User Anonymity and Personal Information
Blah blah blah IP addresses blah blah server logs and analytics blah blah that’s just how teh interwebs works.
In simple terms, every time you visit the Ministry, your IP address will be logged and as long as you don’t do anything to piss me off then you can safely assume that that information will be pretty much ignored.
If you post comment spam, your IP address will be added to the spammer blocker and you won’t be able to post comments.
If you try anything really stupid, like using sockpuppets, then your sockpuppets and their comments will be publicly identified, and so will you if I manage to trace your real world identity.
Use of Cookies
So far as cookies are concerned, the Ministry uses a few standard WordPress cookies to make the site work and I do use both WordPress Stats and Google Analytics, so there will be a few cookies relating to those apps.
The Ministry uses the Disqus comment system, which may leave behind a cookie or two and which also makes use of a couple of trackers – Quantcast and ScoreCard Research Beacon – neither of which have anything to do with me, so if that bothers you then both can be easily blocked using Ghostery.
Third party material embedded in articles, such as YouTube videos, might also come with cookies if you click on the video to watch it.
Last, but by no means least, the cookie warning system I’ve had to install for the sake of EU compliance uses cookies to remember whether you’re happy for the Ministry to use cookies – go figure.
Data Protection, etc.
If you leave a comment, you’llbe asked for a name and an email address (which isn’t displayed publicly) all of which is stored securely and will not be shared with third parties or made public unless you’re a scumbag spammer or sockpuppeteer.