Last updated: May 4, 2026
Looking for data deletion instructions?
If you are looking to request deletion of data related to the DoingItLocal website, app, Facebook/Instagram connection, or Meta app review process, please visit our Data Deletion page:
DoingItLocal is a local news website and digital media service serving Connecticut communities. Our website address is:
This Privacy Policy page is located at:
Our app may appear under the name Doing It Local or DoingItLocal.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, how users may request deletion of their information, and how to contact us.
Who We Are
DoingItLocal is a local news and media organization publishing breaking news, public safety updates, community news, press releases, photos, videos, and related local information.
For privacy questions, corrections, data access requests, or data deletion requests, contact us at:
Information We Collect
We may collect information in the following ways.
Information You Provide
We may collect information you voluntarily provide, including:
- Your name
- Email address
- Website URL, if submitted with a comment
- Comment text
- Contact form submissions
- Account registration information, if accounts are enabled
- Photos, videos, or other media you submit
- Messages sent to us by email, social media, or other communication methods
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, our systems and service providers may automatically collect certain technical information, including:
- IP address
- Browser type
- Device type
- Operating system
- Referring website
- Pages viewed
- Date and time of visit
- Cookies and similar tracking information
- Security logs related to suspicious activity, login attempts, or site protection
This information helps us operate the site, protect it from abuse, understand site traffic, improve performance, and detect spam or security threats.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam.
An anonymized string created from your email address, also called a hash, may be provided to the Gravatar service to determine whether you use it. The Gravatar privacy policy is available at: https://automattic.com/privacy/
After approval of your comment, your profile picture may be visible to the public in connection with your comment.
Media Uploads
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data, including EXIF GPS data. Visitors to the website may be able to download and extract location data from images posted publicly.
If you submit photos or videos to DoingItLocal, you understand that submitted media may be reviewed, edited, published, embedded, or shared as part of our news coverage or social media publishing, unless a separate agreement says otherwise.
Cookies
Our website may use cookies for site functionality, user convenience, security, analytics, advertising, and embedded content.
If you leave a comment, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for convenience so you do not have to fill in your details again when leaving another comment. These cookies may last for one year.
If you visit a login page, a temporary cookie may be set to determine whether your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When users log in, cookies may be used to save login information and display preferences. Login cookies may last for two days. Screen preference cookies may last for a year. If “Remember Me” is selected, login may persist for approximately two weeks. Logging out removes login cookies.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie may be saved in your browser. This cookie contains no personal data and indicates the post ID of the article edited. It typically expires after one day.
Analytics, Advertising, and Measurement
We may use analytics, advertising, and measurement tools to understand audience behavior, measure traffic, improve our services, and support advertising.
These tools may collect or process information such as page views, device information, browser information, approximate location, referring links, and cookie identifiers.
Examples may include Google tools, WordPress tools, social media pixels, advertising networks, or similar services. These providers may use cookies or similar technologies according to their own privacy policies.
Embedded Content From Other Websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content, such as videos, images, social media posts, maps, articles, or other materials.
Embedded content from another website behaves as if the visitor has visited that other website directly. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including when you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Embedded content may include services from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X/Twitter, Google, or other third-party services.
Social Media and Meta/Facebook App Information
DoingItLocal may use Meta/Facebook and Instagram tools or APIs to publish, manage, or display content on DoingItLocal’s Facebook Page, Instagram account, or related social media accounts.
Our Meta/Facebook app is used primarily for DoingItLocal publishing, page management, Instagram publishing, Facebook Page publishing, and related media workflow purposes.
We do not use the Meta/Facebook app to sell personal information.
Depending on how a user interacts with our app, website, Facebook Page, Instagram account, or social media content, Meta or related platforms may provide or process limited information in accordance with their own terms and privacy policies.
We only use Meta/Facebook platform data for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including publishing, managing, displaying, measuring, or administering DoingItLocal content and services.
Data Deletion Requests
If you are looking to request deletion of data related to the DoingItLocal website, app, Facebook/Instagram connection, or Meta app review process, please visit our Data Deletion page:
You may also email us directly at:
Please use the subject line:
Data Deletion Request
Please include enough information for us to locate the request, such as:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your Facebook or Instagram profile name, if relevant
- A description of the data you want deleted
- The approximate date of your interaction with DoingItLocal or the app
After receiving a valid request, we will review our systems and delete or anonymize personal information where reasonably possible, unless we are required or permitted to retain certain information for legal, security, fraud prevention, accounting, administrative, journalistic, archival, or public-interest reasons.
