Privacy Questions and Answers

This notice describes how Mudspike collects and uses data about you.

How does Mudspike collect data about me?

Mudspike collects data about you:

• when you browse a forum that Mudspike hosts

• when you create and use an account on a forum that Mudspike hosts

• when you post, send private messages, and otherwise participate in a forum that Mudspike hosts

Mudspike collects data whether you use the forums using a web browser on your own computer, or use Mudspike 's Discourse apps for mobile devices.

Mudspike does not buy or otherwise receive data about you from data brokers.

What data does Mudspike collect about me, and why?

Mudspike collects data about visits to forums.

When you visit a forum that Mudspike hosts, whether you have an account or not, the forum uses cookies, server logs, and other methods to collect data about what pages you visit and when.

Mudspike uses data about how you use the website to:

• optimize the forum, so that it’s quick and easy to use

• diagnose and debug technical errors

• defend the forum from abuse and technical attacks

• compile statistics on forum and topic popularity

• compile statistics on the kinds of software and computers visitors use

Mudspike usually stores data about how you use the forum in identifiable form for just a few weeks. In special circumstances, like extended investigations about technical attacks, Mudspike may preserve log data longer, for analysis. Mudspike stores aggregate statistics about use of the forum for as long as Mudspike hosts the forum, but those statistics don’t include data identifiable to you personally.

Mudspike collects account data.

Many features of forums that Mudspike hosts require a forum account. For example, most forums that Mudspike hosts require an account to post and reply to topics.

To sign up for a forum account, Discourse requires your name, a user name, and an e-mail address.

Mudspike uses your account data to identify you on the forum, and to create pages specific to you, like your profile page. If the forum is public, Mudspike publishes your account data. If the forum is access-restricted, Mudspike makes your account data available to everyone who can access the forum, according to the forum administrator’s configuration.

Mudspike uses your e-mail address to:

• notify you about posts and other activity on the forum

• reset your password and help keep your account secure

• contact you in special circumstances related to your account

• contact you about legal requests, like DMCA takedown requests

You may provide additional data for your account, like a short biography, your location, or your birthday, on the profile settings page for your account. Mudspike makes that data available to others who can access the forum. You don’t have to provide this additional information, and you can erase it at any time.

Mudspike stores your account data as long as your account remains open.

Mudspike collects data about posts and other activity on the forum.

Mudspike collects the content of your posts, plus data about bookmarks, likes, and links you follow in order to share that data with others, through the forum. If the forum is public, Mudspike publishes your activity. If the forum is access-restricted, or access restrictions apply to the specific post, Mudspike makes your activity available only to users permitted to see it.

Mudspike also collects data about private messages that you send through the forum. Mudspike makes private messages available to senders and their recipients, and also to forum administrators.

Mudspike stores your posts and other activity as long as your account remains open.

How can I make choices about data collection?

You can make choices about how data about is used on the settings page for your account. When a forum uses access restrictions that vary by category, you can choose who will see your post by choosing the appropriate category.

Mudspike does not respond to the Do Not Track HTTP header.

Where does Mudspike store data about me?

Most forums that Mudspike hosts store all data in Mudspike data center in New York, NY, USA.

Does Mudspike comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation?

Mudspike respects privacy rights under Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Information that GDPR requires Mudspike to give can be found throughout this privacy notice. So can information about specific rights, like access, rectification, erasure, data portability, and objection to automated decision-making.

Where can I access data about me?

You can see your account data at any time by visiting your account page on the forum. Your account page also lists your posts and other activity on the forum.

Your account activity page also includes a link to download all of your activity in standard comma-separated values format.

How can I change or erase data about me?

You can change your account data at any time by visiting the profile settings page for your account. You may also allow you to close your account, on the settings page for your account. Closing your account starts a process of erasing or anonymizing Mudspike’s records of data you provided for your account. Forum administrators can also erase and anonymize accounts.

Depending on the settings for your particular forum, you may also be able to edit, anonymize, or erase your posts. When you edit posts, Mudspike will keep all versions of your posts. Forum administrators can view old versions of posts, and optionally make them visible to other forum visitors.

Does Mudspike make automated decisions based on data about me?

Mudspike classifies posts as spam automatically.

Mudspike uses data about your posts and other activity on many forums to make automated decisions about whether your posts to forums that Mudspike hosts are spam. When Akismet decides that a post is likely spam, the forum refuses to accept the post.

If you think a post has been wrongly blocked or removed, contact an administrator of the forum. They can override the decision that a post was spam.

Mudspike uses data about posts and activity to set trust levels automatically.

The forum may use data about your posts and activity to award you badges and calculate a trust level for your account. Your trust level may affect how you can participate in the forum, such as whether you can upload images, as well as give you access to moderation and management powers in the forum. Your trust level therefore reflects forum administrators’ confidence in you, and their willingness to delegate community management functions, like moderation.

If you think your trust level has been set incorrectly, contact an administrator of the forum. They can manually adjust the trust level of your account.

Does Mudspike share data about me with others?

Mudspike shares account data with others as mentioned in the section about account data.

Mudspike shares data about your posts and other forum activity with others as mentioned in the section about account data.

Mudspike does not sell or give information about you to other companies or services. However, Mudspike does use services from other companies on some forums that it hosts. The companies behind those services may collect data about you on their own, for their own purposes. Some of these services may be used to collect information about your online activities across different websites. All of these services are based in the United States.

Other individuals and companies may also reuse data about you that Mudspike publishes, such as your posts to public forums.

How can I contact Mudspike about privacy?

You can send questions and complaints to:

Contact info: Articles - Mudspike Forums

For complaints under GDPR more generally, European Union users may lodge complaints with their local data protection supervisory authorities.

How can I find out about changes?

This version of Mudspike’s privacy questions and answers took effect May 25, 2018.

Mudspike will post the next version at Privacy - Mudspike Forums. Mudspike may change how it announces changes in future versions.

In the meantime, Mudspike may update its contact information without announcing a change. Please refer to Privacy - Mudspike Forums for the latest contact information at any time.