PublicPast is a Journal of Histora Publications, Kottayam, Kerala, India. We are committed to handling any personal information you share with us with discretion, transparency, and respect. This policy sets out clearly what information we collect, why we collect it, and how it is used. We do not sell, trade, or share your personal data with third parties for commercial purposes.
By using this website, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the site. We may update this policy from time to time; the date of the most recent revision appears at the top of this page.
Section 1
Who We Are
PublicPast (publicpast.org) is a journal of public history online history published by Histora Publications, Kottayam, Kerala, India, PIN 686571. For all privacy-related enquiries, you may write to us at contact@publicpast.org.
Section 2
Information We Collect
We collect personal information only when you actively provide it to us. We do not collect data by passive means beyond standard server logging. The categories of information we may collect are as follows:
| What We Collect | When and Why |
|---|---|
| Name and email address | When you use our contact form, in order to respond to your enquiry. |
| Name, email, biography, and article file | When you submit an article for consideration. This information is used solely for the editorial review process. |
| IP address, page visited, timestamp | Retained automatically by our hosting provider (MilesWeb) for security and server maintenance purposes. We do not access or analyse this data in the ordinary course of operations. |
We do not collect payment information, government identification, or any sensitive personal data as defined under applicable data protection law.
Section 3
How We Use Your Information
Information you provide through our contact form is used exclusively to respond to your enquiry. We do not add contact form submissions to any mailing list, nor do we retain them beyond the period reasonably necessary to address your message.
Information provided through our article submission form is used for the purpose of editorial review. If your submission is accepted for publication, your name and author biography will appear alongside the published article. Your email address will not be published. Submissions that are not accepted are retained for a reasonable period for our internal records and then deleted.
We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making, profiling, or marketing of any kind.
Section 4
Cookies and Tracking
PublicPast does not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or any third-party analytics service that collects personally identifiable information. We do not serve advertisements, and no advertiser has access to data about your use of this site.
Standard server logs maintained by our hosting provider may record technical information including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps. This information is used solely for server security and maintenance and is not shared with third parties except as required by law.
Section 5
Third-Party Links
PublicPast contains links to external websites, including our sister publication Histora (histora.in) and sources cited within articles. These sites operate under their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their content or data practices. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any external site you visit.
Section 6
Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. Contact form enquiries are retained for a reasonable period to allow us to follow up if necessary, after which they are deleted. Article submissions are retained until the editorial process is complete. Published author biographies remain on the site for as long as the associated article is published; if you wish to request removal or amendment, please contact us.
Section 7
Your Rights
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, to request that it be corrected if inaccurate, and to request that it be deleted where we have no legitimate reason to continue holding it. To exercise any of these rights, please write to us at contact@publicpast.org. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.
We do not operate across jurisdictions in a manner that triggers obligations under the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), but we apply the spirit of those frameworks as a matter of principle.
Section 8
Security
This website is served over HTTPS. Personal data submitted through our forms is transmitted securely. We take reasonable technical precautions to protect information against unauthorised access, but no method of transmission or storage over the internet is entirely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and accept no liability for breaches that occur despite reasonable precautions.
Section 9
Changes to This Policy
We may revise this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. The most recent version will always be available at publicpast.org/privacy, and the date of last revision is noted at the top of the page. Continued use of the site following a revision constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Section 10
Contact Us
For any questions regarding this privacy policy, or to exercise your rights in relation to your personal data, please contact us:
Histora Publications
Kottayam, Kerala, India · PIN 686571
contact@publicpast.org
admin@histora.in
publicpast.org