Privacy Policy | Boston Report

Effective date: October 17, 2026 (newsletter, business directory and advertiser sections added; previous version effective September 28, 2026)

This Privacy Policy explains how The Boston Report, published by Peter Klausz (“The Boston Report,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), collects, uses, and shares information when you visit thebostonreport.com (the “Site”). The Boston Report is a free, ad-supported news website based in the Boston area of Massachusetts. We do not sell subscriptions, and you do not need an account to read the Site.

Summary

You can read the Site without giving us your name or email address.
Like most websites, we and our service providers automatically collect technical information such as IP addresses, browser type, and pages viewed, and we use cookies.
We show ads from third-party advertising partners, which may use cookies to show ads and measure their performance.
We do not sell your personal information for money. You can limit advertising cookies using the choices described below.
Questions or requests: info@thebostonreport.com.

Information we collect

Information you give us

Emails you send us. If you write to stories@thebostonreport.com, ads@thebostonreport.com, or info@thebostonreport.com, we receive your email address, your name if you include it, and anything else you choose to send, such as a news tip, attachment, correction request, or advertising inquiry.
Contact forms. If you use a contact form on the Site, we collect the information you enter, such as your name, email address, and message.
Newsletter. If you sign up for The Boston Report newsletter, we collect your email address, the topics you choose and the consent details described in the Newsletter section below. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email.
Advertising inquiries. If you use the inquiry form on our Advertise page, we collect your name, business, email address, optional phone and website, and the details of your request, plus a hashed version of your IP address to prevent spam.
Business directory. If you request a listing, claim a listing or use a business owner account, we collect the information described in the Business directory section below.
Comments. Comments are currently turned off on the Site. If we turn them on, we will collect the name, email address, optional website, and comment text you submit, along with your IP address and browser information to help detect spam. Your name and comment would be public; your email address would not be published.

Information collected automatically

Server logs. Our web host, Bluehost, automatically records standard log information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, the page you requested, the referring page, and the date and time of the request. These logs are used to operate, secure, and troubleshoot the Site.
Cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small files stored in your browser. We and our partners use cookies, pixels, local storage, and similar tools to keep the Site working, remember preferences, count visits, and deliver and measure advertising.
Site statistics and analytics. We use Jetpack Stats, provided by Automattic, and Google Analytics, connected through Google’s Site Kit plugin, to understand how the Site is used, for example which pages are popular, how visitors arrive, and general location (such as city or country) derived from IP addresses. We look at these reports in aggregate; we do not use them to identify individual readers.

Advertising

The Boston Report is free to read because it is supported by advertising. We work with third-party advertising partners, such as Google, that may place or read cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies in your browser when you visit the Site. These partners may use information about your visits to this and other websites, such as pages viewed, device identifiers, IP address, and approximate location, to show ads, including ads based on your interests, to limit how often you see an ad, to detect fraud, and to measure how ads perform.

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this Site and/or other sites on the internet. You can learn more at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.

Advertisers and ad networks decide which ads to show. They do not see your email messages to us, and they have no say over our news coverage.

Affiliate links

Some articles or pages may include affiliate links to online retailers. If you click one and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The retailer may use cookies to track that the purchase came from our Site. Affiliate relationships do not affect our news coverage.

Other third-party services

We rely on service providers to run the Site. They may process limited information about you under their own privacy policies:

Hosting: Bluehost hosts the Site and its server logs.
Jetpack by Automattic: site statistics, security, performance, image delivery through a content delivery network, and, if enabled, email subscriptions. See the Automattic Privacy Policy.
Spam protection: Akismet, an Automattic service, may check form or comment submissions for spam.
Google: analytics and advertising services. See the Google Privacy Policy.
Embedded content: Articles may include embedded videos, posts, or other material from sites such as YouTube or social media platforms. Embedded content behaves as if you visited the other site, and that site may collect data about you, use cookies, and track your interaction with the embed.

Links to other websites, including the news sources we cite, are provided for your reference. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites.

Optional translation

Optional translation. If you choose the Español button, your browser loads Google’s Translate website widget from translate.google.com. That loads a script from Google and sets a cookie in your browser, and Google may receive your IP address and the page text being translated, under Google’s own privacy policy. Nothing is loaded from Google for this feature unless you click the button. Translations are automated and may be inaccurate. The English version is the original.

