Privacy policy

This policy explains what information PortlandBread collects and what we do with it. PortlandBread is owned and run by Scored Media LLC in Portland, Oregon ("we," "us"). It covers portlandbread.com, the Friday newsletter, and the forms on the site.

1. The short version

• There are no accounts, no ads, and no advertising trackers.
• Google Analytics only sets cookies or tells your visits apart if you say yes. Until then, it only sends Google anonymous, cookie-free signals.
• We don't sell or rent anyone's information.
• Search and "sort by walking distance" run in your browser. Your searches and your location never reach us.
• If you sign up for the newsletter or send a form, we get what you typed, and we use it only for that.
• Maps come from Google. When a map loads, your browser talks to Google directly.

2. When you browse

Like every website, ours runs on a host. Ours is Vercel. When your browser asks for a page, Vercel records standard request details: your IP address, browser and device type, the page, the referring page, and the time. We use these logs only to run the site, fix problems, and protect it from abuse. They aren't used to build a profile of you, and they're kept for a limited time under Vercel's own retention rules.

3. Google Analytics, only if you allow it

The first time you visit, a banner asks whether we can use Google Analytics. We use it to see which pages people read, how they found us, and roughly where they are (city level), so we know what to write about next.

• Before you choose, or if you choose "No thanks," the Google Analytics tag still loads, but in a restricted mode. It sets no cookies and doesn't tell your visits apart. It only sends Google cookie-free signals, such as that a page was viewed, which Google uses to estimate overall totals. Like any request to Google, these reach Google from your IP address, but Google Analytics doesn't store IP addresses.
• If you choose "Allow analytics," Google Analytics sets cookies named _ga and _ga_<id> that tell your repeat visits apart. They expire after 13 months. Google Analytics doesn't store your IP address, we've turned off Google signals and ad personalization, and nothing is used for advertising. Google processes this data for us under the Google Privacy Policy.
• If your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, we treat that as "No thanks" and don't show the banner. You can still turn analytics on yourself in Privacy settings.
• You can change your mind any time with "Privacy settings" at the bottom of every page. If you switch analytics off, we delete the Google Analytics cookies. We ask again after 13 months.

Your choice is saved in your browser's local storage, not in a cookie, and it isn't sent to us.

4. What stays in your browser

Some features work entirely on your device, and nothing about them is sent to us.

• Search. What you type in the search box filters the list in your browser. The query isn't sent anywhere.
• Your location. If you tap "Sort by walking distance," your browser asks your permission first. If you say yes, we use your location once, on your device, to sort the list. We don't store it, we don't send it to our servers, and we don't send it to Google. You can say no and use everything else, and you can turn off location access for our site any time in your browser settings.
• Your preferences. If you pick light or dark mode, pause the homepage video, or make an analytics choice, your browser remembers it in its local storage on your device. It isn't a cookie, and it isn't sent to us. Clearing your browser's site data removes it.

5. Google Maps

Maps on PortlandBread use Google Maps. A map loads only on pages that have one, and only when it scrolls into view. When it does, your browser connects to Google directly, and Google receives information like your IP address and how you use the map, such as the area you're looking at. Google uses that information under its own Privacy Policy, and your use of the map is subject to the Google Maps/Google Earth Additional Terms of Service.

We don't send Google your name, email, messages, or location. The "Directions" links open Google Maps with the bakery's location. What happens there is between you and Google.

6. The newsletter

If you sign up for the Friday newsletter, we collect your email address and the date you signed up. We use it to send the newsletter and, rarely, a note about a significant change to our Terms or this policy. We don't use it for anything else, and we don't sell it, rent it, or share it for anyone else's marketing.

We use an email service to store the list and send each issue. It works for us and handles your address only to deliver the newsletter. Every issue has an unsubscribe link, and once you use it, we stop sending to you. You can also ask to be removed through our contact form.

7. Forms

When you use the contact, correction, or add-your-bakery forms, we collect what you enter: usually your name, email address, message, and which page you were on. The forms are delivered to our inbox by FormSubmit (formsubmit.co), a form-to-email service, which handles your submission under its own privacy policy.

We use what you send to reply, fix a listing, or consider a shop for the guide. If we quote a correction or tip on the site, we don't include your name unless you've said we can. We keep messages only as long as we need them for that, then delete them. The same goes for any email back and forth that follows.

8. Cookies and tracking

The only cookies we use are the Google Analytics cookies described above, and only if you allow them. Without your yes, Google Analytics runs in its cookie-free mode. We don't use advertising networks, social media pixels, or tracking across other websites.

We honor Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals: if your browser sends one, analytics stays off unless you turn it on yourself. Google may set its own cookies when a map loads. Those are governed by Google's policy.

9. Who else sees your information

We share information only with the services that help us run PortlandBread, and only what each needs to do its job:

• Vercel, which hosts the site.
• Google, which provides the maps and Google Analytics (cookie-free unless you allow cookies).
• FormSubmit, which delivers our forms.
• Our email service, which sends the newsletter.

Beyond that, we'd only share information if the law requires it, to protect people's safety or our legal rights, or if PortlandBread were ever sold or transferred to a new owner, who would have to follow this policy. We don't sell personal information, and we don't share it for targeted advertising.

10. How long we keep things

• Newsletter addresses: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete yours.
• Messages and form submissions: as long as we need them to respond or update the guide, then we delete them.
• Server logs: for the limited time our host keeps them.
• Google Analytics data, if you allowed it: the cookies expire after 13 months, and we keep reports in Google Analytics for no longer than 14 months.

11. Keeping it safe

The whole site runs over HTTPS, and only the people who run PortlandBread can see the newsletter list and our inbox. No system is perfectly secure, but we keep what we collect small, which limits what could ever be exposed. If a breach ever affects your personal information, we'll notify you as Oregon law and any other applicable law requires.

12. Children

PortlandBread is for a general audience and isn't directed to children under 13. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you think a child has signed up for the newsletter or sent us a form, tell us through our contact form and we'll delete it.

13. Your choices and rights

You can turn analytics on or off with "Privacy settings" at the bottom of any page, and unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. You can also ask us to tell you what personal information we have about you, correct it, or delete it. Send a request through our contact form and we'll respond within 45 days. We may need to confirm the request came from you, usually by writing back to the email address you give us.

Depending on where you live, for example Oregon, California, the European Union, or the United Kingdom, the law may give you specific privacy rights. We honor these requests for everyone, wherever you live. We don't sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising or profiling, so there's nothing to opt out of there.

14. If you're outside the US

PortlandBread is run from the United States, and the services we use store information in the US. If you visit from elsewhere, your information will be handled in the US under this policy.

15. Changes to this policy

We'll update this policy when the site changes, for example if we add a new service. The date at the top shows the current version. If a change is significant, we'll note it on this page and mention it in the newsletter.

16. Contact

Questions or requests about your privacy? Send them through our contact form. PortlandBread is owned and run by Scored Media LLC in Portland, Oregon.