Privacy policy

Short version

Reading the site needs no account. We show no ads and run no advertising scripts. We use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are read; in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland it sets no cookies. Some guides include a YouTube video, whose player loads only if you press play. We only hold personal information you choose to send us: a visit report, photos or an email.

Who we are

abandonedtowns.com is owned and operated by Gunnar Bengtsson, who is responsible for the information described here (the data controller). Contact: [email protected].

When you read the site

The site, its fonts, images and videos are served by Cloudflare. To deliver pages and protect the site from abuse, Cloudflare processes your IP address and the details your browser sends with each request (such as browser type and the page asked for). We don't use that information to identify you. Cloudflare's handling is described in its privacy policy.

The site keeps one thing in your browser's session storage: a search you started before a page changed, so it can finish it. It never leaves your browser and is gone when you close the tab.

Visitor statistics

We use Google Analytics, a Google service, to count visits and see which pages are read and how people found the site. Each page you open sends Google the page's address, the page you came from, your browser, device and screen size, and a rough location that Google works out from your IP address. Google Analytics doesn't log or store IP addresses.

If you're in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, it sets no cookies and stores nothing in your browser. Elsewhere it sets two first-party cookies (_ga and _ga_ followed by an ID) so it can tell a returning browser from a new one; they last up to two years. We don't use Google Analytics for advertising, and we don't combine it with anything you send us. You can block it with Google's opt-out add-on or a content blocker, and the site works the same. Google's explanation of how it uses data from sites has more.

When you play a video

Some guides include a video by another creator, hosted on YouTube. Until you press play, the only thing loaded from YouTube is the video's thumbnail image, so Google's servers receive your IP address and browser details, as with any image request. Pressing play loads YouTube's player from youtube-nocookie.com, its privacy-enhanced mode. From then on Google handles the video, and its player may store information in your browser. Google's privacy policy applies.

When you share a visit report

The Share your visit form on a guide asks for the name you'd like credited, an optional email address, the month you visited, what you found at the gate and on the road, a comment, and up to four photos. We also record the country your request came from, which Cloudflare provides, to help spot spam.

The form uses Cloudflare Turnstile to check that it was sent by a person. Turnstile loads when you scroll near the form or start filling it in, and processes information about your browser and device for that check; it doesn't set advertising cookies.

Reports and photos are stored with Cloudflare and we get an email that a report has arrived. Nothing appears on the site until we've read it. If we publish your report, the page shows your name, the month you visited, your access and road notes, your comment and, if you gave permission, your photos. Your email address is never shown; we use it only to contact you about your report or photos.

When you email us

Email to abandonedtowns.com addresses is forwarded by Cloudflare Email Routing to our inbox. We use it to answer you and keep it while the conversation is useful.

How long we keep it

We keep published reports and photos for as long as they help the guide. Reports we don't publish are deleted once they're no longer needed. Email us at any time and we'll delete your report, photos or address.

Sharing

We don't sell or rent personal information, and we don't share it with anyone except the service providers that run the site for us (Cloudflare, and Google for visitor statistics), or where the law requires it. A YouTube video you play is between you and Google, as described above.

Your rights

You can ask to see the information we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, or object to how we use it, by emailing [email protected]. If you're in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on your consent for what you send us through the form, which you can withdraw at any time, and on our legitimate interest in running a secure website and measuring how it's used for request data and visitor statistics; you can also complain to your data protection authority. If you're in California, you have the right to know, correct and delete your personal information; we don't sell or share it as those terms are defined there.

Links to other sites

Guides link to park services, museums, Wikimedia Commons, maps and other sites. Their own privacy policies apply once you follow a link.

Children

The site is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them.

Changes

If what we collect changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top.