amphichon

Privacy, amphichon and you

When might amphichon leave cookies on my computer?

There are three situations in which amphichon may drop cookies on your machine.

1. When you register and log in, Wordpress creates a cookie containing your username and password, so next time you visit you won’t have to log in again. This cookie lasts for about a year.
2. When you leave a comment (as an unregistered user), Wordpress creates a cookie containing your name, email, and website information (whatever you entered when you posted the comment). This is so that as you continue to post comments, the information is filled in for you automatically. Again, this cookie is set to be stored on your computer for about a year.
3. When you visit the Gallery2 installation (images.amphichon.com or the embedded image gallery), Gallery2 sets a cookie with a random ID. I am not sure what this one is for, to be honest; there’s not much info at the Gallery homepage about it. When I find out, I’ll update this page.

Do I need cookies enabled to use this site?

No. The only situation where cookies are required is when you log in as a registered user—when cookies are disabled, the login page does not work. Without cookies enabled, you can still browse both the journal and the image gallery and leave comments in either place. If you have any concerns at all about cookies, I recommend you disable cookies and browse the site without them.

Does amphichon.com collect any personally identifiable information on me when I visit?

No.

Remember that cookies are stored on your own computer, not ours, and you are free to do with them whatever you like. (Lots of people have their browsers set to clear all cookies when the browser is closed; this might be a good idea if you want to keep them enabled for sites that use them, but you don’t like the idea of websites “remembering” you or anyone else accidentally getting access to any of your information while using your computer.)

Your IP address is logged automatically when you visit amphichon.com, much as it is on most other websites. Some would consider this personally identifying information, but the reality (at least here) is that I could tell what ISP you use, and maybe the kind of internet connection you have, but not much else. No efforts are made to connect your IP address with your name or any other information. Gallery2 logs your IP address when you leave a comment, and this information is stored in the gallery logs (as well as the website logs), but again, this is never connected with you personally. Only in cases of hacking or abuse would I ever need to check those logs and even then it’d be a tricky proposition to try to identify the individual who goes with the IP address. (It’s more likely that I’d block the IP address and forget about it.)

I see you have a link to register… what’s that for? What benefit would I get from registering?

Registered users will be entered into a drawing each month for a chance to win a free iPod! Some terms and conditions apply. By entering this drawing you assign amphichon all rights to use your name, email address, phone number, SSN and likeness to promote anything we like, or possibly just to write on the stalls of various washrooms around Chicago. No warranties expressed or implied. Your mileage may vary. Always consult a physician before any changes in your diet, exercise regimen or wardrobe. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

Okay not really. Seriously, at the moment, feel free to register if you like, but other than a warm fuzzy feeling, it won’t really change much. At some point, I may open up the journal for others to post articles or images—you’d have to be a registered user in order to post or edit anything on the site. Until then, don’t sweat it.

I see popup ads when I visit amphichon. What’s with that?

There are no ads on this website and it’s extremely unlikely that there ever will be, particularly anything as irritating as a popup ad. This is a hobby and entirely funded out of my own pocket. If you are seeing popup ads when you arrive at or leave this page, odds are your computer is infected with some sort of malware. A full discussion of how to clean your computer and keep it clean is beyond the scope of this page, but having used it professionally for years, I can recommend Spybot. It’s free and (mostly) effective. (The only better tool I’ve used is HijackThis, from Merijin.org, but since HjT can pretty effectively trash your system if you use it clumsily, I’d recommend it more for advanced users.)

I see dead people when I visit amphichon. What’s with that?

In your dreams? While you’re awake? Dead people, like, in graves? In coffins?

Well, just to set your mind at ease—while there may be a few dead people lurking about here and there, no dead people were harmed in the making of this website.

I admit it, I’m a privacy geek and paranoid as hell. Do I have anything to worry about when visiting your site?

I really don’t think so. Believe me, I understand your privacy concerns. I feel the same way. If I could make WordPress and Gallery2 work without cookies, and eliminate all traces of your visit except for any you choose to leave, I would do it immediately. You do have my promise that nothing under my control here at amphichon will ever attempt to collect any information about you or take any malicious actions against you or your computer. Nor will any information about you ever be shared with any third party. I have to admit that, since I don’t host this site in-house, there is always a slim chance that my hosting provider (SonataWeb, about whom I have a guardedly positive opinion, so far) could sneak something malicious onto the site, but if they did, I’d be the first one to know about it, and I’d be at a different host by the end of the day.

UPDATE: I did switch hosts one day actually, though not due to privacy considerations. (SonataWeb’s support ultimately sucked, and their refusal to offer any shell-level accounts was holding me back, so I jumped ship and went to Dreamhost. So far so good.

Okay. Does everybody feel better now?

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