Privacy

Reading the book

No account or email address is required to read or download the book. Your reading position and offline copy may be stored locally in your browser or installed app so that you can continue where you stopped and read without an internet connection.

Reading statistics

The website records which chapters are opened, approximate active reading time, reading progress, and whether a chapter appears to have been completed. This is connected only to a random identifier stored by the browser.

This information is used privately to understand how the book is being read. It is not sold or used for advertising. Reading inside downloaded PDF or EPUB files cannot be recorded.

Anonymous visitor recognition

HowWeAreHere.org stores a randomly generated identification number in your browser. This allows the website to recognise the same browser when you return, remember the date and time of its first and latest known visits, and determine which News items have already been shown.

This identification number is not connected to your name, email address or an account. The information is used automatically to avoid repeatedly offering the same News and to let you know when something new has been added. It is not used to identify you or follow your activity on other websites.

Individual visitor histories are not displayed for routine inspection and are used only by the website’s automated News system. If you use another browser or device, browse privately, block browser storage or clear your website data, you may be recognised as a new visitor.

Website visitor statistics

The same random browser identifier is used to count daily visitors across the public website. A browser is counted once on each South African calendar day that it visits, regardless of how many pages it opens. Daily totals may be combined into weekly, monthly and yearly totals. Private administration pages are excluded and recognised search-engine crawlers are excluded where possible.

This information is used privately to understand whether the website is being visited. It is not used for advertising, sold, or used to follow activity on other websites.

If you choose to receive the newsletter, your email address is used to confirm your subscription and send occasional How We Are Here newsletters. You may also provide your name and country, but both are optional. These details are kept with your subscription so that the project can address you appropriately and understand where its readers are. They are not shared or sold. Every newsletter includes a link through which you can unsubscribe.

Messages

If you send a message through the About page, the name, email address and message you provide are used to receive and respond to that message. Sending a message does not subscribe you to the newsletter.

Paperback orders

If you order a paperback directly through this website, the contact and delivery details you provide are used to process the payment, prepare the order, arrange courier delivery and contact you about that order. Payment is completed securely through PayFast; card and banking details are not entered or stored on this website.

Order records are kept privately for fulfilment, accounting and legal record-keeping. When South African orders are instead fulfilled through Burble, you are sent to Burble’s own shop and their checkout and privacy terms apply.

If community accounts are introduced in future and you voluntarily create one, the privacy information will be updated before any anonymous history is connected with that account.

Your choices

You may ask for correction or deletion of information you have provided through the contact area. Clearing this website’s browser data removes its local anonymous identifier.