Last Updated: July 14, 2026
The Trade Wind (“we,” “our,” or “us”) operates the website thetradewind.org (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site. Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using the Site, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Site.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide to Us
We may collect information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:
- Contact information — such as your name and email address when you submit our contact form, send us a news tip, or reach out to us directly.
- Newsletter subscription data — your email address when you subscribe to our newsletter.
- Correspondence — any information contained in messages you send to us, including corrections, feedback, and advertising inquiries.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Site, we and our third-party service providers may automatically collect certain information, including:
- Device and usage data — such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and the dates and times of your visits.
- Cookies and similar technologies — small data files stored on your device that help us operate the Site, analyze traffic, and deliver relevant advertising (see Section 4 below).
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Operate, maintain, and improve the Site and its content;
- Send you our newsletter and other communications you have requested (you may unsubscribe at any time);
- Respond to your inquiries, news tips, correction requests, and other messages;
- Analyze how visitors use the Site so we can improve the reader experience;
- Display advertising, including personalized advertising where permitted;
- Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, or abuse;
- Comply with applicable legal obligations.
3. Anonymous News Tips
We respect the confidentiality of our sources. If you submit a news tip and wish to remain anonymous, you are not required to provide your name. We do not intentionally attempt to identify anonymous tipsters, and we take reasonable measures to protect the identity of confidential sources.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information. Cookies we may use include:
- Essential cookies — required for the Site to function properly.
- Analytics cookies — such as those from Google Analytics, which help us understand how visitors interact with the Site.
- Advertising cookies — used by us and third-party advertising partners to deliver ads that may be relevant to you and to measure ad performance.
You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, some portions of the Site may not function properly.
5. Third-Party Advertising and Google AdSense
We may display advertisements served by third-party advertising networks, including Google AdSense. These third parties may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information about your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services that may be of interest to you.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this Site and other websites.
- Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this Site and/or other sites on the Internet.
- You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info/choices.
We do not control the cookies or tracking technologies used by third-party advertisers. Please review the privacy policies of these third parties for more information.
6. Analytics
We may use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to measure and evaluate traffic and usage of the Site. These services use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your use of the Site and report website trends. You can learn more about how Google collects and processes data at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
7. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:
- Service providers — with vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, email delivery, and analytics, and who are bound to protect your information;
- Legal requirements — when required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request;
- Protection of rights — to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Trade Wind, our readers, or others;
- Business transfers — in connection with a merger, sale of assets, or other business transaction, in which case the successor entity will be bound by this Privacy Policy.
8. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Newsletter subscription data is retained until you unsubscribe. Contact form submissions are retained for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to and document the inquiry.
9. Data Security
We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, which may include the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you;
- Request correction of inaccurate personal information;
- Request deletion of your personal information;
- Object to or restrict certain processing of your personal information;
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent (such as unsubscribing from our newsletter).
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 14. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.
11. Children’s Privacy
The Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information promptly.
12. Third-Party Links
The Site may contain links to third-party websites, including news sources, social media platforms, and advertisers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, you can reach us at:
- Email: hello@thetradewind.org
- Contact form: https://thetradewind.org/contact/