Privacy

Privacy Policy – Mercury Local, LLC

Effective Date: August 26, 2025

Mercury Local, LLC (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates a network of local news platforms, including The Charlotte Mercury, Strolling Ballantyne, and future publications. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and how we keep your trust intact.

The Short Version

  • We don’t sell your data.
  • We don’t run trackers, pixels, or spyware disguised as ads.
  • We fund our journalism the old-fashioned way: with advertising that benefits our local partners and doesn’t creep out our readers.
  • If you give us your email (say, for a newsletter), that’s all we use it for.

The Long Version

1. Information We Collect

Mercury Local collects as little as possible:

  • Newsletter subscriptions: Your email address, if you voluntarily subscribe.
  • Tips or inquiries: Any information you provide if you email us.
  • Basic web logs: Like all sites, our servers record technical basics (IP address, browser type, time of access) for security and operational purposes.

We do not collect logins, payments, or sensitive personal data.

2. Information We Don’t Collect

  • No cookies to track you across the internet.
  • No third-party ad pixels or surveillance ads.
  • No payment info (we don’t take payments or donations through our sites).

3. Advertising

Mercury Local is ad-supported, not ad-driven.

  • Our ads are first-party and work to highlight local businesses, events, and services.
  • We do not allow intrusive, autoplay, or surveillance-based ads.
  • Ads are designed to add to the reader experience, not overwhelm it.

4. How We Use Your Information

  • To send newsletters if you sign up.
  • To respond to inquiries or tips.

That’s it. No hidden uses, no backroom data trades.

5. Sharing Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your information.
We may disclose limited information if required by law (subpoenas, court orders).
Trusted vendors (e.g., newsletter delivery platforms) only get what they need to provide the service and nothing more.

6. Data Security

We take commercially reasonable steps to protect your information (e.g., secure servers, limited access). Since we collect very little, there’s very little to be stolen in the first place.

7. Data Retention

  • Emails: kept until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
  • Inquiries/tips: retained only as long as needed to respond or for journalistic purposes.
  • Server logs: automatically purged on a rolling basis.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Unsubscribe from newsletters at any time.
  • Request a copy of any personal info we have.
  • Request deletion of your data (email us at legal@mercurylocal.com).

9. Children’s Privacy

Our sites are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If we discover such data, we delete it.

10. International Users

Mercury Local’s sites are operated in the United States. By using them, you consent to processing of your information in the U.S.

11. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by North Carolina law. Any disputes must be resolved in Mecklenburg County, NC courts.

Contact Us

Mercury Local, LLC
520B North Poplar
Charlotte, NC 28202

📧 contact@mercurylocal.com
🌐 cltmercury.com | strollingballantyne.com

Licensing

All original content across Mercury Local platforms is licensed under:
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0).

You can share our work with credit, but you cannot remix, alter, or sell it without permission.
Full license text here.

Plain truth: Mercury Local was built to protect your privacy while protecting local journalism. We’ll never sell you out for ad pennies — because your trust is worth more than your data trail.