You may also remove an app connection through Facebook by going to your Facebook settings, selecting Apps and Websites, finding the relevant app, and removing it.
How We Use Information
We may use collected information to:
- Operate and maintain the website
- Publish and manage news content
- Moderate comments
- Respond to messages, tips, questions, or requests
- Process corrections or editorial inquiries
- Detect spam, abuse, malware, or security threats
- Protect the website and users
- Improve website performance and user experience
- Understand traffic and audience behavior
- Display, measure, or support advertising
- Publish content to DoingItLocal’s website and social media accounts
- Comply with legal, regulatory, platform, or security requirements
News, Editorial, and Public Interest Content
DoingItLocal publishes news and public-interest information. Some published content may include names, images, video, quotes, public records, public safety information, or information submitted by public agencies, officials, readers, witnesses, businesses, or community organizations.
Requests to remove or change published news content will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We may decline removal requests when information is newsworthy, publicly available, lawfully obtained, editorially relevant, or retained for journalistic, archival, legal, or public-interest reasons.
Corrections and Editorial Contact
DoingItLocal strives for accuracy in its reporting. If you believe a story contains an error, contact us at:
Please include:
- The article title or link
- The information you believe is incorrect
- The correction you are requesting
- Supporting documentation or details, if available
We will review correction requests and update stories when appropriate.
Who We Share Data With
We do not sell personal information.
We may share limited information with service providers and platforms that help us operate the website, publish content, protect the site, measure traffic, process comments, deliver media, or manage social media.
These may include:
- Web hosting providers
- WordPress-related services
- Spam detection services
- Security services
- Analytics providers
- Advertising providers
- Email or communication providers
- Social media platforms
- Cloud, automation, or publishing services used in our workflow
If you request a password reset, your IP address may be included in the reset email.
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
Spam, Security, and Site Protection
We may use spam detection and security tools to protect the website. These tools may process IP addresses, user agent information, referrers, login attempts, suspicious URLs, and other technical data.
Security logs may include:
- IP address
- User ID of logged-in users
- Username used in login attempts
- Suspicious requests
- Login and logout activity
- Content changes
- Password updates
Security logs are generally retained for a limited period, such as 14 days, unless longer retention is needed for investigation, security, legal, or administrative reasons.
Akismet Anti-Spam
We may use Akismet or similar anti-spam services. Information collected about commenters may include the commenter’s IP address, user agent, referrer, site URL, name, username, email address, and the comment itself.
Site Scanning and Malware Protection
The site may be scanned for malware, vulnerabilities, or security issues. We do not intentionally send private personal information to site scanners, but scanners may access information that is publicly available on the website, such as published comments or public pages.
How Long We Retain Data
We retain information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
Examples:
- Comments and comment metadata may be retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow-up comments.
- Registered user profile information, if any, is retained while the account exists.
- Security logs may be retained for a limited period, typically around 14 days, unless needed longer for security, legal, or administrative reasons.
- Published news content may be retained indefinitely for journalistic, archival, historical, legal, or public-interest purposes.
- Emails, tips, correction requests, and business communications may be retained as needed for editorial, administrative, legal, or business purposes.
- Temporary files used in publishing workflows may be deleted after processing, but final published media may remain on our website, social media accounts, archives, backups, or content delivery systems.
Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location and how you interacted with us, you may have the right to:
- Request access to personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Request deletion of personal information
- Request an export of personal information you provided
- Object to or limit certain uses of personal information
- Opt out of certain cookies or tracking tools through browser settings or third-party controls
If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you may request an exported file of the personal data we hold about you. You may also request that we erase personal data we hold about you.
This does not include data we must keep for administrative, legal, security, anti-fraud, journalistic, archival, or public-interest reasons.
To make a request, contact:
Children’s Privacy
DoingItLocal is a general audience local news service. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without appropriate consent. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, contact us and we will review the request.
Data Security
We use reasonable technical and administrative measures to protect information from unauthorized access, misuse, loss, or alteration. No website, app, or online service can guarantee complete security.
Links to Other Websites
Our website may link to other websites, advertisers, public agencies, social media platforms, or third-party services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party sites.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.
Contact Us
For privacy questions, data access requests, deletion requests, correction requests, or editorial inquiries, contact:
DoingItLocal
Website: https://www.doingitlocal.com
Privacy Policy: https://www.doingitlocal.com/our-privacy-policy/
Data Deletion: https://www.doingitlocal.com/data-deletion/
Email: alex@doingitlocal.com