Privacy policy
Effective date: August 6, 2026
Topanga Archive is an independent, noncommercial community history project. This policy explains what information is collected when you visit topangaarchive.com or write to us, and how it is handled.
It does not govern the privacy practices of the newspapers, libraries, archives, social platforms, or other third parties linked from this site.
What is collected automatically
Topanga Archive has no accounts, no registration, no subscriptions, and no payments. Nothing on this site asks you to identify yourself.
Like any website, the server records standard technical information when a page is requested:
- IP address
- Date and time of the request
- Pages or files requested
- Referring page, when the browser sends one
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- Technical errors and security events
These appear in ordinary server logs. They are used to operate, troubleshoot, and secure the site, and for nothing else.
What you provide voluntarily
We receive personal information when you write to us — to submit a correction, offer a photograph or document, provide historical information, raise a rights or attribution concern, or ask a question.
That may include your name, your email address, the contents of your message, any materials you attach, and information about the source, ownership, date, or permitted use of those materials.
Please don't send confidential information, or personal information about someone else without their permission.
Cookies and analytics
This site sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and uses no advertising or behavioral tracking technology of any kind. There is no third-party script on any page.
If that ever changes, this policy will be updated before it does.
How information is used
- To operate, maintain, and secure the site
- To respond to questions, corrections, contributions, and rights requests
- To evaluate historical material offered for inclusion
- To investigate technical problems, misuse, or security incidents
- To maintain records of sources, ownership, permissions, attribution, and editorial decisions
- To comply with legal obligations, or to establish or defend a legal claim
Visitor information is never used for advertising.
Who information is shared with
Personal information is never sold or rented.
Service providers. The site depends on a hosting provider, a domain registrar, an object storage provider, and email delivery. Each processes information only as needed to provide that service.
Legal and safety. Information may be disclosed where reasonably necessary to comply with law or a lawful request, to investigate abuse or a security incident, to protect the rights or safety of the archive or its contributors and visitors, or to establish or defend a legal claim.
Transfer of the project. If responsibility for Topanga Archive passes to another person or organization, information associated with operating the site may transfer with it. Any successor would be expected to follow this policy or give notice of a new one.
How long information is kept
Server and security logs are retained on the schedules set by the hosting infrastructure.
Correspondence, source records, contributor permissions, rights information, and editorial records are kept longer, because they document how material in the archive was obtained, who holds rights in it, and how it should be credited. That record is part of the archive's integrity.
Security
Reasonable administrative and technical measures protect the site and the information under our control. The site is served over TLS.
No website, server, or email system can be guaranteed secure. Anything you send electronically is sent at your own risk.
Your choices
You may ask for access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information you provided. We may need to confirm your identity or your connection to the information first.
Some information is retained where necessary for security, legal compliance, dispute resolution, rights management, source verification, attribution, or preservation of the editorial record.
Server logs generally do not identify anyone by name, so it may not be possible to connect a particular log entry to a particular person.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
This site does not track visitors across other websites and does not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Because none of that happens here, Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals do not change how the site behaves.
Children's privacy
Topanga Archive is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. A parent or guardian who believes a child has sent us personal information may write to us and ask that it be reviewed or removed.
Historical and editorial content
This archive contains historical and documentary material — photographs, advertisements, news reports, business records, public events — that names people and organizations.
This policy governs information collected from visitors. It does not create a general right to remove accurate historical or editorial material.
Good-faith requests are welcome, and are read, on:
- Factual corrections
- Sensitive personal information
- Attribution
- Copyright or ownership
- Permissions and image use
- Source information
Each is considered on its own facts: the nature and source of the material, its historical value, the privacy interests involved, the rights at stake, and applicable law. Where a request is credible, attribution can be corrected, source information added, permissions discussed, or material removed from public view.
External links
This site links to newspapers, libraries, government records, social platforms, businesses, and archival resources. We don't control those sites and aren't responsible for their content, availability, or privacy practices. Read their policies before giving them information.
Changes to this policy
This policy will be updated when the site, its technology, or its practices change. The revised version appears on this page with a new effective date. Material changes may also be noted elsewhere on the site.
Contact
Questions, privacy requests, corrections, and concerns: