Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Li Richards ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you visit lirichards.com ("the Site"). We are committed to respecting your privacy. By using the Site or submitting information through it, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. A note on jurisdiction

This Site is operated from Papua New Guinea. As of this policy's last update, Papua New Guinea does not yet have a comprehensive data protection statute in force — the Department of Information and Communications Technology has finalized a National Data Governance and Data Protection Policy, intended as the basis for future legislation, but it has not yet been enacted as law. In the meantime, the handling of personal information collected through this Site is also informed by the Cybercrime Code Act 2016, which criminalizes the unlawful disclosure of private and confidential data. Because this Site can be accessed by visitors anywhere in the world, we have also chosen to honor data-subject rights modeled on stricter international frameworks — including the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) — as a matter of good practice, even though PNG law does not yet require it of us.

2. Information we collect

A. Information you voluntarily provide.

Email address: When you sign up for our newsletter, updates, or blog notifications, we collect the email address you provide.

Comments & inquiries: If you post comments on essays or books, or reach out to us by email, we collect the text, name/handle, and contact details you choose to provide.

B. Automatically collected information. When you access or interact with the Site, we and our third-party service providers may automatically collect standard technical usage data, including:

Log & device data: your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, pages viewed, and access timestamps.

Cookies & tracking technologies: we use cookies and similar tools to maintain functional preferences (such as remembering your light/dark mode choice) and to gather aggregate, anonymous usage metrics.

3. How we use your information

Newsletter & communications: to deliver blog updates, newsletters, and book announcements you explicitly requested.

Site operation & improvement: to monitor, analyze, and optimize site traffic, performance, and user experience.

Security & compliance: to help prevent fraud, malicious activity, and unauthorized access, and to comply with applicable law, including the Cybercrime Code Act 2016.

4. Cookies and advertising technologies

Essential cookies: required for basic site operations (e.g., security, navigation, preference saving).

Analytics cookies: we may use services such as Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the Site. This data is processed in aggregate, anonymous form.

Advertising & third-party cookies (future use): if we enable ad networks such as Google AdSense in the future, third-party vendors may use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this or other websites.

Your cookie choices: you can adjust your browser settings at any time to decline cookies, block third-party cookies, or clear existing cookies. Disabling cookies may affect some site functionality.

5. How we share your information

We do not sell, rent, trade, or monetize your personal information or email address to third parties for their own independent marketing purposes. We may share data with trusted third-party service providers who help operate this Site, including:

Email service providers (e.g., Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Substack) to send newsletters and blog updates.

Hosting & infrastructure providers to keep the website running securely.

Analytics providers to measure traffic and aggregate trends.

Legal disclosures: we may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or legal process, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of Li Richards, our users, or the public.

6. Third-party links & external retailers

The Site links to external, third-party websites, including online book retailers such as Amazon and Lulu. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

7. Your data rights and choices

Depending on where you are located (for example, the EU/UK under GDPR, or California under CCPA/CPRA), you may have certain rights over your personal data. As noted above, we extend these same rights to all visitors as a matter of practice, regardless of location, since PNG's own data protection law is still being finalized:

Opt-out / unsubscribe: you can unsubscribe from our email list at any time using the link at the bottom of every email we send.

Access & rectification: you may request details of what personal data we hold about you, or ask us to correct inaccurate information.

Erasure ("right to be forgotten"): you may request that we delete your email address or personal data from our records at any time.

Do Not Track: you can set your browser to send a "Do Not Track" signal; web standards for handling this are not uniform, and we may not alter operations in response to DNT signals alone.

To exercise any of these rights, email us directly at 3topdream@gmail.com.

8. Data security and retention

Security: we take reasonable technical and administrative precautions to safeguard your personal data from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse, consistent with the protections against unlawful disclosure of private data set out in PNG's Cybercrime Code Act 2016. However, no internet transmission or electronic storage system is 100% secure.

Retention: we retain your email address for as long as you remain subscribed to the newsletter. If you request deletion or unsubscribe, your details will be permanently removed from our active mailing list.

9. Children's privacy

This Site is intended for general adult audiences and is not directed to children under 13 (or 16 in certain jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately and we will take prompt steps to delete it.

10. International data transfers

This Site is accessible internationally. If you access it from outside the location where our hosting or service providers are based, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in data centers located in other countries. By using the Site, you consent to these international transfers.

11. Changes to this policy

We may revise or update this Privacy Policy at any time. Updates will be posted to this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted signifies your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact

Questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy can be sent to 3topdream@gmail.com, or via lirichards.com.