Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters. This website — Life-By-Default.com — is a personal writing and photography space created by T.A. Hoyt. This policy explains what information is collected, how it is used, and how your data is protected.

By using this website, you agree to the practices described below.

Who We Are

Our website address is: https://life-by-default.com

This is a personal blog and creative portfolio operated by T.A. Hoyt.

Information We Collect

1. Information You Provide Voluntarily

If you use the Contact page, you may provide:

  • Your name

  • Your email address

  • The message you submit

This information is used only to respond to your inquiry.
Your information is not sold, shared, or used for marketing.

2. Automatically Collected Data

Like most websites, basic technical information is collected automatically, such as:

  • IP address

  • Browser type

  • Pages visited

  • Date and time of access

This is used strictly for site analytics, performance, and security.

Comments

This website does not allow public commenting.
Therefore, no comment data, profile pictures, or Gravatar information is collected.

Media

If you email images for collaboration or contact, please avoid sending images that contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS).
Visitors to the website may be able to download and extract location data from images displayed publicly on the site.

Cookies

This website may use basic cookies for:

  • Site functionality

  • Security

  • Anonymous analytics through Jetpack

No advertising cookies or tracking cookies are used.
You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time.

Embedded Content

Articles or pages on this website may include embedded content (such as videos or links).
Embedded content behaves the same way as if you visited the original website.

These external sites may collect their own data.
This Privacy Policy applies only to Life-By-Default.com.

Jetpack & Analytics

This site uses Jetpack for:

  • Security

  • Performance optimization

  • Anonymous analytics

Jetpack may collect non-personal, aggregated data such as:

  • Page views

  • Device type

  • Referring URLs

Jetpack does not collect identifiable personal information unless you explicitly provide it.

Automattic’s full privacy policy can be found here:
https://automattic.com/privacy/

Who We Share Your Data With

Your data is not shared, sold, or transferred to third parties.

Limited technical data may be shared only with:

  • Jetpack/Automattic (anonymous analytics + security)

  • WordPress.com hosting (site functionality only)

This is standard for WordPress websites.

How Long We Retain Your Data

  • Contact form messages are retained only as long as needed to respond, then deleted.

  • Analytics data is anonymous and stored per Jetpack’s policies.

  • Technical logs are retained temporarily for security monitoring.

Your Rights

You may request:

  • A copy of any personal data you’ve provided

  • Correction or deletion of your information

  • Information about how your data is used

For privacy-related requests, you can contact me at:

📩 bhakti@life-by-default.com

Where Your Data Is Sent

Messages submitted through the Contact page may be processed through automated spam detection or security services.
No data is sent internationally except as required by WordPress hosting and Jetpack’s analytics tools.

Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated to reflect site changes or legal requirements.
The updated version will always be posted on this page.