Current signup service. Newsletter signups on this site are currently handled by Jetpack Subscriptions, a WordPress.com service operated by Automattic. When you sign up, your email address goes to WordPress.com, which sends you a confirmation link, delivers new Boston Report stories by email once you confirm, and handles unsubscribes and email settings. Its handling of your address is covered by the Automattic Privacy Policy. We do not sell subscriber addresses or share them with advertisers. The rest of this section describes our own newsletter system, which applies if and when we switch to it.

Our newsletter uses double opt-in: after you enter your email address, we send a confirmation link, and you receive no newsletter until you confirm. For each subscriber we store:

your email address and subscription status (pending, confirmed or unsubscribed);
the topics you choose and the page where you signed up (for example the homepage or an article);
the date and time you signed up, confirmed or unsubscribed; and
a one-way hashed (scrambled) version of your IP address at signup, kept as a record of consent. We do not store your full IP address for this purpose.

We use this information only to send the newsletter you asked for, to keep a record of your consent and to honor unsubscribes. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. We do not sell, rent or share subscriber addresses with advertisers or sponsors. Sponsor messages in the newsletter are labeled, and sponsors never receive the list. If we use an email delivery provider (such as Brevo) to send the newsletter, it processes addresses only to deliver our emails. We keep a log of email delivery attempts (recipient, subject, time and result) for up to 90 days to troubleshoot delivery. Signups that are never confirmed are deleted 30 days after the confirmation email is sent.

Business directory, owner accounts and advertisers

Listings. Directory listings show business information, such as the name, address, public phone, website and hours, that the business itself publishes. We do not list private individuals’ home addresses or personal phone numbers.
Claims and listing requests. When you claim or request a listing, we collect your name, email address, phone, your role at the business and any note you add, plus a hashed version of your IP address to prevent abuse. We use this to verify that you represent the business, usually by phone or business email. Claim records are kept as business records while the listing exists; you can ask us to delete a rejected claim.
Owner accounts. Verified owners get a basic account to edit their own listing. We store the account name, email address and a history of submitted edits. Edits are reviewed before they appear.
Advertisers and payments. Advertising orders, run dates and payment status are kept as business records, generally for seven years for tax purposes. Payments are processed by Stripe, which receives your payment details directly under its own privacy policy. We never see or store full card numbers.
Security records. Administrative actions on these records are written to an audit log that we keep for up to 365 days.

How we use information

We use the information described above to:

operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Site;
understand which stories and topics readers find useful;
respond to news tips, correction requests, advertising inquiries, and other messages;
send the newsletter and confirmation emails you asked for;
run the business directory, verify listing claims, and handle advertising orders and payments;
show advertising that supports the Site, and measure its performance;
detect and prevent spam, fraud, abuse, and security incidents; and
comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information only:

with the service providers and advertising partners described above, who collect or process it to provide their services, including Stripe for advertiser payments and, if we use one, an email delivery provider for the emails you asked for;
if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of The Boston Report, our readers, or others;
in connection with a sale, merger, or transfer of the Site, in which case this policy would continue to apply to information collected before the transfer; or
with your permission.

If you send us a news tip, we treat your identity with care. We do not publish the name or contact details of a person who sends a tip unless they agree.

Your choices and opt-outs

Browser cookie controls. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies, including third-party cookies. Blocking some cookies may affect how the Site works.
Personalized Google ads. You can turn off personalized ads from Google at Google Ad Settings.
Industry opt-outs. You can opt out of interest-based advertising from many participating companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance at optout.aboutads.info and the Network Advertising Initiative at optout.networkadvertising.org. Opting out does not stop ads; it means the ads you see may be less relevant.
Google Analytics. You can use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Mobile devices. Your device settings may let you limit ad tracking or reset your advertising identifier.
Email. You can unsubscribe from email updates using the link in any email, or by writing to us.
Do Not Track. There is no common standard for responding to browser “Do Not Track” signals, and the Site does not currently respond to them.

Your privacy rights in the United States

Depending on the state where you live, you may have the right to ask us to confirm whether we process your personal information, to access or receive a copy of it, to correct it, to delete it, and to opt out of targeted advertising or the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information as those terms are defined in your state’s law. Some state laws treat certain advertising cookies as a sale or sharing of personal information.

