Privacy policy.

Updated September 19, 2026

What this site processes, what happens when you open external content, and how to raise a privacy concern.

Information used to operate the site

Cookies, external content, and your choices

The site counts page views, approximate browser sessions, outbound shopping clicks and journal-sample clicks using its own endpoint. A temporary date marker in session storage counts a tab once per UTC day. It contains no visitor identifier and disappears when that browser session ends. Multiple tabs or devices can count more than once; these counts do not identify unique people. It stores daily totals by public page and catalog resource for 90 days, with no analytics cookies, visitor IDs, visitor profiles, raw IP addresses, email addresses, search terms or referral URLs in the analytics table. It respects Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control by skipping these counts. A rotating salted IP hash is used only to limit abusive event submissions; those temporary records expire after two hours and are deleted during subsequent event requests. Hosting logs remain subject to the provider’s practices. The site has no advertising pixel, on-site payment form or device-location request. Activated shop buttons open an external checkout. The regional map and selected location photographs are served as part of the site. Hosting and sign-in services may use essential authentication, security, or delivery technologies under their own policies.

Newspaper articles and other outside media are linked at their original sources. The site does not load embedded newspaper viewers. Following a source link opens the provider’s website, where its access rules, cookies and privacy practices apply.

Following links to Amazon, IMDb, streaming services, podcast platforms, social networks, newspapers, or other websites brings you under those providers’ practices. Links may pass referral information or an affiliate identifier. External sites may collect information about your visit or purchases independently. We do not receive your payment-card details or external account passwords through these links. Review each provider’s notice and browser controls before continuing.

You can block or clear cookies in your browser and avoid opening optional external content. Blocking essential technologies may affect sign-in or access. The current site application does not sell personal data or conduct targeted advertising, including for browsers sending Global Privacy Control. This statement does not promise how an independent external website interprets privacy signals. Any future optional tracking would need an updated notice and legally required choices before it is enabled.

Saved cases and reading lists

New saved lists are stored in your browser’s local storage as case and media identifiers. No account, name, or email address is required. Saves do not sync across devices, browsers, or domains. Clearing site data or ending a private browsing session may remove them. You can remove individual items in My Casebook. We do not use these lists for advertising or personalized recommendations.

If you used our previous saved-list feature, the site attempts a one-time import of your existing browser-linked list. That older system used a random uc_reader cookie and server-side records containing selected identifiers, save dates, expiry dates, and a hashed browser identifier. No new saved-list cookie is created during import. Older server records expire after 180 days from their last save or removal and are removed during subsequent legacy save requests. New changes are stored only in your browser. Sharing a case uses your device’s share feature or copies the public URL; nothing is posted automatically.

Case suggestions

The suggestion form stores the case name, state, dates, description, source links, optional submitter name, confirmation that the submitter is 18 or older, submission date and editorial decisions. No email address or visitor account is required to suggest a case. Email updates are a separate, optional choice. Suggestions are private and reviewed by the site editor. Submission details are also emailed to the private Unforgotten Casebook owner inbox through its Google connection so the editor can respond promptly. Approved suggestions may be processed through the operator’s OpenAI/Codex research tools to find and verify sources and prepare original case pages. The optional submitter name is not published or needed for research.

We use a rotating, salted hash of the connection IP address to limit spam; the application does not store the raw IP address in the suggestion tables. Rate-limit records expire after at most two days and are removed during later submissions. Suggestions and review notes are kept while useful for editorial research and decision history. To request deletion, contact us with your submission reference. Submission details are not added to the public site automatically. Do not submit confidential records, sensitive identifiers or private contact details.

Email updates and optional contact details

If you choose email updates, we collect your name, email address, state or region, optional phone number, confirmation that you are 18 or older, consent date, signup source and subscription status. Your email address is used for new-case announcements, site updates and relevant book or media recommendations, linked from our own case guides. The September 19, 2026 signup wording also covers occasional Unforgotten Casebook product announcements; older consent is not automatically expanded. Providing a phone number does not authorize marketing calls or texts; this signup does not send either.

