Disclosure & Policies

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Thanks for checking in.

Below is Stepmomming’s Full Disclosure, as well as Comment and Privacy policies. We take honesty and our integrity very seriously and want you to know exactly what’s going on at Stepmomming.

Full Disclosure

It’s our team’s goal to use Stepmomming to provide quality content that helps our readers in many ways – to parent better, to stay creative, make learning fun, successfully “adult”, and much more. We cover all sorts of topics from parenting advice, to crafts you can do with kids, to health and self-care, to running a business from home. The list goes on!

Here at Stepmomming, we put our heart and soul into the work we do, spending many, many hours working (try 50-70+ hours a week!) to create and provide free content for you as readers. So, to keep us in business, we work at earning compensation for all the time and effort we put into running the blog.

One of the ways we earn income to keep the blog going, is by working with many of the brands, blogs, and businesses mentioned throughout our posts and blog content. Whether through sponsored posts, affiliate links, or even direct sales.

But you should understand that –

We will ONLY promote products and services we have personally used and can honestly recommend, without hesitation.

Our team also makes it a point to provide 100% honest feedback when reviewing a product or service for our readers. We may be given payment, free product, or other compensation in exchange for our feedback, but you can rest assured that everything we say is true in our experience. We strive to provide honest pros AND cons of any product or service we try out and recommend.

What are Affiliate Links?

Not all, but some of the links sprinkled throughout Stepmomming (including in blog posts, pages, the sidebar, emails, etc) may contain affiliate links. If there are affiliate links on a page or post, you should see our sentence disclosure somewhere at the top of the post or above the section with links (per FTC guidelines).

An affiliate link merely means if you click the link and end up making a purchase, then (through no extra cost to you) Stepmomming could potentially earn a commission from it. I say potentially, because many programs only offer commission on “qualified purchases” which is different for every company.

Think of these commissions like marketing fees. We feature and/or promote the product or service, and the company makes sales because of it. They, in turn, may give us a fraction of the sale.

Affiliate links are just one of many income streams that allow us to keep this blog going, so thank you for your support!

What are Sponsored Posts?

Sponsored posts are another way for a blog to make money. They take many forms, but essentially, this is when a company or brand collaborates with Stepmomming, usually to promote a specific product or service.

Stepmomming is paid in exchange for our honest feedback about said product or service – whether through a tutorial, a review, a giveaway, a general promotion, etc.

At the top of sponsored posts, you should see another disclosure, because again, we want you to really know what’s going on at Stepmomming.

Our integrity, and your trust in our judgement, is vital to the success of this blog, and we take remaining honest and unbiased very seriously.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 5, 2020

Owner and Data Controller

Kandy Apple Mama, LLC (“us”, “we”, or “our”) operates https://stepmomming.com (the “Site”). 

Address: PO Box 1454, Frisco, TX 75034

Contact email: [email protected]

We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This Site collects some personal data from its users.

This Privacy Policy informs you of our views, practices and policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal data we receive from users of the Site.

By submitting personal data to us, you agree to us using your personal data as follows.

Information Collection, Purpose and Use

While using our Site, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to name, email address, cookies, usage data, password.

We may use your personal information to 

  • send you our weekly newsletters from time to time
  • manage contacts and send messages
  • ensure that content from our site is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer
  • provide you with information, products or services that you request from us which may be of interest to you
  • carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us
  • interact with external social networks and platforms (e.g. social media widgets and share bars)
  • monitor infrastructure
  • manage hosting and backend infrastructure 
  • carry out remarketing and behavioural targeting (including display ads)
  • display content from external platforms 
  • carry out commercial affiliation (e.g. display ads)
  • interact with support and feedback platforms
  • manage user database

In addition to the above, we may collect log data and use cookies.

Log Data

Like many site operators, we collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Site.

This Log Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages and other statistics.

In addition, we may use third party services such as Google Analytics that collect, monitor and analyse this data.

Cookies

What Cookies are

Cookies are text files with a small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. 

Cookies are sent to your browser from a web site and stored on your computer’s or tablet device’s or mobile device’s part of the hard drive specifically designated for cookies.

It is standard practice to use cookies to make your experience better when using a website.

Like many sites, we use “cookies” to recognize, collect, and/or track information about, and relevant to, your usage of the Site.