Whether or not your state’s law applies to us, we will honor reasonable requests from readers anywhere in the United States. To make a request, email info@thebostonreport.com with the subject line “Privacy Request” and tell us what you are asking for. We may need to ask for information to verify your request, and we will respond within the time required by applicable law. Much of the data held about readers is held by our advertising and analytics partners, and we may point you to their tools where they are the ones that hold the data. We will not treat you differently for exercising your privacy rights. If we deny your request, you may reply to ask us to reconsider.

Massachusetts residents

The Boston Report is based in Massachusetts. We do not ask readers for Social Security numbers, driver’s license or state ID numbers, or financial account or credit card numbers. We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for the information we hold, and if a security breach affected personal information of Massachusetts residents covered by Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c. 93H), we would provide the notices that law requires. Massachusetts residents may use the rights request process described above.

Children’s privacy

The Site is a general-audience news site and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has sent us personal information, email info@thebostonreport.com and we will delete it.

Data retention

We keep information only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Emails and tips are kept as long as needed to respond and to keep a record of our reporting and corrections. Server logs and analytics data are kept according to our providers’ standard retention periods. Newsletter records are kept while you are subscribed. After you unsubscribe, we keep your address and the unsubscribe date on a suppression record so we do not email you again; you can ask us to delete it entirely. Unconfirmed signups are deleted 30 days after the confirmation email is sent, the email delivery log is kept for up to 90 days, and the administrative audit log for up to 365 days. Directory and advertiser records are kept as described in the Business directory section.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect information, including using a reputable host and security tools. No website or internet transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please do not send sensitive personal information, such as financial or health information, by email.

Visitors from outside the United States

The Site is operated in the United States, and information is processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate. Privacy laws there may differ from those where you live. By using the Site, you understand that your information will be processed in the United States.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the effective date at the top of this page. If we make significant changes, we may also post a notice on the Site.

Contact us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or to make a privacy request, email info@thebostonreport.com.

The Boston Report, published by Peter Klausz
Email: info@thebostonreport.com
Contact page: thebostonreport.com/contact-us/

Advertising and Cookies

The Boston Report, published by Peter Klausz, shows advertising served by third-party vendors, including Google. This section adds detail to the “Advertising” section above.

Google AdSense and DoubleClick cookies. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies, including the DoubleClick cookie, to serve ads on this Site. The DoubleClick cookie enables Google and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this Site and/or other sites on the internet.
Third-party vendors and ad networks. Other third-party vendors and ad networks may also place or read cookies or similar technologies in your browser to deliver and measure ads. We do not control those cookies, and each vendor’s use of them is governed by its own privacy policy.
How Google uses data. To learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. For more on Google’s advertising technologies and cookies, see Google’s Advertising Policies and Principles.
Personalized ads and how to opt out. You may opt out of personalized advertising from Google by visiting Google Ads Settings. You may also opt out of personalized advertising from many third-party vendors and ad networks at optout.aboutads.info (Digital Advertising Alliance) or optout.networkadvertising.org (Network Advertising Initiative). If you opt out, you will still see ads, but they may be less relevant to you.
Browser controls. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. If you block cookies, some features of the Site and some ads may not work as expected.

Visitors in the EEA, United Kingdom, and Switzerland

Under Google’s EU User Consent Policy and applicable law, we must obtain your consent before cookies or similar technologies are used on your device to personalize ads or measure advertising if you are visiting from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland. Where consent is required, we use a consent management platform certified by Google to ask for your choice. Your choice is stored in your browser, and you can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the privacy and cookie settings option provided on the Site, or by clearing cookies in your browser. If you do not consent, you may still see ads, but they will not be personalized based on your activity.

For questions about advertising and cookies on this Site, email info@thebostonreport.com.

Your Privacy Rights

Advertising & cookies. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other sites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visits. You may opt out of personalized advertising at https://adssettings.google.com or https://www.aboutads.info. Visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland are shown a consent message (Google-certified CMP) before ad cookies are set.

U.S. state rights (e.g., California, and other states with privacy laws). You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we hold, and opt out of “sale” or “sharing” for targeted advertising. We do not sell personal information for money. Use our Contact page; we honor Global Privacy Control signals where required. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

EEA/UK (GDPR). Legal bases: consent (ad cookies), legitimate interests (security, analytics). You may access, rectify, erase, restrict, object, port data, and complain to your local supervisory authority.

Children. This site is not directed to children under 13 (COPPA) and we do not knowingly collect their data; contact us to delete any we receive.

Massachusetts. We protect personal information consistent with M.G.L. c. 93H and 201 CMR 17.00.