Privacy Policy

Overview

Blackout Media ("we," "our," or "us") is a video content and marketing agency serving the firearms and tactical industry. We operate www.blackout.media (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It covers our website, our communications with you, and the internal tools we use that connect to Google services (see Google API Services and Google Data).

We do not sell your personal information.

Information We Collect

Information you give us.

• Contact form: your name, email address, your website or social handle (optional), and the message you write.
• Direct communication: anything you send us by email, text, or phone, such as project details and files you choose to share.

Information collected automatically when you visit the Site.

• Your IP address, browser type, device type, and approximate location (city or region level) derived from your IP address.
• Pages you view, the site or search that referred you, and how you interact with the Site.
• Standard server and hosting logs, which we keep for security and performance purposes.

Information that stays on your device.

• Site search: our search runs in your web browser using an index stored with the Site. We do not receive or store what you search for.
• Preparedness Readiness Scorecard: your answers are saved in your browser's local storage on your own device for up to 24 hours so you can pick up where you left off. They are not sent to us. You can clear them at any time from the scorecard or your browser settings.

We do not collect payment information through the Site, and we do not knowingly ask for sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, health information, or government ID numbers. Please do not send us any through the contact form.

How We Use Your Information

• Respond to your inquiry and discuss your project or business needs.
• Provide and manage services you hire us for, and communicate with you about them.
• Understand which pages and content are useful, so we can improve the Site and our work.
• Protect the Site and our team from spam, abuse, and fraud.
• Meet legal and accounting obligations.

We will not add you to a mailing list or contact you for unrelated purposes without your consent.

Cookies and Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to measure aggregated Site usage, such as which pages are viewed and how visitors found us. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to do this. You can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on or by adjusting your browser's cookie settings. Learn how Google handles this data in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.

Our homepage and some other pages include video from YouTube, and our pages load fonts from Google Fonts. Loading these may share your IP address and browser details with Google, and playing a YouTube video may set cookies in your browser. See the Google Privacy Policy.

We do not run advertising or remarketing cookies or pixels on the Site. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies; doing so may affect how parts of the Site work.

Third-Party Services We Use

We use trusted service providers to operate the Site. They process information only to provide their service to us.

• Web3Forms delivers contact form submissions to our inbox by email. Privacy policy.
• Vercel hosts the Site and may keep standard server logs, including IP addresses and browser information. Privacy policy.
• Google Analytics, YouTube, and Google Fonts, described above.
• Our own business tools, such as email and calendar software, which hold your contact details after you reach out to us.

Google API Services and Google Data

We use Google APIs in internal tools for keyword research and performance reporting about our own websites, content, and advertising accounts. Where such a tool connects through Google's OAuth sign-in, such as the Google Ads API for Keyword Planner research, this section explains what is involved.

• What we access. Only data belonging to our own Google accounts and properties, such as keyword ideas and search-volume estimates from Google Keyword Planner and performance reports for our own advertising account. An authorized Blackout Media account owner grants the access.
• Who signs in. Only an authorized account owner signs in. We do not ask visitors, customers, or the public to sign in with Google or to connect their Google accounts to the Site, and we do not collect Google user data from the public.
• How we use it. Only for internal keyword research, content and marketing planning, and reporting on our own properties. The data is not displayed on the Site and is not offered to anyone else.
• Limited Use. Blackout Media's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
• No sale, no advertising, no AI training. We do not sell Google user data, use it to serve ads, or use it to develop, improve, or train generalized artificial-intelligence or machine-learning models. We do not transfer it to others except as needed to operate the tool, to comply with applicable law, or with your explicit consent. People at Blackout Media read this data only to produce our own reports and plans, or as required for security or legal reasons.
• Storage and security. Any sign-in credential that lets a tool connect is stored in access-restricted files on our internal systems, never in our website code or in public repositories, and is available only to authorized staff. Data a tool retrieves is stored on those same internal systems.
• Retention, deletion, and revoking access. We keep data retrieved through Google APIs only as long as it is needed for the purposes above, and we delete it when it is no longer needed. You can revoke our access to a Google account at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions, and you can ask us to delete any stored data and credentials by writing to blackoutmedia.us@gmail.com. We will act on deletion requests promptly.

How We Share Information

We share personal information only in these situations:

• With the service providers listed above, to operate the Site and our business.
• If required by law, or to protect our rights, our clients, or the safety of others.
• As part of a merger, sale, or transfer of our business, in which case the information stays covered by this policy or an equally protective one.
• With your consent, for example when you ask us to share project materials with someone.

We never sell your personal information or share it with third parties for their own marketing.

Data Security

The Site is served over HTTPS, and we limit access to the information we hold to the people who need it to do their jobs. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your information has been compromised, please contact us right away.

Data Retention

Contact form submissions are retained in our email inbox for as long as needed to respond to your inquiry and manage our business records, then deleted or archived. Analytics data is kept according to our Google Analytics settings. You may request deletion of your information at any time by contacting us.

Your Choices and Rights

• Ask what personal information we hold about you and request a copy.
• Ask us to correct or delete it.
• Opt out of any future communication from us.
• Limit tracking with your browser settings or the Google Analytics opt-out add-on linked above.

To make a request, email blackoutmedia.us@gmail.com or call (801) 900-3251. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

Children's Privacy

Our Site and services are for adults and businesses and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Links to Other Sites and Where We Operate

Our Site links to other websites, including our clients' sites and our social media profiles. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, so please review their policies. We operate in the United States, and information you submit is processed and stored in the United States.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the new version on this page and change the "Last updated" date at the top. Please check back occasionally.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how your information is handled, you can reach us at:

• Email: blackoutmedia.us@gmail.com
• Phone: (801) 900-3251

See also our Terms & Conditions.