Subscriber records are stored privately on our hosting infrastructure and, when the Google connection is enabled, copied to a restricted Google Sheet accessible to the operator’s authorized accounts. Signup and unsubscribe notices are also emailed to the private owner inbox through Google. A protected delivery queue retries temporary failures; the extra queued details are cleared after successful delivery. These owner alerts do not send marketing emails to visitors. Contact details are not published with cases, shared with Amazon as a mailing list or used in case research. We keep active signup records while you subscribe. Unsubscribing stops email updates; a minimal record may be retained to respect your opt-out. Contact us to request deletion of optional contact details or your record.

You can unsubscribe on this site or contact unforgottencasebook@gmail.com. Submitting a case never enrolls you automatically. Age confirmation is self-declared, and we do not collect your date of birth or an identity document. Both signup and suggestion forms require confirmation that you are at least 18. If we learn that a submitter is under 18, we will remove their contact details and stop further updates.

Shop and partnership inquiries

Our original journal has a free public sample. When a product or membership checkout is activated, it opens our shop with the external provider identified on the product page. That provider handles payment and delivery under its own policies. The website does not collect payment-card numbers. Partnership inquiry links open your email app and send only the information you choose to provide.

Use and sharing

Information is used to provide and secure the site, authorize editorial access, maintain the archive, respond to requests, and meet legal obligations. Necessary information may be processed by hosting, authentication, storage, and email providers. It may also be disclosed to advisers, authorities, or affected providers when reasonably necessary to investigate a rights or security concern, respond to lawful process, or establish or defend legal claims. A business transfer would be subject to applicable notice, purpose, and other legal requirements.

The current site application does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. External providers can process information independently after you interact with them. Affiliate commissions do not mean the site receives a copy of your retail account or payment information.

Retention and security

Information is kept for the purpose for which it is needed, subject to legal duties, legitimate editorial history, and dispute resolution. Editor permissions remain while access is authorized. Published archival material may be retained for historical reporting. Correspondence may be kept while a request and related obligations remain unresolved. Backups and provider logs follow the responsible provider’s retention and deletion practices; the site cannot promise instant deletion from every backup.

Access controls limit editorial changes and draft access. The operator should review permissions and avoid collecting unnecessary sensitive information. No service can guarantee absolute security. Suspected unauthorized access should be reported through the contact above, and legally required breach notices must be provided where applicable.

Privacy requests and appeals

Use the public contact listed above to request access, correction, deletion, portability, or a legally available opt-out. Identify your request and the relevant page or interaction. Verification should be proportionate and collect the minimum needed. An authorized agent may be asked for evidence of authority. Do not email identity documents without first agreeing on a suitable secure process.

If the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act applies to the operator and the request, eligible Maryland residents may have rights to confirm processing, access and correct covered data, delete it, obtain a portable copy, and opt out of sale, targeted advertising, and certain consequential profiling. Statutory thresholds, exceptions, and limitations apply, including rules about publicly available information. The operator must not unlawfully discriminate against people exercising protected rights. The Maryland Attorney General explains the Act.

For requests covered by that law, the response period is generally 45 days, with a further 45 days when reasonably necessary and timely notice of the reason. To appeal a refusal, use the same contact with the subject “Privacy appeal.” A covered appeal must be answered within 60 days with the reasons for the decision and, if denied, information about complaining to the Attorney General. See Maryland Commercial Law § 14-4705.

Residents elsewhere may have additional rights under applicable law. Legal exemptions, expression protections, and recordkeeping duties can affect a request. A request about a historical account will be assessed individually; it does not necessarily require deletion of accurate, lawful reporting. The operator will explain an applicable refusal and available review process.

Children and sensitive information

The signup and case-suggestion forms are for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly accept personal information through them from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has submitted details, contact us so we can remove them. Please avoid sending unnecessary medical information, personal identifiers, private addresses, or sensitive information about other people.

International access and changes

The site is operated from the United States; providers may process information in other locations. Applicable mandatory protections continue to apply. Merely browsing is not treated as blanket consent to every future use or international transfer.

The date above identifies the latest revision. Material changes in practices require an updated notice and additional notice, consent, or choice where the law requires it. The operator should reassess this policy before enabling analytics, subscriptions, public submissions, advertising, or new processing of personal information.