Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for San Mateo Daily Journal Effective Date: 17 December 2025

1. Entity Information This policy applies to SMDJ, LLC dba San Mateo Daily Journal ("the Company," "we," "us"). Our mailing address is 1720 S. Amphlett Blvd, Ste 123, San Mateo CA 94402.

2. Information We Collect and Retention We collect information directly from you when you register and automatically via cookies when you visit.

Account Data: We collect your name, username, and hashed password for digital access. We retain this until your account is deleted.

Communication: We collect email addresses for newsletters. We retain this until you unsubscribe.

Public Records: We collect information provided specifically for Legal/Public Notices (FBNs, Name Changes, Probates, etc.). These records are maintained permanently for historical and statutory purposes.

Technical Data: We collect IP addresses and browsing behavior via cookies to enhance site performance. This data is generally retained for 12 to 24 months.

Payment Info: Payments are processed via secure third-party providers. We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.

3. Data Sharing and Service Providers We do not sell your personal information. We share data with trusted Service Providers, such as Blox Digital for our CMS and Google AdSense for advertising, solely to provide our services. These providers are contractually prohibited from using your data for any other purpose.

4. Public Record Exception (Newspaper Exception) Personal information submitted for publication in Legal Notices is intended for the permanent public record. To maintain the integrity and statutory requirements of the public record, these specific records are generally exempt from standard deletion requests.

5. Notice of Financial Incentive (California Residents) We provide digital access to premium content and newsletters to readers who create a user account. The value of the name and email address provided is reasonably related to the cost of producing our local journalism and the advertising revenue generated from an engaged audience. You may opt-out at any time by deleting your account or unsubscribing.

6. Your Privacy Choices (Do Not Sell or Share)

We use cookies to serve relevant advertisements. Under the CPRA, this is defined as "sharing" personal information.

• Opt-Out: You may also click the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in our website footer to manage your preferences at any time.

• GPC: We recognize Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals sent from your browser.

7. Your Rights (California and GDPR) Whether you are in San Mateo or the EU, you have the right to access, correct, or delete your data (subject to the Public Record Exception in Section 4). To exercise these rights, contact us at: Email: privacy@smdailyjournal.com Phone: (650) 344-5200

8. Security We use commercially reasonable physical and technical measures to protect your data. Access is limited to authorized employees, and data is encrypted during transmission.