Privacy & Data Retention Policies

The Chatty Version Of This Page

Not feeling chatty? Go to the Cut And Dried Version Of This Page.

What The Heck Is This Page About?

Howdy! My name is Frank W. Butterfield and I'm an author. I'm also a kinda-sorta web guy. I built this website myself. I really did. Mostly because WordPress websites take too long to load but you didn't come here for that tiny tidbit of info.

This page is how I explain to you what happens with the data you're sharing when you visit this website. Take a deep breath. Exhale. And then come with me through this incredibly tiny door that no one could ever fit in and we'll discover a land of wonder (sorry, the chocolate river is on the fritz right now).

Data? What Data?

Here's the kind of data you're sharing:

• Right now, the only data you're sharing is your IP address and some other helpful information about your computer or your device.
• Your IP address is unique and it's assigned by your ISP (like Comcast, or AT&T, or BT, or Wind).
• Your browser tells me about the helpful information.

Here is specifically what you (yes, you!) are sharing right now:

This is your current IP address: 3.135.193.234. You can confirm this by going to Google and searching "what is my ip address?"

And that's helpful. It really is. But there's more. And it's coming from your browser and it's all about your computer or device (and the color of your eyes... not really... not yet... lololol)

Soooo... this is what your computer or device is saying about itself. Every website you visit has access to this information and needs it so it knows how to show you their site in the best way possible. It may look like gobbledygook but it's helpful and, well, here it is:

Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)

Now, there's one other thing I'm concerned about and that's whether your screen needs to be resized in case you're using a mobile device. Because no one likes a badly-formatted website. I know I don't. So, here's what I know about your screen width and height:

Width: pixels.

Height: pixels.

If you're using a device that you can turn in your hand, you can see how this changes by turning your device and then refreshing this page. It should change. It's kinda neat. You should give it a try.

Soooo.... I don't record any of this information, which is kind of a big deal since most websites do. And they do so for all sorts of good reasons that include analysing your behavior to help sell you things.

And that's fine with me. Of course, no one asked my opinion. And I try not to be too judgy (are the kids still using that word?).

But I don't do it. I don't keep a record of your visit here. Even though I know you're a lovely person. You really are. But I just don't do it. Like Gloria Swanson says in Airport 75 about eating poison (she's referring, I think, to processed food—and she's telling us the secret of her beauty as she ages gracefully). Anyway, Miss Swanson doesn't do it! She just doesn't do it! And neither do I! (and I'm talking about keeping your data here 'cause I love me an Egg McMuffin from time to time).

You may ask why. And that's a great question. Here's why: I've been building and working on websites since 2006 and have discovered I don't really care enough to track this kind of information. I don't. I just don't. Kinda like Miss Swanson.

My bottom line is that either you like my books or you don't. Probably you do, otherwise you wouldn't still be reading, but that's another conversation altogether (be sure to contact me if you do like my books because I love to hear from readers. Y'all are awesome!).

Anyway, that's the first part. Whew!

But Wait, There's More!

Not a lot more, but there is a bit.

Like I said above, I don't record your data when you visit my website. I don't keep a log of visits and I don't use a third-party app like Google Analytics to get aggregated data about when people visit, where they click, and the like. Although that be cool and I know lots of people like using it. But I don't. I simply don't.

Like I also said above, I don't record this data or use Google to analyze it because I've never been able to do much with it. I might change my mind. If I do, I'll let you know here. But I probably won't.

Oh, and cookies. I'm with Miss Swanson. I don't do website cookies. I just don't. I really don't.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here, so let's back up a moment. A website cookie is a little file installed on your computer or device that helps a website behave correctly. What I'm sayin' here is that I don't use cookies to store any data about you. I love me a nice soft peanut butter cookie for my belly (please, Miss Swanson, don't judge me!) but I don't use any on your computer or device.

So, all of this is perfectly lovely. I'm sure you're thinking exactly that very thing right now. But what else could there be?

Stuff You Sell! What About That?

Well, truth be told, Amazon does most of that for me and that's a good thing (thank you, Martha Stewart). But, from time to time, you might buy an autographed book or two from me, which would be nice. It would be lovely, in fact!

If you do, I use PayPal for all my credit and debit card processing needs. And I don't keep your card information on file. In fact, the reason I use PayPal is because they do all that for me. Which is nice. Very nice, really.

What I do know about you, though, is this: your name, PayPal email address, the amount you paid, and your shipping address. All of that is good for two reasons:

1. I know whither your books should fly. Yay!
2. I know whether and how much tax to pay to the IRS (income tax) and the State of Florida (sales tax, doncha know). Also: Yay! I'm a big fan of air traffic control and freeways and that's what I'm paying for (well, sort of... you know how that works).

Anywho, I keep all that info around for at least 7 years for reasons (legal reasons).

Let's see. It seems like there's something I'm forgetting...

Um, The Mailing List?

Oh, right! My mailing list!!

Soooo you might wanna stay in touch and find out what's happening with my books. And that really is lovely. It's sweet too.

I use Mailchimp for all that. And not because of their mascot which I find to be a touch on the creepy side. Not that you asked but there it is.

Anywhoodles, when you subscribe, you have to opt in. You really do. In fact, you won't hear boo from me if you don't opt in. Like with Miss Swanson and her mac and cheese aversion: you won't, you really won't.

You can also unsubcribe. Ahem.

Whenever you do either of those, you're telling Mailchimp who you are (your name, your email address, your IP address, and the date and time you did whatever you did). They very politely and efficiently keep that data until I tell them to delete it (more about that in a minute).

When you tell them to put you on the mailing list (or take you off, which is fine, really), I get an email about it. I delete those as soon as they come in. In a jiffy, in fact!

