Privacy Policy

Last updated: 16 June 2025

Welcome to the Republic of Heat. This document explains what we collect, how we use it, and your rights. We keep things spicy, not shady.

Who We Are

Our website address is: https://republicofheat.com.
That’s our virtual flag. No embassies. No headquarters. Just sauce.

Comments

When you leave a comment, we collect what you type, plus your IP address and browser user agent string — mainly to keep the spam bots at bay.

If you use Gravatar, an anonymized hash of your email may be sent to them. Their privacy policy lives here: https://automattic.com/privacy. Once approved, your comment (and Gravatar picture) will be visible to the public.

Media

If you upload images, please don’t include location metadata (EXIF GPS) — others could download them and see where you’ve been. That’s cool for travel blogs, not so much here.

Cookies

If you leave a comment, you can choose to save your name, email, and website in cookies for next time. These last one year.

Visiting a login page? We may set a temporary cookie to check your browser’s cookie compatibility. It vanishes when you close the tab.

Logging in? We’ll set a few cookies to remember your login and display settings. “Remember Me” keeps you logged in for two weeks. Log out, and they’re gone.

If you edit or publish content, we set another cookie (non-personal) to track the post ID. Expires in 24 hours.

Embedded Content from Other Websites

Some posts may include YouTube videos, images, or other embedded content. These behave as if you visited the source website directly. Those sites may collect data, use cookies, or track you — especially if you’re logged in over there.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics, implemented via Google Tag Manager, to understand how people use the site.
This data helps us improve the experience and understand which pages spark joy — or confusion.
We may expand our analytics and tracking tools in the future, in line with privacy regulations.

Who We Share Your Data With

We don’t, unless:

You request a password reset (your IP will be included in the email).
Comment data is processed through a spam detection service.

How Long We Retain Your Data

Comments and their metadata are kept indefinitely, so we can auto-approve your follow-ups.

If you create an account (not available yet, but maybe one day), your info stays in the system until you delete it. You can edit or delete your data anytime — administrators can too (except your username).

What Rights You Have

You can request an exported file of your personal data. You can also ask us to erase it. We’ll comply, unless we’re legally required to keep it (spam checks, logs, etc.).

Where Your Data Goes

Comment data may be filtered through automated systems to detect spam and ensure everyone plays nice. Otherwise, your data stays within our infrastructure.