Privacy Policy

At EtherealFiles.com we respect your privacy and strive to be transparent about how we collect and use information. This policy explains how we handle three key areas relevant to our work: (1) aggregation and attribution of third‑party content, (2) handling of user submissions (tips, sightings, documents), and (3) cookies and analytics (including cloud provider processing).

Data Sources and Attribution

• Sources we use. Our archive is built from a combination of: publicly available news and archive sites, government records and FOIA releases, public social-media posts and image boards, partner data feeds and licensed content, and user-submitted tips and documents.
• How we attribute. Whenever we include material originally published elsewhere we provide a clear attribution that includes the original source name and a hyperlink to the original item where available. Short excerpts and thumbnails may be retained for archival or reporting context with citation. We do not claim ownership of third‑party content and will promptly honor legitimate takedown or copyright notices.
• Archival copies. In some cases we create an archival copy of source material to preserve context and support research. Where a copyright owner objects, we will review and remove content when appropriate under our takedown procedures.

User Submissions (Tips, Sightings, Documents)

• What we collect. When you submit a tip, sighting report, or supporting document we may collect the information you provide (narrative, attachments, timestamps) and the contact details you supply if you wish to be contacted for verification.
• Anonymity. You may submit tips anonymously. If you choose to remain anonymous, we will not publish your contact details. We may still retain limited technical metadata (IP address, submission time) for moderation and abuse prevention.
• Publication & editing. By submitting content you grant EtherealFiles a non‑exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to reproduce, edit, publish, and otherwise use the submission in connection with the site and our archives. We may redact personal or sensitive identifiers before publishing. We do not publish sensitive personal data (race, health, sexual orientation, or other special categories) unless strictly necessary and only with explicit consent.
• Sharing & law enforcement. We may share submitted information with law enforcement or other third parties if required by law or if the information is necessary to prevent harm. We will notify you of such disclosures when permitted.
• Retention. We retain user submissions only as long as needed to verify, investigate, and publish the material; as a guideline we retain contact and verification metadata for up to two years unless you request earlier deletion. Published archive items may persist indefinitely unless removed for legal or policy reasons.

Cookies, Tracking & Analytics

• Essential cookies. We use cookies that are strictly necessary for site operation (e.g., session management, security, and load-balancing).
• Preferences and UI cookies. We store minimal preferences such as language and display mode to improve your experience.
• Analytics and cloud processing. We may use analytics services (for example, Oracle Cloud monitoring/analytics or other third‑party providers) to collect aggregated usage data, including anonymized page views, referrers, browser and device type, and truncated IP addresses for geolocation. These services process data on behalf of EtherealFiles and are bound by contractual controls. Analytics data is used only to improve the site and is not sold to third parties.
• Control & opt-out. You can control cookies through your browser preferences and opt-out of non‑essential cookies. If you wish to opt out of site analytics tracking, contact us and we will provide opt‑out instructions where supported.

How We Use and Share Information

• Operational uses. Data is used for providing the service, verifying submissions, moderating content, and improving site quality.
• Third-party processors. We use hosting, CDN, monitoring, and analytics vendors (for example, Oracle Cloud services). These processors receive only the data necessary to provide their service and are contractually required to protect it.
• Legal disclosures. We will disclose information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, to comply with subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of EtherealFiles, our users, or the public.

Security

We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect information under our control. Despite our efforts, no internet transmission or storage can be guaranteed 100% secure.

Your Rights

• Access & correction. You may request access to or correction of personal data you provided.
• Deletion. You may request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal and archival retention obligations). For removal of published material, see our takedown/contact instructions below.
• To exercise rights. Contact us via the site contact form or email [email protected] with subject line "Privacy Request".

Copyright, Takedown & Contact

If you believe your copyrighted material is available on our site without permission, please provide the following to our designated agent: (1) identification of the copyrighted work; (2) URL(s) where material appears on EtherealFiles; (3) a statement of good faith; (4) your contact details and signature. Send takedown requests to [email protected]. We will respond promptly and investigate claims in good faith.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last_updated" date at the top of this page will reflect material changes.

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If you have questions, contact us via the site contact form or [email protected].