Last updated [August 31st, 2023]
Our Privacy Policy is an integral part of and should be reviewed in conjunction with our website’s Terms and Conditions.
We, operating under the name ‘A Dash Of Merilyn’ (referred to as ‘we,’ ‘us,’ or ‘our’), recognize the paramount importance of safeguarding the privacy of all visitors to our website at www.adashofmerilyn.com. Consequently, we may update our policy periodically, and it is incumbent upon you to periodically review it. Our commitment revolves around protecting personal information and privacy in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Should you have any inquiries or concerns about our policy or practices, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
As a user of our website and services, you entrust us with your personal information, a responsibility we take with the utmost seriousness. This privacy notice elucidates our privacy policy and delineates how we collect, utilize, and safeguard your information, while also elucidating your rights pertaining to it. We strongly advise you to read this notice meticulously. If you disagree with any of the terms within this policy, we recommend discontinuing the use of our website and services.
ABOUT US
At Adashofmerilyn.com, we’re dedicated to making your life more beautiful, one discovery at a time. We believe that every day can be an opportunity to learn, grow, and indulge in self-care, and we’re here to show you how.
What We’re All About:
Our website is your personal oasis, carefully curated by our founder, Merilyn. Whether you’re seeking a boost of inspiration, beauty tips, or a new self-care routine, you’ve come to the right place. We’re all about sharing our passion for discovering the best products, learning beauty secrets, and embracing self-love.
We are located in the South Africa.
Definition
Interpretation and Definitions: The following definitions are pertinent to this Privacy Policy:
- Account: This term pertains to the unique account established for users to access the Service.
- Business: In the context of the CCPA, this term refers to the legal entity responsible for collecting consumers’ personal information and determining the purposes and means of processing said information.
- A Dash Of Merilyn (referred to as “we,” “us,” or “our”): This is the legal entity that owns and operates Adashofmerilyn.com.
- Consumer: Under the CCPA, this signifies a natural person who is a resident of California.
- Cookies: These are small files placed on your computer, mobile device, or any other device by a website. They contain information about your browsing history on that website and serve various purposes.
- Country: Refers to the state of Texas, United States.
- Data Controller: This designation applies to us, the operators of this website, as the legal entity responsible for determining the purposes and methods of Personal Data processing
- Device: Encompasses any device capable of accessing the Service, such as a computer, cellphone, or digital tablet.
- Do Not Track (DNT): This concept, promoted by US regulatory authorities, aims to create a mechanism allowing internet users to manage the tracking of their online activities across websites.
- Personal Data: Refers to information that pertains to an identified or identifiable individual.
- Sale: In the context of the CCPA, this refers to actions like selling, renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, transferring, or otherwise communicating a consumer’s personal information to another business or a third party in exchange for monetary or other valuable consideration.
- Service: Denotes Adashofmerilyn.com.
- Service Provider: This term applies to any natural or legal entity processing data on behalf of us, the operators of this website
- Usage Data: Signifies data collected automatically, either generated by using the Service or stemming from the Service’s infrastructure itself.
- Website: Refers to Adashofmerilyn.com, which is accessible via www.adashofmerilyn.com.
- You: Pertains to the individual using or accessing the Service, or to the parent company or other legal entity on behalf of which such an individual is utilizing or accessing the Service, as applicable.
Please read this privacy policy carefully as it will help you make informed decisions about sharing your personal information with us.
- INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?
On our website, we collect personal information that you willingly provide when expressing interest in our products, participating in site activities, or getting in touch with us. The specific personal information we gather varies based on your interactions with us, the preferences you express, and the features or products you utilize. This may encompass:
- Name and Contact Data: Your first and last name, email address, postal address, phone number, and similar contact details.
- Credentials: Passwords, password hints, and other security information employed for accessing your account.
- Automatically Collected Information: While using our website, certain information may be automatically gathered, including your IP address, browser and device specifications, language preferences, and your interactions with our site. Additionally, we may utilize cookies and comparable technologies to collect information.
- Information from External Sources: We may acquire information about you from various origins, such as publicly available databases, social media platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), collaborative marketing partners, and other third-party sources.
If you opt to subscribe to our newsletter, we may share your first name, last name, and email address with our newsletter provider to keep you informed about the latest news and marketing offers. Our communication with customers includes various types of email content, such as transactional emails, shipping notifications, weekly deals, promotions, and events.
- WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?
