Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 28, 2026
Last Updated: June 15, 2026

The Hairy Times (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is operated as a DBA by Andrew Hahn, based in Colorado, USA. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit thehairytimes.com (the “Site”).

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using this Site, you agree to the practices described below. If you have any questions or concerns, contact us at privacy@thehairytimes.com.

1. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide Directly

Contact Form: When you submit our contact form, we collect your full name, email address, reason for contact, and any message you provide.
Comments: If you leave a comment on an article, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your comment. Your IP address and browser user agent string are also logged to assist with spam detection.
Membership & Subscriptions: If you create an account or subscribe to a paid membership, we collect your name, email address, and payment information. Payment processing is handled by Stripe — we do not store your full credit card details on our servers.
Newsletter Signup: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and, where provided, your name. This data is processed by Kit (formerly ConvertKit) for email delivery.

b. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically, including your IP address and general geographic location, browser type and version, operating system, pages you visit and time spent on those pages, referring URL, and data collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to operate and improve the Site and its content; respond to your questions, comments, or contact form submissions; process and manage membership subscriptions and payments; send newsletters and editorial updates (only if you have opted in); detect and prevent spam, fraud, or abuse; analyze site traffic and reader behavior to improve our content and user experience; and comply with applicable legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on the Site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us remember your preferences and understand how you use our Site.

Essential Cookies: Required for the Site to function properly (e.g., login sessions, form security tokens).
Analytics Cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with the Site via Google Analytics through Google Site Kit.
Advertising Cookies: Used to serve relevant ads and track ad performance via Google AdSense and our ad management tools.
Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and choices on the Site.

When you first visit the Site, you will be presented with a cookie consent notice managed by CookieYes. You may accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences at any time. To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, you can use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

4. Third-Party Services

We work with trusted third-party services that may collect or process your data on our behalf. Each operates under its own privacy policy:

Google Analytics / Site Kit — Website traffic analytics. Google Privacy Policy
Google AdSense — Ad serving and revenue. Google Privacy Policy
Amazon Associates — Affiliate advertising program. When you click affiliate links and make purchases, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Amazon Privacy Policy
Google reCAPTCHA — Spam protection on our contact form. Google Privacy Policy
Stripe — Payment processing for memberships. We do not store payment card data on our servers. Stripe Privacy Policy
PayPal — Alternative payment processing for memberships. PayPal Privacy Policy
Paid Member Subscriptions — Membership management. User account data is stored on our secure servers.
CookieYes — Cookie consent management. CookieYes Privacy Policy
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Email newsletter delivery and list management. When you subscribe to our newsletter, your email address and name are transferred to and stored by Kit. Kit Privacy Policy
ActiveLayer — Invisible spam and bot protection for forms and comments. Analyzes anonymous behavioral signals (mouse movements, typing patterns) to distinguish humans from bots. No personal data is stored. ActiveLayer Privacy Policy

Affiliate Links & Sponsored Content

The Hairy Times may feature affiliate links and sponsored content. When you click an affiliate link, the merchant may receive information that you arrived from our Site, and we may earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Sponsored content will be clearly labeled as such. Affiliate relationships and sponsorships do not affect our editorial independence.

5. Advertising & Affiliate Programs

The Hairy Times uses third-party advertising and affiliate programs to help support independent journalism. We are transparent about how these work.

Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to show personalized ads based on your browsing activity. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google’s Ad Settings, or by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page. For more information, see How Google uses data when you visit our site.

Amazon Associates

The Hairy Times is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. When you click Amazon affiliate links and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Amazon’s use of data is governed by their Privacy Notice. See our Affiliate Disclosure page for full details.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. Contact form submissions are retained for up to 2 years. Comment data is retained indefinitely unless you request removal. Member account data is retained for the duration of your membership and a reasonable period thereafter. Newsletter subscriptions are retained until you unsubscribe. Analytics data is retained per the terms of the applicable third-party service.

7. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These include:

Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal obligations.
Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format (where applicable).
Objection / Restriction: Object to or request restriction of certain processing activities.
Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time via the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.
Cookie Preferences: Manage your cookie consent settings at any time via the cookie banner on our Site.

EU/EEA Residents — GDPR

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal data, and the right to data portability. Our legal basis for processing your data is your consent (e.g., cookie acceptance, newsletter opt-in), performance of a contract (e.g., membership processing), or our legitimate interests (e.g., security and spam prevention). To exercise your GDPR rights, contact us at privacy@thehairytimes.com.

California Residents — CCPA/CPRA

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, the right to delete your personal information, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information (we do not sell your data), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. To submit a verifiable consumer request, contact us at privacy@thehairytimes.com.

Colorado Residents — CPA

Colorado residents may also have additional rights under the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), including the right to opt out of certain data processing activities. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@thehairytimes.com.

8. Children’s Privacy

The Hairy Times 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 we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at privacy@thehairytimes.com and we will take prompt steps to delete it.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. These include encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure hosting, and routine security practices. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. External Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including news sources, affiliate partners, and sponsors. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any site you visit.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we do, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please reach out:

The Hairy Times (DBA — Andrew Hahn)
Colorado, USA
Email: privacy@thehairytimes.com

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.