Privacy Policy

Cuenca Expat (“we,” “us,” “our”) is operated by Iterative Systems LLC and published at cuencaexpat.com. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the rights you have over your data — including under Ecuador’s Organic Law on Personal Data Protection (LOPDP), the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

1. Information We Collect

We collect a limited amount of personal information, in the following ways:

• Email address, if you voluntarily subscribe to our newsletter or submit a contact form.
• Submission content, if you send us a story tip, correction, or message through the submission form.
• Analytics data, collected automatically when you visit the site, including your IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, referring URL, and approximate geographic location derived from IP. We use Vercel Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights for this purpose. These tools are designed to minimize identifiable data collection and do not rely on tracking cookies.
• Cookies, only when strictly necessary for site functionality (for example, session state for the admin area). We do not use advertising cookies.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Send you our newsletter, if you subscribed.
• Respond to messages, story submissions, or correction requests.
• Understand which articles readers find useful and improve the site.
• Detect and prevent abuse, spam, or security threats.
• Comply with applicable law.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with advertisers. We do not use your data to train AI models.

3. Third-Party Services

We rely on the following third-party processors to operate the site:

• Vercel — hosting, analytics, and speed insights. Data is processed in the United States. See Vercel’s privacy policy.
• Kit (ConvertKit) — email newsletter delivery. If you subscribe, your email address is stored by Kit in the United States. See Kit’s privacy policy.
• Neon — managed Postgres database for admin features. See Neon’s privacy policy.

4. Data Retention

Newsletter subscriptions remain active until you unsubscribe, which you can do from any newsletter email. Contact form submissions are retained for up to 24 months unless a longer retention period is required by law. Analytics data is retained by Vercel according to their published retention policy (typically 30 days for the Hobby tier).

5. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights over your personal data:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: request we correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: request we delete your data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Portability: request a machine-readable copy of your data.
• Withdrawal of consent: unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time.
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Non-discrimination (CCPA): we will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at the address below. We will respond within 30 days.

6. International Transfers

Our hosting, analytics, and email providers are based in the United States. By using the site or subscribing to our newsletter, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States, which may offer different data protection standards than your home country.

7. Children

The site is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will delete it.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, including encrypted transit (HTTPS) and access controls on our admin systems. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Material changes will be communicated via the site or newsletter.

10. Contact

Questions, requests, or complaints about this policy or your personal data can be sent to info@cuencaexpat.com. If you are located in Ecuador and are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Superintendencia de Protección de Datos Personales. If you are in the EU, you may contact your national data protection authority.

See also: Terms of Service · Disclaimer