We rely on various legal bases to process your personal information, including our legitimate business interests in achieving our business objectives, entering into or fulfilling contracts with you, obtaining your consent, and adhering to legal obligations. The specific legal basis for each purpose is provided alongside each purpose listed below.
We employ the information we collect or receive in the following ways:
- Administrative Information: Your personal information may be utilized to send you administrative information pertaining to your account, our business operations, and/or for legal purposes. This encompasses sending you information about products, new features, and modifications to our terms, conditions, and policies.
- Targeted Advertising: We may deliver targeted advertising to you for our business purposes and/or with your consent. Your information may be employed to develop and display content and advertising customized to your interests and/or location and to gauge its effectiveness. For further details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.
- Feedback Request: Your information may be employed to solicit feedback for our business purposes and/or with your consent. We may reach out to you regarding your use of our Site and request your feedback.
- Site Protection: Your information may be utilized to safeguard our Site for our business purposes and/or legal reasons. This encompasses using your information for fraud monitoring and prevention.
- User-to-User Communications: Your information may be used to facilitate user-to-user communications with the consent of each user.
- Enforcement of Terms and Policies: Your information may be used to enforce our terms, conditions, and policies for our business purposes and as legally required.
- Legal Requests and Prevention of Harm: Your information may be employed to respond to legal requests and prevent harm as legally mandated. In the event we receive a subpoena or other legal request, we may need to examine the data we possess to determine the appropriate response.
- Other Business Purposes: Your information may be employed for other business purposes, including data analysis, identification of usage trends, evaluation of the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns, and assessment and enhancement of our Site, products, services, and marketing efforts.
- INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?
The following are the situations in which we share or disclose your information:
- Legal Obligations: Your information may be disclosed if we are compelled by law, government requests, court orders, or legal proceedings to adhere to applicable regulations, or in response to a subpoena or court order.
- Protecting Legal Rights: Your information may be disclosed if we deem it necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action against suspected fraud, violations of policies, potential threats to individuals’ safety, illegal activities, or as evidence in litigation in which we are a party.
- Third-Party Service Providers: We may share your data with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or agents who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to perform those tasks.
- Business Transactions: Your information may be shared or transferred in connection with any merger, sale of assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our operations by another entity.
- Third-Party Advertising: We may utilize third-party advertising companies to display ads when you visit the Site. These companies may use information about your visits to our Site and other websites to provide advertisements about products and services that may be of interest to you.
- Affiliates: Your information may be shared with our affiliates, which include our parent company, subsidiaries, joint venture partners, or other companies under our control or with which we share common control.
- Business Partners: Your information may be shared with our business partners to offer you specific products, services, or promotions.
- Consent: We may disclose your personal information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.
- Other Users: When you share personal information, such as comments or contributions, on the Site or interact with public areas of the Site, such information may be viewed and publicly distributed outside the Site by other users.
- DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?
Our utilization of cookies and similar tracking technologies, including web beacons and pixels, enables us to collect and store information.
Our Service employs Cookies and analogous tracking technologies, such as beacons, tags, and scripts, to collect and retain specific information, analyze, and improve our Service. These technologies encompass:
This Cookies Policy explains how our website (“us,” “we,” or “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. By using our website, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy.
2. What are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit our website. They serve various purposes, including improving your browsing experience, remembering your preferences, and helping us analyze website traffic.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable you to navigate our site and use its features.
- Performance Cookies: These cookies help us understand how you interact with our website. They collect information about your visit, such as which pages you visit most frequently and if you encounter any error messages. These cookies do not collect any personally identifiable information.
- Functional Cookies: These cookies enable the website to remember choices you make (such as your username, language, or region) and provide enhanced, more personalized features.
- Third-party Cookies: These cookies are set by third-party services, such as social media platforms or advertisers, to deliver content and ads tailored to your interests. We do not have control over these cookies.
4. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for various purposes, including:
- Ensuring our website functions correctly.
- Analyzing website performance and improving its content.
- Providing personalized content and ads.
- Remembering your preferences and settings.
5. Managing Cookies
You can control and manage cookies in several ways:
- Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can usually find these settings in the “Options” or “Preferences” menu of your browser. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.
- Opt-out Tools: You can use opt-out tools provided by third-party advertisers to control their cookies.
- Do Not Track (DNT): Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” feature that informs websites you visit that you do not want to be tracked. Our website respects DNT signals.
- IS YOUR INFORMATION TRANSFERRED INTERNATIONALLY?
