Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 21, 2026 Operated by The Charlotte Mercury, LLC 4030 Wake Forest Rd Ste 349, Raleigh, NC 27609 FourthWardCharlotte.com

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected through fourthwardcharlotte.com and its associated services, including the newsletter, community submissions, event sign-ups and email to us. It does not apply to social media or to other websites we link to.

2. What We Collect

We collect only what you give us, and only what we need.

Newsletter sign-ups: your name and email address, if you choose to subscribe.
Submissions: what you send us through a form, such as a community note, an event or a story tip, along with the contact details you include.
Event sign-ups: your name and email address if you register for an event we list.
Email: anything you send to us directly.

3. What We Do Not Collect

No third-party advertising pixels.
No tracking across other websites.
No geolocation data.
No browser fingerprinting.

4. Analytics

We use privacy-focused analytics that we host ourselves. It does not use cookies, does not identify you and does not follow you to other sites. It tells us which pages are read, in total, and nothing about who you are.

5. How We Use Your Information

To send the newsletter, if you subscribe.
To review, edit and publish what you submit, with your consent.
To confirm event registrations and send event updates.
To answer your questions.

We do not use your information for targeted advertising, third-party marketing or profiling.

6. Email and Unsubscribing

Every newsletter includes an unsubscribe link, and you can leave at any time. We send email through a transactional email provider that handles delivery on our behalf and does not use your address for its own purposes.

7. Sharing and Sale

We do not sell, rent, trade or license your personal information. We share it only with the service providers that run the site and send our email, and only as needed to do that work, or when the law requires it.

8. Data Retention

Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe.
Submissions and event sign-ups: as long as needed to handle them, then deleted on request.
Email: as long as needed to respond.

You can ask us to delete your information at any time by emailing hello@mercurylocal.com.

9. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to see the personal information we hold about you, correct it, or ask us to delete it. We do not sell personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of. To make a request, email hello@mercurylocal.com with your state of residence in the subject line.

10. Children

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have, we delete it promptly.

11. Cookies

We use only essential first-party cookies needed for the site to work. No third-party cookies, no advertising cookies.

12. Embedded Media and Links

Some pages embed media from services such as YouTube or link to other sites. Those services have their own privacy practices, which apply when you use them.

13. Security

The site runs over HTTPS, and we use reputable providers and access controls to protect what you share with us. No system is perfect, but we take reasonable care.

14. Changes to This Policy

If we change this policy, we will update the effective date at the top of this page.

15. Contact

Fourth Ward Charlotte The Charlotte Mercury, LLC 4030 Wake Forest Rd Ste 349 Raleigh, NC 27609 Email: hello@mercurylocal.com