicable law.
Analytics: Blacke Arts uses Independent Analytics to understand general visitor activity. This service operates without analytics cookies and does not use its statistics for targeted advertising.
Preference Cookies: These may be used to remember visitor choices, including cookie consent preferences, where applicable.
Third-Party Technologies: Certain external services may process technical information when website resources are requested. For example, Google Fonts may receive technical connection information when fonts are loaded from Google's servers, even where no cookies are placed.

Cookie Consent

Where cookies or similar technologies require consent under applicable law, Blacke Arts will request that consent before activating them.

Where a consent-management mechanism is provided, visitors may use it to accept, reject, or change their preferences for optional technologies.

Rejecting optional cookies will not prevent visitors from accessing the website's publicly available literary content.

Managing Cookies

Visitors may manage or delete cookies through their browser settings. Most browsers also allow users to block cookies or restrict their use.

Disabling essential cookies or browser storage may affect certain website functions.

Where available, visitors may also review or update their preferences through the website's cookie consent controls.

Changes to Cookie Usage

The cookies and similar technologies used by Blacke Arts may change as the website develops.

If new features, services, or technologies are introduced, this Privacy Policy and the website's consent arrangements will be reviewed and updated as appropriate.

6. Third-Party Services

Blacke Arts uses selected third-party services to support website operation, security, visual presentation, and maintenance.

Website Hosting

Hosting infrastructure may process technical information, including IP addresses, access logs, and security-related data, as necessary to deliver website content and maintain server security.

Google Fonts

Blacke Arts uses Google Fonts to display selected typefaces.

When a visitor accesses a page using these fonts, the visitor's browser may connect directly to Google's servers to retrieve font resources. Technical information, including the visitor's IP address, may be transmitted to Google as part of this process.

Google's handling of such information is governed by its applicable privacy policies.

Website Backups

Blacke Arts uses UpdraftPlus and hosting-level backup services to support website recovery and continuity.

Backups may contain website files, configuration information, database records, and other information present at the time of backup.

Where backups are stored with external providers, the relevant information may be processed or stored using those providers' infrastructure.

Cookie and Consent Management

Where consent-management technology is enabled, it may use cookies or similar storage to record and manage visitors' privacy preferences.

7. How Information Is Used

Information collected through Blacke Arts is used only for legitimate website-related purposes, including:

Providing and maintaining access to website content.
Protecting the website against unauthorised access, abuse, and technical threats.
Understanding general readership patterns and improving website usability.
Responding to copyright and permissions enquiries.
Maintaining backups and restoring website functionality.
Complying with applicable legal obligations.

Blacke Arts does not sell visitors' personal information or use contact-form submissions for unrelated advertising or marketing.

8. Information Sharing and Disclosure

Blacke Arts does not sell or rent personal information to third parties.

Information may be processed by hosting, backup, email-delivery, security, and other service providers where necessary for website operation.

Information may also be disclosed where required by applicable law, a valid legal process, or where reasonably necessary to protect legal rights, investigate misuse, or address security incidents.

Third-party providers may operate in jurisdictions outside Trinidad and Tobago.

9. Data Security

Blacke Arts takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect website information against unauthorised access, alteration, loss, or misuse.

These measures may include encrypted website connections, access controls, software updates, hosting-level security protections, and regular backups.

However, no internet-based system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Visitors should avoid submitting unnecessary sensitive information through the website.

10. Data Retention

Blacke Arts seeks to retain information only for as long as necessary for its intended purpose.

Current retention arrangements include:

Website analytics: Automatic deletion after 30 days.
Contact-form submissions stored on the website: Automatic deletion after 10 days.
Email correspondence: Retained as reasonably necessary to manage enquiries and related obligations.
Hosting and security logs: Retained according to applicable hosting and security arrangements.
Website backups: Retained according to configured backup schedules and provider policies.

Deletion from an active website database does not necessarily result in immediate deletion from previously created backups.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on the laws applicable to your circumstances, you may have rights concerning personal information held about you, including the right to request access, correction, deletion, or restriction of certain processing activities.

Where applicable, you may also have the right to object to certain processing or withdraw consent previously provided.

Requests will be considered in accordance with applicable law, subject to any relevant legal obligations or exceptions.

For privacy-related enquiries, please use the Contact Form designated on this website.

12. External Websites

Blacke Arts may provide links to external websites, including other literary, creative, or informational resources.

These websites operate independently and may collect or process information according to their own privacy practices.

Blacke Arts is not responsible for the privacy policies or data-handling practices of external websites.

Visitors are encouraged to review the privacy information provided by any external website they choose to visit.

13. Children's Privacy

Blacke Arts is intended for a general audience interested in literary and creative works, including horror and other potentially mature genres.

The website does not knowingly solicit personal information from children or provide accounts, subscriptions, or services specifically directed towards them.

If personal information is found to have been submitted by a child in circumstances requiring parental or guardian authorisation, appropriate steps will be taken in accordance with applicable law.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Blacke Arts may revise this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in website functionality, services, legal requirements, or data-handling practices.

Any updated version will be published on this page with a revised Last Updated date.

Visitors are encouraged to review this policy periodically.

Last Updated: 29 October 2026