Our website’s server is located in the South Africa, and we may store and process the information we collect from you in various countries where we or our agents have facilities. By using our website and accessing our services, you consent to the international transfer of your information. It’s important to be aware that the data protection laws in these countries may differ from those in your own country and may not offer the same level of protection. However, when we transfer personal data from the European Economic Area, we ensure compliance with applicable regulations by utilizing lawful measures such as the Privacy Shield or EU standard contractual clauses. If you reside in the EEA or other regions with data protection regulations, please understand that you are authorizing the transfer of your personal information to countries, including the United States, where we operate. By providing your personal information, you agree to its transfer and processing as outlined in our Policy. Please note that we do not transfer your personal data to recipients outside of your home country.
- WHAT IS OUR STANCE ON THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?
The Site may display advertisements from third parties that are not affiliated with us and may include links to other websites, online services, or mobile applications. Please be aware that we cannot ensure the safety and privacy of any information you share with these third parties. Our privacy policy does not encompass data collected by these third parties. Consequently, we cannot assume responsibility for the privacy and security practices and policies of third parties, including any websites, services, or applications linked to or from the Site. We recommend reviewing the policies of these third parties and reaching out to them directly if you have any questions.
- GOOGLE ADSENSE
Our website, uses Google AdSense, which is a third-party advertising service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”). Google AdSense uses cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies to serve advertisements on our website. These cookies are used to collect information about your visit to our website and other websites you visit on the internet, including your IP address, browser type, the content you viewed, and other usage data.
The information gathered by these cookies allows Google and its advertising partners to display targeted advertisements to you based on your browsing history and interests. This practice is known as personalized advertising. Google AdSense may also collect demographic and interest information, which helps tailor the ads you see to your preferences.
To provide personalized advertising, Google AdSense may share your data with advertising partners. These partners may combine the information received from AdSense with other information they have collected independently. You can learn more about how Google collects and processes data by visiting Google’s Privacy Policy at Google Privacy Policy.
If you wish to opt out of personalized advertising provided by Google AdSense, you can do so by visiting the Google Ads Settings. When you opt out, Google will no longer use your data to personalize ads, but you may still see generic, non-personalized ads on our website and other websites.
Please note that opting out of personalized advertising does not mean you will no longer see any ads; it means that the ads you see may be less relevant to your interests. Additionally, this privacy policy does not cover the practices of Google or its advertising partners. We encourage you to review Google’s privacy policy and the privacy policies of other third-party advertising providers for more information on their data collection and usage practices.
By using our website, you consent to the data collection and processing practices described in this clause and the practices outlined in Google’s Privacy Policy. We recommend that you review this privacy policy regularly to stay informed about how we handle your data and any changes or updates to our practices.
- HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?
We are dedicated to retaining your personal information for the duration required to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy policy, unless legal obligations or permissions mandate a longer retention period (e.g., for legal, accounting, or tax purposes). Once there is no longer a valid basis for processing your personal information, we will either delete it or render it anonymous. If we are unable to do so immediately (e.g., due to data backups or archives), we will securely store your personal information and restrict further processing until it becomes possible to carry out deletion
- HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?
We have put in place suitable technical and organizational security measures to safeguard the personal information we handle. However, it’s essential to understand that complete internet security cannot be guaranteed. While we take extensive measures to protect your personal information, the transmission of data to and from our website carries inherent risks. Consequently, we advise accessing our services in a secure online environment.
- 10.DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?
Our Site is not intended to collect information from or market to individuals under the age of 16. By accessing and using our Site, you affirm that you are 16 years of age or older, or that you are the parent or legal guardian of a minor who is using the Site and have provided consent for their use. If we discover that we have unintentionally collected personal information from individuals under the age of 16, we will take reasonable measures to promptly remove the data from our records and deactivate the account. If you are aware of any personal data that we may have collected from children under the age of 16, please contact us at [email protected].
- 11.WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS UNDER GDPR?
Your personal data may be processed under the following circumstances:
- With your consent for one or more specific purposes.
- When the provision of personal data is necessary for the performance of an agreement with you or any pre-contractual obligations.
- When processing personal data is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
- When processing personal data is necessary to protect your vital interests or those of another natural person.
- When processing personal data is related to a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us.
- When processing personal data is necessary for our legitimate interests.
We will specify the particular legal basis that applies to the processing and whether providing personal data is a statutory or contractual requirement, or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract.
