Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains what information Aparna Food Labs collects when you visit this website, how it is used, and your rights regarding that information.
What Information We Collect
Comments
When you leave a comment, we collect your name, email address, website address (optional), comment text, IP address, and browser user-agent string. Your email address is used to generate a Gravatar profile image if you have one; it is not displayed publicly. Comments are held for moderation before appearing on the site.
Cookies
If you leave a comment and choose to save your details, a cookie stores your name, email address, and website for one year so you do not need to re-enter them on your next visit. A temporary session cookie is set when you visit the login page. If you log in to an account, login and preference cookies are set and expire within two weeks or when you log out.
Social Login
This site offers optional login via Google using the Nextend Social Login plugin. If you use this feature, Google shares basic profile information (name, email address, and profile photo) with this site. We store only what is needed to create and maintain your account. User registration is available through social login only; general open registration is not enabled.
Embedded YouTube Content
Pages on this site include embedded YouTube videos. YouTube may set cookies and collect data when you interact with embedded video players. YouTube is operated by Google LLC. For details, see the Google Privacy Policy.
Analytics
This site does not currently use third-party analytics. If analytics are added in the future, this policy will be updated.
Recipe Discussions (Comments, Questions, Tips, and Results)
Anonymous contributions
You may leave a comment or ask a question on a recipe page without creating an account. We collect the display name and email address you provide, your contribution text, your IP address, and standard browser information, for the same anti-spam and moderation purposes described above. Your email address is never displayed publicly. If you check “Notify me when Aparna replies,” we send one email when a reply meeting that condition is approved, using a private, randomly generated link that lets you unsubscribe at any time without needing to log in.
Signing in to share tips, results, or replies
To share a cooking tip, share a recipe result, reply to another visitor, or upload a photo, you must sign in with a Google account. We use this only to confirm you are a real person with a verified email address — there is no separate AFL password or registration form.
When you sign in with Google for the first time, we receive your name, email address, and a stable identifier for your Google account (not your email address) from Google, and we automatically create a restricted “AFL Member” account for you. This account cannot access the WordPress dashboard, cannot install plugins or themes, cannot edit posts or pages, and cannot upload files outside of the recipe-result photo feature described below. We store:
- Your authentication provider (Google) and Google’s stable account identifier — this, not your email address, is what identifies your account, since Google explicitly recommends against using email as a permanent identifier.
- Whether Google reported your email address as verified.
- Your account status (active or suspended).
- The version of these terms you most recently agreed to, and when.
If the email address on your Google account already belongs to an existing account on this site that has no prior Google sign-in link (for example, a site administrator account), we do not automatically connect the two. You would need to contact us to resolve this.
Recipe result photos
If you are signed in, you may optionally upload one photo with a recipe result. Your photo is validated, resized, and stored privately — it is not publicly accessible and has no public web address — until a moderator reviews and approves your text and photo together. If approved, your photo is published alongside your result. If your submission is rejected, not approved within a reasonable time, or you do not complete your submission, the photo is permanently deleted. We never accept video, animated images, or file types other than JPEG, PNG, or WebP.
Discussion notifications
If you are signed in and opt in to notifications, we email you when Aparna replies to your contribution, or when someone replies directly to you. This consent is entirely separate from any newsletter or marketing communications — opting in or out of discussion-reply notifications does not affect any other emails you may or may not receive from us. Every notification email includes a link to manage or stop these notifications.
Your contribution history
If you are signed in, you can view your own private history of questions, tips, results, and replies, along with their moderation status, at any time. This history is visible only to you and to site moderators — it is never a public profile page.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information collected to display and manage comments, prevent spam, maintain user accounts when created, and respond to contact requests. We do not sell personal information.
Spam Detection
Comment data is passed to Akismet, a spam-detection service operated by Automattic, Inc. Akismet stores comment data including IP address for spam-filtering purposes. See the Akismet Privacy Policy.
How Long We Retain Your Data
Approved comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely. Spam comments are deleted automatically. If you have an account on this site, your profile information is retained until you request deletion. Recipe result photos that are never approved, or that are rejected or abandoned, are permanently deleted rather than retained.
Your Rights
If you have left a comment or created an account on this site, you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, or request that it be deleted. Requests that cannot be fulfilled for legal or security reasons will be explained. To make a request, please use the contact page.
Third-Party Links
This site links to external websites including YouTube and referenced sources. Aparna Food Labs is not responsible for the privacy practices of those external sites.
Changes to This Policy
This policy may be updated from time to time. The current version will always be available at this URL.