These cookies are known as “first-party cookies”. We may also recognize, collect, and/or track information through cookies set by third parties. These cookies are known as “third-party cookies”. Third-party cookies are used to perform tasks related to advertising, and analytics, and to enable interactive features such as sharing or commenting. Some third parties collect statistics in an anonymized and aggregated form and may not require the consent of the user.

The information that our first-party cookies or third-party cookies recognize, collect, and/or track may include information about your devices, browsing actions, and patterns, such as among others, the type of computer you use, your internet service provider, your browser type, your location, your IP address, the date and time of your visit, the pages viewed, your traffic pattern through the Site. 

Upon your first visit to the Site (and periodically after that), we will request your consent to our use of cookies except for those strictly necessary.

What Cookies We use

We use the following categories of cookies on the Site: 

Strictly necessary cookies 

These cookies are essential to enable you to browse the Site and use its features. We use cookies to save your sessions, your login details, and other information necessary to perform your requests, and to carry out other activities that are strictly necessary for the operation of this Site, for example in relation to the distribution of traffic. We use cookies to save browsing preferences and to optimize your browsing experience. 

Analytics cookies

These cookies collect information about your use of the Site, such as for instance, browsing actions, and patterns, the date and time of your visit, the pages viewed, your traffic pattern through the Site.

Through the collection of this information, we are able to monitor and analyze web traffic to the Site. User behaviours may be recognized, collected, and/or tracked.

We use Google Analytics to monitor and analyze web traffic to the Site.  Google utilizes the data recognized, collected, and/or tracked on the Site to prepare reports on traffic activities.

This integration of Google Analytics anonymizes your IP address. 

Google may use the information recognized, collected, and/or tracked to personalize the ads of its advertising network and may share the information recognized, collected, and/or tracked with other services.

Security cookies 

These cookies are essential to our security features. These cookies allow us to detect malicious activities or activities in breach of our terms of use.

Customization cookies

These cookies allow the Site to save information and details such as your username to optimize your experience on the Site and provide personal features. 

Social media cookies and pixels

These cookies allow you to share your activity on the Site on social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, or other external platforms directly from the Site.

Cookies may still be recognized, collected, and/or tracked on the pages where buttons, widgets, or other applications are installed, even when you do not actively use it.

The interaction and information recognized, collected, and/or tracked through the Site are always subject to your privacy settings for each social network and external platform.

You are encouraged to refer to the privacy policy of the relevant social network or external platform and to log out from the respective network or platform in order to make sure that the information collected on the Site is not tracked back to your profile.

Facebook Like button and Facebook social widgets 

The Facebook Like button and Facebook social widgets are application allowing interaction with the Facebook social network.

Twitter Tweet button and Twitter social widgets 

The Twitter Tweet button and Twitter social widgets are applications allowing interaction with the Twitter social network.

YouTube video widget

YouTube is a video sharing website that allows this Site to incorporate video content on its pages and posts.

Social media pixels

We reserve the right to use social media pixels. These pixels allow social media such as Facebook to track visitors to external websites in order to tailor their advertising activities to target users while browsing their social media network. For information regarding these pixels, you are encouraged to refer to the privacy policy of the relevant social network. 

Facebook pixel

Facebook pixel connects the activity performed on the Site with the Facebook advertising network, including Instagram and Audience ads.

Targeting or advertising cookies

These cookies record your browsing actions and patterns on the Site, such as among others, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. The information recognized, collected, and/or tracked by these cookies is used to make our Site and the advertising displayed by way of links or banners on the Site more relevant to your interests. For the same purpose, this information may also be shared with third parties, such as Mediavine.

HOW TO CONTROL COOKIES

In accordance with our Privacy Policy and this Cookie Policy, you have the right to accept or reject cookies. 

Strictly necessary cookies may not be rejected since they are essential to enable you to browse the Site and use its features.

Should you reject cookies, you will still be able to use the Site although certain features and functionalities may not be available to you and/or certain areas may be restricted. 

In addition to what it is indicated within this Cookie Policy, you can manage preferences for cookies directly from within your own browser and prevent – for example – third parties from installing cookies.

Through browser preferences, it is also possible to delete cookies installed in the past, including the cookies that may have saved the initial consent for the installation of cookies by this Site.

You can find information about how to manage cookies in the most commonly used browsers (e.g. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Internet Explorer) on the website of the browser of choice.