RIGHTS: The GDPR grants you certain rights regarding your Personal Data, which we are committed to upholding. These rights include the following:
- The right to access your Personal Data, update it, or request its deletion through your account settings. If you are unable to do this, you can contact us for assistance, and we will also provide you with a copy of your Personal Data.
- The right to request that we correct any incomplete or inaccurate Personal Data we hold about you.
- The right to object to our processing of your Personal Data if we are relying on a legitimate interest or using it for direct marketing.
- The right to request the erasure of your Personal Data if there is no valid reason for us to continue processing it.
- The right to receive your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and transfer it to a third party of your choice (this only applies to automated information that you provided consent for or that we used to perform a contract with you).
- The right to withdraw your consent for us to use your Personal Data, which may impact your access to certain functionalities of the Service.
- This Privacy Policy ensures that your Personal Data will be treated with confidentiality and that you can exercise your rights under the GDPR, including:
- Accessing, updating, or deleting your Personal Data directly within your account settings or contacting us for assistance.
- Correcting any incomplete or inaccurate Personal Data we hold about you.
- Objecting to our processing of your Personal Data for legitimate interests or direct marketing.
- Requesting the erasure of your Personal Data if there is no valid reason for us to continue processing it.
- Receiving your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and transferring it to a third party of your choice (applies to automated information you provided consent for or that we used to perform a contract with you).
- Withdrawing your consent for us to use your Personal Data, which may impact your ability to use certain Service functionalities.
EXERCISING YOUR RIGHTS
If you wish to exercise your rights concerning the protection of your personal data under the GDPR, such as the right of access, rectification, erasure, and objection, you can reach out to us. However, we may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request. We will make every effort to respond to your request as promptly as possible.
If you have concerns or complaints about how we collect and use your personal data, you have the right to file a complaint with the Data Protection Authority. If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you may contact your local data protection authority for further information.
- 12.COPPA – Children’s Online Privacy Policy
At adashofmerilyn.com, we are deeply committed to ensuring the safety and privacy of children who visit our site. Our Children’s Online Privacy Policy outlines the specifics of how we collect, share, and obtain parental consent for personal information provided by children under the age of 13 (“child” or “children”). Please note that the terminology used in this policy is defined in our general Privacy Policy.
Collection of Information, Usage, and Communication with Parents
Children can access and view the content on the site without the need to provide any personal information, except for the automatic collection of device “persistent identifiers,” which are explained in more detail below. Our site collects only a limited amount of personal information. In cases where the collected information does not enable contact with the child or the child’s device (including aggregate information), we may use and disclose it for any purpose as permitted by applicable law.
Personally Identifiable Information
In compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, we do not intentionally gather personally identifiable data from children under the age of 13 without obtaining verifiable parental consent. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected such personal data without parental consent, we will promptly remove it from our records.
Persistent Identifiers
When children interact with our site, certain technical information may be automatically collected to enhance the site’s functionality and for other internal purposes related to our business. This data may include the type of operating system, IP address or mobile device identifier, web browser, visit frequency, and information about the online or mobile service provider. The collection of this data is facilitated through techniques such as flash cookies, web beacons, and other unique identifiers, as elaborated in our general Privacy Policy within the “Cookies and Other Technologies” section. The data may be collected by us or a third party. The persistent identifier information collected is solely used by Adashofmerilyn.com for supporting our internal operations, including ensuring proper site function, conducting research and analysis, and diagnosing and addressing issues.
How Parents Can Raise Questions and Concerns
If a parent has any questions or concerns regarding their child’s use of the site, we encourage the parent to get in touch with us at [email protected].
- 13.CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, commonly known as the “Shine The Light” law, California residents who use our services have the right to request and receive, once a year and at no cost, information regarding the categories of personal information (if any) that we have disclosed to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the previous calendar year. Additionally, they can obtain the names and addresses of all third parties with whom we shared personal information during that same timeframe. If you are a California resident and wish to make such a request, please reach out to us in writing using the contact information provided below.
ACCESS AND DATA PORTABILITY RIGHTS
You have the right to request certain information from us about our collection and use of your Personal Information over the past 12 months. Once we receive and verify your request, we will provide you with the following details:
• Categories of Personal Information we collected about you.
• Sources from which we collected your Personal Information.
• Business purposes for collecting or selling your Personal Information.
• Categories of third parties with whom we shared your Personal Information.
• Specific pieces of Personal Information we collected about you, if applicable (referred to as a data portability request).
• If we sold or disclosed your Personal Information for a business purpose, we will provide two separate lists identifying the Personal Information categories that each category of recipient purchased or obtained.