Although, to be honest, I usually say to myself, "Thank you, Joe, for your subscription," when I get an email about a new subscriber. Of course, if Joe isn't your name, I say whatever your name is. But I bet you knew that.

And, when I get an email with the sad news about how someone has unscubscribed, I throw a Veruca Salt kind of fit.

Ha ha ha. Not really. Well, usually not really.

What I really do (most of the time) is say to myself, "I bet they feel so much better now," because I'm sure that's true.

One other thing about the mailing list... On the 10th of May of every even-numbered year (2018, 2020, etc.), I ask all my lovely and fabulous subscribers to tell me how much they really love me, erm, I mean Nick & Carter and to confirm their subscriptions.

I don't want you to be all like, "OMG! Not another Nick & Carter email!" Well, I hope that's what you say but in a really excited voice that makes your cat look up and wonder if something tasty is about to be put down in front of him (or her... your cat might be female... I don't really know).

What I'm saying here is that I only let Mailchimp keep your deets (is that what the kids are calling details these days?) for two years max or until you unsubscribe, whichever comes first. And, if you don't wanna stick around but have gotten used to throwing my beautiful, tasteful, wonderful emails in the trash, I'd really rather you didn't and just go ahead and let your subscription go. Let it go. You know. Like in that movie with the cute snowman and some girls about some story and it's cold or something like that. I don't really know. I just want the Norway ride to return to Epcot along with the fabulous oil drilling platform and the ABBA hair in all the murals. Is that too much to ask?

I kinda feel like this has taken a reeeallllly long time!

You Think?

OK, it has. Thanks for hanging around.

Did You Forget To Tell Them About Regular Ole Emails?

Oops! Color me embarrassed!

Here's the last part and it's kind of a doozy but if you email me with a sweet note or to send me a very polite and utterly helpful series of typos you came across (I do love those!), then I'm probably going to keep those kinds of emails around for a really long time. I might print some out and frame them. I don't know.

But I do know you can email me at...

privacy@frankwbutterfield.com

...and tell me you want them gone. GONE! And I'll delete all of them having to do with you within 72 hours and won't that be nice.

OK! That's it! We're done!

But stick around if you wanna read the more cut and dried stuff. It's pretty much the same but with more deets. Is that the right word?

OK!

Gotta run, hon! Have a really fabulous day wherever you are and thanks for reading!

---

The Cut And Dried Version Of This Page

Your privacy is very important to me. Everyone says that but I really mean it.

I am the owner of this website, the administrator of this website, the privacy officer, and the data retention officer.

My business address is:

Frank W. Butterfield
P.O. Box 148
Daytona Beach, FL 32115
U.S.A.

You can contact me by postal mail or by using the contact link on this website.

Website

My website is hosted by DreamHost. The servers for my website are maintained in the U.S. in the State of Virginia. My website does not use SSL privacy protections since no personal data is transferred or maintained there.

When you visit frankwbutterfield.com or fwb66.com (a domain I use for shortened URLs), no data regarding your visit is maintained on my server. I do not maintain a log, I do not use cookies (to remember your data), nor do I track the website using a third-party application such as Google Analytics to analyze user behavior, either individually or in the aggregate. I keep no records pertaining your use of the website.

If you contact me via the website or using my email address, I consider that to be a transactional email you have voluntarily submitted and may retain copies of the email for an indeterminate length of time on both the DreamHost servers, on my business mobile device, and on my business computer. You may, at any time, request that I delete all my copies of our correspondence by sending an email to...

privacy@frankwbutterfield.com

Should you do so, I will act on your request within 72 hours and confirm having done so. I purge email sent to this email address within 72 hours of receiving it.

Purchases

My credit and debit card processor is PayPal. Their servers are in the U.S., however, if you make a payment from another country, your data may be collected and stored in your country of origin or in the country from which the transaction originates on your end. For more details, consult their privacy policy:

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full

When you purchase a book or any other product, I use PayPal for all transactions. Your card data is handled using a secure SSL page on a PayPal website. I have no access to your card data. Payment transaction data, including your name, email address, and shipping address, is maintained on the PayPal servers, on my server, and on my personal computer for the sole purpose of adhering to U.S. and Florida financial reporting requirements. I retain this data for no less than seven years as required by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the State of Florida Department of Revenue.

Mailing List

My mailing list service is Mailchimp. Their servers are in the U.S. For more details, consult their privacy policy:

https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/

Using the Mailchimp service, I maintain a Nick & Carter mailing list for marketing purposes: announcing upcoming publications, announcing their availability on Kindle and in paperback, and offering you free short stories. I do not share any of your data with anyone else for any purpose.

When you subscribe to the Nick & Carter mailing list, your name, your email address, the time and date of the subscription, and your computer or device's IP address are collected and stored. When you unsubscribe, your name, your email address, the time and date of the unsubscription, your stated reason (if any) for the unsubscription, and your computer or device's IP address are collected and stored. When you open an email I send you, the time and date you opened the email along with the links you clicked within the email are collected and stored. All of this data is collected and maintained by Mailchimp on their servers.

I receive an email when you subscribe (which means you registered AND opted in affirmatively by clicking on the email sent to you that asks you to do so) and when you unsubscribe. Both contain the collected data. I delete those within 48 hours of receipt.

When you unsubscribe, I immediately stop sending emails to your email address. Your data held on the Mailchimp servers is deleted within 72 hours.

On May 10th of every even-numbered year (2018, 2020, etc.), I request that all subscribers let me know they still want to receive emails. Any who don't perform an opt-in at that time will stop receiving future emails and their data will be deleted from the Mailchimp servers as of the subsequent May 25th.

Please contact me with any questions about these policies.

This page was last updated on May 5, 2018.