This page outlines StillnessSpeaks privacy policy regarding any information we collect, the copyright policy and terms of use regarding use of this site’s content, how we use external content on this site, and other (curation, endorsement) policy re our content (teachers, traditions and their related information/material).
Privacy
We are committed to protecting the privacy of all users. Any information, we collect, will not be disclosed, or sold, to any other party – ever.
COLLECTING YOUR INFORMATION: When, What, Storage, & Usage
We collect your information under the following scenarios:
- When you subscribe to our Newsletter by signing up via Mailchimp
- When you make a donation via PayPal or Stripe
- When you contact us via our Contact Us form
- For certain downloads that require sending you an email
- Cookies & Analytics
Each scenario details, what we collect, how we store it, how we use it, and how you can change it.
Subscribing to (or Signing up for) our Newsletter or Podcast
We ask for your email address and name when you sign up for StillnessSpeaks’ regular email newsletter.
This information is securely stored in Mailchimp’s secure server and Mailchimp ensures that such information is kept private and confidential.
This email address & name will only be used to send you the regular newsletter (at most one per week), plus any confirmation emails (sent upon newsletter or podcast subscribing), plus any welcome series emails (limited to 6 emails) sent one per week from the initial signup date.
Also, we may send you occasional notifications about important news related with our website (or some events).
Changes: You can always unsubscribe or change your email preferences, at any time, by clicking on the pertinent links provided at the bottom of our emails.
Your email address or name is never disclosed to any other party – ever.
Making Donations via PayPal & Stripe
PayPal: When you make a donation to StillnessSpeaks via PayPal, your email address and name will be saved on PayPal’s secure server. PayPal ensures that such information is always kept private and confidential.
Stripe: When you make a donation to StillnessSpeaks via Stripe, your email address and name will be saved on Stripe’s secure server. Credit card information is not saved (except recurring donations – see below) and used only for completing the transaction. Stripe ensures that such information is always kept private and confidential.
For recurring donations the saved information is used only for subsequent automatic donations that are transacted only as per the recurring frequency (monthly or annual).
We use this email address to communicate with you regarding any questions or concerns about the donation transaction only.
Changes: Please contact us to make any changes regarding the recurring donations. An automated system for making such changes will be coming in the future – and all recurring donors will be notified accordingly.
We use this information to communicate with you only regarding the matter specified in the contact us form.
Your email address and name is never disclosed to any other party – ever.
Direct Communication With Us
When you communicate with us directly by using our Contact Us form, we ask for your name and email.
This information is stored on our website host servers that are secure. This information will always remain strictly private or confidential.
We use this information to communicate with you only regarding the matter specified in the contact us form.
Changes: To delete this information after the matter is addressed, you can contact us with such a request.
Your email (or postal) address is never disclosed to any other party – ever.
Certain Downloads that Require Sending You an Email
For certain downloads or exclusive private videos we may need to send you links. In such cases we collect your email and name.
This information is stored on our website host servers that are secure. This information will always remain strictly private or confidential.
We use this information to only remail you the link.
Changes: To delete this information after the link is received, you can reply with such a request.
Cookies & Analytics
We use cookies just to improve your experience on the website, e.g., to ensure we don’t show the same popup every time you visit.
Changes: Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies. Please note that if you decline or delete these cookies, some parts of the Website may not work properly.
Also, we collect general statistical information related with your visit using Google Analytics.
Copyright & Terms of Use
Unless otherwise noted, textual content on StillnessSpeaks is licensed under Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0), which means that you are free to use any content from this website (unless otherwise stated) however we kindly ask that you give proper attribution (accreditation) and backlinks to us, as follows: StillnessSpeaks [CC BY-SA 4.0]
Our images are a mix of creative commons and restricted. So, images carry forward the source image license unless noted otherwise.
Memes (images with text): a) For creative commons images with copyright free text, the meme carries forward the corresponding creative commons license. b) For public domain images with copyright free text, the meme is all rights reserved. c) Restricted images remain restricted. d) Copyrighted text (for which we have permission) will only be on our own images or public domain images and these memes are all rights reserved.
Any special licensing for memes is explicitly noted.
External Content
When using content from external sources (i.e., not created by StillnessSpeaks), we always endeavor to uphold and follow the legal requirements and to honor the creators’ copyright. Full attribution is given wherever possible.
Home Page Image (edited): Sunny morning on the rocky Islands of lake Ladoga by Maksim_Evdokimov, Standard License – Purchased from Deposit Photos.
Please do let us know if you find any non conformance and we will do our best to ensure verification, correction, and compliance.
a. Images
All images used on StillnessSpeaks are taken from allowed sources, i.e., public domain content, or copyright free material, or media that is under the pertinent Creative Commons license, or material that was purchased under appropriate usage license (e.g., shutterstock), or images offered by photographers. Most such external images are edited, i.e., in dimension and Stillness Speaks logo is added.
Full attribution is given wherever possible.
b. Video or Film Snapshots
We rely on the Fair Use conditions whenever it is not possible to contact the copyright holder. Any snapshots are credited to the source wherever possible. All usage is per the original licensing where applicable/appropriate.
c. Text excerpts and quotations
We use material that is from public domain or copyright free or is under the Creative Commons License. For copyrighted content, we either obtain appropriate permissions or use it as per the Fair Use conditions.
Full attribution is given wherever possible.
d. Audio/Video Content
We use content from legitimate, or bona fide, 3rd-party providers who have already given permission to share/use or offer it under a usable license (e.g., YouTube Standard License).
Disclaimer about Inadvertent Use
StillnessSpeaks was started in 2007 with various volunteers contributing content at different stages. Proper use of external content (as defined in a. through d. above, in this section) may or may not have been adhered to – we have done our best to review and change as appropriate so as to ensure proper use, however, if you see some external content that is not properly attributed then please contact us immediately and include the specific details, i.e., which “item (any of a. to d. above) and if possible information about the license holder) and we’ll investigate then act accordingly.
Other (Curation & Endorsement)
As a content aggregator, Stillness Speaks offers content from/about teachers and traditions plus any related information and/or material, e.g., blog or video posts, articles, books DVDs etc.
Offering of such content does not implicitly or explicitly mean any endorsement – we offer multiple perspectives and diverse messages and messengers and let the readers/site-visitors be the “assessor” – we are not a gatekeeper or a watchdog or policing-entity.
Our content is curated as “best” as possible – within practical and reasonable limits. And we reserve the right to remove any content (subsequent to publishing) that is found to have issues – due to whatever reasons.