DELETION REQUEST RIGHTS
Upon request, we will delete your Personal Information from our records, with certain exceptions. We will fulfill your deletion request once we confirm your verifiable consumer request, except if one of the following exemptions applies:
• To complete a transaction, provide a requested product or service, fulfill a contract, or perform actions reasonably expected within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you.
• To detect security incidents, protect against deceptive, malicious, fraudulent, or illegal activities, or prosecute those responsible for such activities.
• To identify and rectify errors that impair existing intended functionality.
• To exercise a right provided by law.
• To comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act or other legal obligations.
• To engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest, where deleting your Personal Information could make it impossible or seriously impair the research’s achievement, provided you previously gave informed consent.
• For solely internal purposes that align with your expectations based on your relationship with us.
• For other internal, lawful uses that are compatible with the context in which you provided the information.
EXERCISING ACCESS, DATA PORTABILITY, AND DELETION RIGHTS
To exercise your rights related to access, data portability, and deletion, please submit a verifiable consumer request through our website’s messaging system. You, or an authorized individual registered with the California Secretary of State, may submit a request concerning your Personal Information. If you have a minor child, you can also submit a verifiable consumer request on their behalf. Please note that you are allowed to make up to two requests for access or data portability within a 12-month period.
Your verifiable consumer request should contain enough information for us to verify that you are the person for whom we collected Personal Information or an authorized representative. It should also provide a clear description of your request for us to appropriately understand and address it. If we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request or confirm that the Personal Information pertains to you, we will be unable to respond to your request. Our written response will be sent to you by your preferred method, whether by mail or electronically.
Our responses will cover the 12 months leading up to the receipt of your verifiable consumer request. If we are unable to comply with a request, we will provide an explanation for our decision. For data portability requests, we will select a format that facilitates the easy transmission of the information from one entity to another, typically via electronic mail communication. We do not charge a fee to process or respond to verifiable consumer requests, except if such requests are excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. In cases where a fee is appropriate, we will provide you with an explanation and an estimate of the cost before proceeding.
OPT-OUT AND OPT-IN RIGHTS
If you are aged 16 or above, you have the option to instruct us not to sell your Personal Information at any time, as outlined in the “right to opt-out.” We do not sell the Personal Information of consumers under 16 years of age unless we receive affirmative consent (the “right to opt-in”) from consumers aged between 13 and 16 years old or from the parents or guardians of consumers under 13 years old. Consumers who have previously given consent for the sale of Personal Information may opt out of such sales at any moment.
To exercise your right to opt-out, you (or your authorized representative) can send us a request via email at [email protected]. Any Personal Information provided in an opt-out request will be used exclusively for assessing and complying with the request.
NON-DISCRIMINATION
We will not take any retaliatory actions against you for exercising your CCPA rights. However, please be aware that some features of our website, products, or services may not be available without your Personal Information. We will not, except as allowed by the CCPA:
• Deny you access to products or services.
• Alter rates, prices, or provide discounts, benefits, or penalties.
• Deliver different levels or qualities of products or services.
• Imply that you will receive varied rates, prices, or levels of products or services.
Nevertheless, we may offer financial incentives allowed by the CCPA, which could lead to distinct rates, prices, or quality levels. Any financial incentive program we offer will be reasonably related to the value of your Personal Information and will include written terms outlining the program’s key features. Participation in a financial incentive program requires your prior opt-in consent, which you can revoke at any time.
If you are a California resident, you can request information regarding our disclosure of your Personal Information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes under California’s “Shine the Light” law (Civil Code Section § 1798.83). To make this request, you can send us an electronic message through our website or write to us at our email address listed on our webpage.
- 14.DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS POLICY?
Our privacy policy undergoes periodic updates, and the revised version will be identified with a new “Revised” date, becoming effective immediately. In case of substantial changes to this policy, we may notify you through clear announcements of the modifications or direct notifications. We encourage you to routinely check this privacy policy to stay informed about how we safeguard your data
- 15.HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS POLICY?
If you have questions or comments about this policy, email us at [email protected]
Disclaimer
I, Merilyn Subermoney, do not hold academic degrees in any topic I write about. The content and information I share on my website are purely for entertainment purposes and to share my experiences. Please consult a professional if attempting anything on this website. The author and blog disclaim liability for any mishap, injury or damage that may occur from engaging in any activities, ideas and so forth from this site (A Dash of Merilyn).