This website is owned and operated by The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that publishes The Maine Monitor. It is important to us that visitors to our site understand what information we gather about them, how we use it and how we work to protect it. By using our website, signing up our newsletters or making a donation, you consent to information practices outlined in our Privacy Policy.
The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting (MCPIR) makes every effort to maintain the integrity and security of personal information in our custody. We strive to protect your personal information, and maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect the confidentiality and security of personally identifiable information and other information provided to us.
For questions about this policy, send an email to contact@themainemonitor.org and someone will be in touch as soon as possible. You can also write a letter to us and mail it to P.O. Box 284, Hallowell, ME 04347.
Information collection & cookies
We track how our visitors use this site so that we can see what people like and don’t like. This information is aggregated and not tied to specific individuals. We analyze and aggregate information about use patterns and share the aggregated data with relevant parties (for example, we keep track of how many users click on particular stories and may provide overall “click rate” information to funders).
We may also collect personal information about you via registration for newsletters, donations, and membership. Where you have an opportunity to supply information about yourself you may choose not to provide requested information.
We will not release your name, email address or any other personal information to anyone outside MCPIR without your consent, unless we are under a legal order to do so, or there is an emergency involving danger to a person or property. Only authorized MCPIR employees or consultants are allowed access to personal information about you. Any employee or consultant who violates our privacy and security policies is subject to disciplinary action.
We occasionally have service contractors, third party agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and joint ventures that perform functions on our behalf, including but not limited to credit card processing and website hosting. They have access to information needed to perform their functions, and are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of the data. They are restricted from using or altering this data in any way other than to provide the requested services to MCPIR.
We do not rent, sell, or share personally identifiable information about you with non-affiliated companies or personnel.
Use and Disclosure of Anonymous Information
MCPIR may use cookies to identify you as a repeat visitor or customer of the website, to maintain session information for logged in users, and to track usage trends and patterns in order to better understand and improve areas of our website. You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits. A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a website’s servers and stored in your browser.
Anonymous information is any information other than personally identifiable information, including aggregate information derived from personally identifiable information.
MCPIR may use this information:
To improve themainemonitor.org website and service, to monitor traffic and general usage patterns, and for other general business purposes.
To inform MCPIR as to what content is appealing to readers, to inform sponsors of the usage habits or characteristics of the audience, and to advise potential donors so that they may better understand The Maine Monitor’s user base.
Third-party links
You are likely to come across hyperlinks within our stories or newsletters to websites or content operated and maintained by third parties, over which we have no control. These links only appear on our site or in our newsletters when our staff deems necessary or helpful, such as to provide you additional knowledge on a reporting topic.
MCPIR does not make any warranties or representations any linked sites are free of viruses and other problems that can harm your device. You access such third-party websites or content at your own risk. You should always read the privacy policy of a third-party website before disclosing any information to the website.
This policy is in effect as of May 9, 2024.