1. Zero Data Collection Policy (Passive Visitors)
Our policy of non-extraction applies comprehensively to every user who simply browses our site. We do not track, collect, or store any personal information or usage data from passive visitors across the Spotlight, Causes, Insights, Voices, or Offerings sections.
- No Personal Identifiable Information (PII) Collected: We do not solicit, gather, or retain any PII, including names, email addresses, geographical locations, or phone numbers from passive browsing activity.
- No Tracking Technologies Used: We do not employ any cookies, tracking pixels, web beacons, local storage, or fingerprinting techniques.
2. Active, Voluntary Data Submission (Online Forms and Enrollment)
The only time ogaweb.org receives personal data is when you actively and voluntarily choose to provide it through a specific contact point.
A. Online Forms for Initiatives and Enrollment
- Explicit Consent: For all forms related to our initiatives, enrollment, or reaching out (such as expressing interest in a project or signing up for a mailing list), we require your explicit, affirmative consent for the specific purpose outlined in the form.
- Data Minimization: We strictly adhere to data minimization. We only ask for the necessary information (e.g., name and email) required to fulfill the stated purpose of the form (e.g., contacting you about an initiative or sending you the requested information).
- No External Use: Data submitted via these forms is never sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing or commercial purposes. It is used solely by OGA staff and partners working directly on the initiative you expressed interest in.
- Secure Storage: Submitted form data is stored securely and deleted once it is no longer needed for the specific purpose for which it was collected.
B. Direct Email Contact and Financial Support
- Direct Email: Information received via direct email is used only to respond to your specific inquiry regarding a Cause or general information.
- Voluntary Donations: Any financial support links direct you to a third-party payment processor. We do not process or store your payment details. The financial transaction is entirely governed by the policy of that processor.
3. Respect for Featured Content (Projects, Photos, and Voices)
A significant part of our work is featuring the wisdom, insights, and images of community members and global projects. We ensure privacy is respected in the content we feature:
A. Featured Projects and Photos
- Consent is Paramount: Photos and visual documentation of the projects we work with (featured in Spotlight or Causes) are used with explicit, written consent from the individuals and communities depicted.
- No Metadata Extraction: We strip any potentially identifying metadata (like GPS data) from photos before uploading them to our server, ensuring that images of our partners do not compromise their location or privacy.
B. BIPOC Voices and Perspectives
- Informed Consent: The audio, video (Witness), and written material (Lore, Insights) featuring BIPOC Voices are included only with the speaker’s informed, explicit consent for publication and non-commercial use, affirming our commitment to reciprocity rather than extraction.
4. External Content and Interaction (Media Sections)
Our content sections often link to or embed content hosted on third-party platforms.
- Media Interaction: When engaging with media in Witness (Visual/Video), Orals (Audio), or Voices (Featured Perspectives), tracking is initiated by the external host (e.g., YouTube, Bandcamp) only when you actively click “Play” or follow a link. We utilize privacy-enhanced embedding methods where available to minimize pre-load tracking. Once active, the external host’s privacy policy applies.
5. Policy Revisions and Transparency
This policy serves as a living document of our commitment.
- Review and Notice: This policy is subject to annual review. Should we ever need to significantly change the purpose for which we collect data via forms, we will prominently notify all visitors and require new, explicit consent.
Last Revised: November 17, 2025
Who we are
Our website address is: https://ogaweb.org/.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the information shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent to help detect spam.
An anonymised string (also known as a hash) created from your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to check if you are using it. The Gravatar privacy policy can be found at https://automattic.com/privacy/. After your comment is approved, your profile picture becomes visible to the public alongside your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, please avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract location data from images on the site.
Cookies
If you leave a comment, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so you do not need to fill in your details again next time. These cookies last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to check if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie does not contain personal data and is deleted when you close your browser.
When you log in, we set several cookies to save your login information and display preferences. Login cookies last for two days, and screen option cookies for one year. Selecting ‘Remember Me’ keeps your login active for two weeks. Logging out removes these cookies.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie contains no personal data and only stores the post ID of the article you edited. It expires after one day.
Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, or articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves exactly as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These external websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with their content, including tracking interactions if you are logged in to their website.
Who We Share Your Data With
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
How Long We Retain Your Data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely so that any future comments can be approved automatically instead of being held for moderation.
For users who register on our site (if applicable), we store the personal information provided in their user profiles. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except usernames). Website administrators can also view and edit that information.
What Rights You Have Over Your Data
If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including data you have provided. You may also request that we delete any personal data we hold about you, except for data we are required to retain for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where We Send Your Data
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
