1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy describes how AskMarcio (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website. We are located in Renton, Washington, United States, and we are committed to complying with applicable privacy laws at the local, state, federal, and international levels.
This policy is designed to comply with:
- Washington State laws, including the My Health My Data Act (MHMDA), the Washington Biometric Identifiers Act, and the Washington Data Breach Notification Law (RCW 19.255.010)
- United States federal laws, including the FTC Act (Section 5), COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), and the CAN-SPAM Act
- The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for visitors from the EU/EEA
- The UK GDPR for visitors from the United Kingdom
- The Canadian PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) for visitors from Canada
2. Information We Collect
We collect only the minimum information necessary to operate this website effectively.
| Category | What We Collect | How It Is Collected |
|---|---|---|
| Usage Data | IP address, browser type and version, pages visited, time and date of visits, referring URLs | Automatically, via server logs and analytics tools |
| Comment Data | Name, email address, website URL, comment content | Voluntarily provided when you post a comment |
| Cookie Data | Session identifiers, preference settings, login tokens (for registered users) | Automatically placed in your browser upon visiting |
| Contact/Form Data | Name, email address, and message content | Voluntarily submitted through any contact or inquiry form |
| Account Data | Username, hashed password, email address, profile information | Voluntarily provided upon account registration (if applicable) |
We do not collect sensitive personal data such as financial account numbers, Social Security numbers, health information, biometric data, racial or ethnic origin, or political opinions.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information collected for the following purposes:
- To operate, maintain, and improve our website
- To display your comments and responses to other visitors
- To respond to inquiries or messages you send us
- To detect and prevent spam, fraud, or abuse
- To analyze traffic and understand how visitors use the site (aggregated and anonymized where possible)
- To comply with legal obligations
- To send occasional updates or newsletters only if you have expressly opted in
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We do not use your data for targeted advertising or behavioral profiling.
4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR / UK GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:
- Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR): Maintaining website security, preventing fraud, and improving our service
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR): When you leave a comment, submit a form, or opt into email communications
- Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR): When required by applicable law
You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us (see Section 11).
5. Cookies
We use cookies to improve your experience. The types of cookies we use are:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly Necessary | Required for login sessions and site functionality | Session / up to 2 days (login) or 1 year (preferences) |
| Functional | Remembers your comment form details for convenience | 1 year |
| Analytics | Aggregated, anonymized data to understand site usage | Varies by provider |
You may accept, reject, or customize cookies via our Cookie Consent banner when you first visit the site. You can also adjust cookie settings in your browser at any time. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.
6. Third-Party Services
Our website may use the following third-party services, each of which has its own privacy policy:
- Gravatar (Automattic): If you leave a comment, an anonymized hash of your email address may be sent to Gravatar to retrieve your profile picture. See Automattic’s Privacy Policy.
- WPForms / WPCode / Gutenverse: WordPress plugins that may process form submissions or page-building data. These operate under their respective privacy policies.
- Embedded Content: Articles may include embedded content (e.g., YouTube videos, social media posts). These third-party platforms may collect data about you, use cookies, and track your interactions with embedded content as if you had visited their website directly.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services and encourage you to review their policies independently.
7. Data Retention
- Comments: Retained indefinitely to enable ongoing discussion threads and prevent spam. You may request deletion (see Section 10).
- Form submissions: Retained for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry, then deleted within 12 months unless otherwise required by law.
- Usage/log data: Retained for up to 12 months, then aggregated or deleted.
- Account data: Retained while your account is active. Upon account deletion, personal data is removed within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
8. Data Security
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include SSL/TLS encryption of data in transit, access controls, and regular software updates.
In the event of a data breach affecting Washington residents, we will notify affected individuals within 30 days as required by the Washington Data Breach Notification Law (RCW 19.255.010). We will also notify the Washington State Attorney General as required if the breach affects 500 or more Washington residents.
9. Children’s Privacy (COPPA)
This website is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us immediately at hello@askmarcio.com and we will promptly delete such information.
We comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) as amended by the FTC’s 2025 Rule update. Biometric identifiers, where applicable, are treated as personal information under the updated rule.
10. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
| Right | Who It Applies To |
|---|---|
| Right to Access — know what data we hold about you | All visitors / EU / UK / Canada |
| Right to Correction — fix inaccurate data | All visitors / EU / UK / Canada |
| Right to Deletion — request erasure of your data | All visitors / EU / UK / Canada |
| Right to Data Portability — receive your data in a usable format | EU / UK |
| Right to Restrict or Object to Processing | EU / UK |
| Right to Withdraw Consent at any time | All visitors |
| Right not to be Discriminated Against for exercising privacy rights | All visitors |
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@askmarcio.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.
11. Washington State – My Health My Data Act (MHMDA)
AskMarcio does not collect consumer health data as defined under Washington’s My Health My Data Act (Chapter 19.373 RCW). If this ever changes, we will update this policy and provide a separate consumer health data privacy notice linked from our homepage as required by the MHMDA.
We also do not use geofencing technology in connection with any healthcare-related facility.
12. International Visitors and Data Transfers
This website is operated from Renton, Washington, USA. If you access our site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.
For visitors in the EU or UK, we transfer data only with appropriate safeguards in place as required by GDPR Chapter V, including Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.
13. Email Communications (CAN-SPAM / CASL)
If you have subscribed to receive email updates from AskMarcio, each message we send will include:
- Our physical mailing address (Renton, WA, USA)
- A clear identification that the message is from AskMarcio
- An easy, working unsubscribe link
We will honor all unsubscribe requests within 10 business days as required by the CAN-SPAM Act. If you are a Canadian resident, we comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and will only send commercial email with your prior express or implied consent.
14. Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any website you visit.
15. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
16. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
AskMarcio
Attention: Privacy
Renton, WA 98055, United States
Email: hello@askmarcio.com
Website: https://askmarcio.com
EU/EEA residents who are not satisfied with our response have the right to lodge a complaint with their local supervisory authority. UK residents may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.