With regard to cookies installed by third parties, users can manage their preferences and withdrawal of their consent by clicking the related opt-out link (if provided), by using the means provided in the third party’s privacy policy, or by contacting the third party.│

DATA STORAGE

Your personal data may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). 

By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.

LAWFUL BASIS OF PROCESSING PERSONAL DATA

We may process personal data relating to users if one of the following applies:

  • users have given their consent for one or more specific purposes;
  • provision of data is necessary for the performance of an agreement with the user and/or for any pre-contractual obligations thereof;
  • processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject;

DATA RETENTION

We process and store your personal data for as long as required by the purpose they have been collected for.

Therefore:

  • personal data collected for purposes related to the performance of a contract between us and the user will be retained until such contract has been fully performed;
  • personal data collected for the purposes of our legitimate interests will be retained as long as needed to fulfill such purposes;
  • we may be allowed to retain personal data for a longer period whenever the user has given consent to such processing, as long as such consent is not withdrawn;
  • we may be obliged to retain personal data for a longer period whenever required to do so for the performance of a legal obligation or upon order of an authority.

Once the retention period expires, personal data will be deleted and some of your rights (i.e. the right to access, the right to erasure, the right to rectification and the right to data portability) cannot be enforced after expiration of the retention period. You may find specific information regarding your rights within the relevant section of this Privacy Policy or by contacting us at [email protected]

THIRD-PARTY DISCLOSURE

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personal information unless we provide users with advance notice. This does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or serving our users (such as, for example, BigScoots), so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release information when its release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property or safety.

However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

YOUR RIGHTS

Users have the right to do the following:

  • Withdraw their consent at any time. Users have the right to withdraw consent where they have previously given their consent to the processing of their personal data.
  • Object to processing of their data. Users have the right to object to the processing of their data if the processing is carried out on a legal basis other than consent. 
  • Access their data. Users have the right to learn if data is being processed by us, obtain disclosure regarding certain aspects of the processing and obtain a copy of the data undergoing processing.
  • Verify and seek rectification. Users have the right to verify the accuracy of their data and ask for it to be updated or corrected.
  • Restrict the processing of their data. Users have the right, under certain circumstances, to restrict the processing of their data. In this case, we will not process their data for any purpose other than storing it.
  • Have their personal data deleted or otherwise removed. Users have the right, under certain circumstances, to obtain the erasure of their data from us.
  • Receive their data and have it transferred to another controller. Users have the right to receive their data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and, if technically feasible, to have it transmitted to another controller without any undue delay. 
  • Lodge a complaint. Users have the right to bring a claim before their competent data protection supervisory authority.

You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by contacting us at [email protected].

These requests can be exercised free of charge and will be addressed by us as soon as possible and always within 30 days.

SECURITY

The security of your personal information is important to us.

Our website is scanned on a regular basis for security holes and known vulnerabilities in order to make your visit to our Site as safe as possible.

We use regular Malware Scanning. 

Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential.

In addition, all sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. 

We implement a variety of security measures when a user places an order enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information.

All transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed on our servers.

Unfortunately, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of August 5, 2020, and will remain in effect except with respect to any changes in its provisions in the future, which will be in effect immediately after being posted on this page.

We reserve the right to update or change our Privacy Policy at any time and you should check this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our Site after we post any modifications to the Privacy Policy on this page will constitute your acknowledgment of the modifications and your consent to abide and be bound by the modified Privacy Policy.

If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you either through the email address you have provided us, or by placing a prominent notice on our website.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].

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California Online Privacy Protection

We agree to users visiting our Site anonymously.

Coppa (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

For the collection of personal information from children under the age of 13 years old, we comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The Site is not intended for children under 13 years of age. 

We do not specifically market to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you are under 13 years of age, please do not use the Site or provide any information on the Site, including your name, screen name, username, address, telephone number, email address, and payment details.

If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 years of age without verification of consent from a parent or guardian, the personal information collected or received shall be deleted with no delay.

If you believe we might have any information concerning a child under 13 years of age, please contact us at [email protected] and we will endeavour to delete such information with no delay. 

Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)

The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.

First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.

Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.

The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:

  • IP Address
  • Operating System type
  • Operating System version
  • Device Type
  • Language of the website
  • Web browser type
  • Email (in hashed form)

Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.

If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.

For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.