Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 24, 2026
Last Updated: October 24, 2026

1. Introduction

PAHNA Media (“PAHNA Media,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information of visitors to our website.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you visit our website at https://pahnamedia.com/, read our news articles, subscribe to our newsletter, contact us, interact with our content, or use other features available on our website.

PAHNA Media is a community-focused media organization based in Sacramento, California, United States. We provide news, community reporting, interviews, cultural programming, and other media content for the Afghan-American community and the public.

By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy. Where applicable law requires consent for specific data-processing activities, we will seek that consent as required.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of information, depending on how you interact with our website.

A. Information You Provide Directly

You may voluntarily provide personal information when you use our contact forms, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a news tip, inquire about our programs, or communicate with us.

This information may include:

• Your name.
• Your email address.
• Your telephone number, if requested.
• The subject and contents of your message.
• Information included in news tips, inquiries, or other submissions.
• Any other information you voluntarily provide through our forms or communications.

You are not required to provide personal information simply to read publicly available news articles on our website.

Please avoid submitting sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for your inquiry and you are comfortable sharing it with us.

B. Newsletter Information

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we may collect your email address and, if requested, your name or other subscription information.

We use this information to send newsletters, news updates, announcements, and other communications associated with the subscription you requested.

You may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link included in our emails, where available, or by contacting us directly.

Unsubscribing will stop future newsletter communications, although we may retain limited information necessary to record your preference and prevent further unwanted emails.

C. Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically by our website, hosting infrastructure, analytics services, and other technologies.

Depending on the technologies in use, this information may include:

• Your IP address.
• Browser type and version.
• Device type and operating system.
• Language preferences.
• Pages and articles you visit.
• The date and time of your visit.
• The website or source that referred you to us.
• General information about how you navigate and interact with our website.
• Cookie identifiers and similar online identifiers.

We use this information primarily to operate, maintain, secure, and improve our website and understand how visitors engage with our content.

D. Comments and Public Contributions

Some website features may allow visitors to comment on articles or submit other public contributions.

When commenting features are available, we may collect the information entered into the comment form, such as your name, email address, website address if requested, and the content of your comment.

We may also collect technical information, including your IP address and browser information, to help detect spam, prevent abuse, and maintain website security.

If you submit a comment, some information, such as your displayed name and comment, may be publicly visible to other visitors.

Please do not include private, confidential, or sensitive personal information in public comments.

We may moderate, remove, or restrict comments that violate our policies or applicable law.

If commenting features are not enabled on the website, this section describes how information will be handled if those features are introduced in the future.

3. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and may use similar technologies to support website functionality, remember preferences, analyze website traffic, and improve the visitor experience.

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by a website or service.

Depending on the configuration of our website, cookies may serve the following purposes:

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for certain website functions, security measures, or the proper operation of website features.

Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website, including which pages are visited, how visitors navigate the site, and how our content performs.

Google Analytics may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about website usage.

Preference and Other Cookies

Depending on the features and services enabled on our website, cookies may be used to remember visitor preferences or support additional functionality.

We use a cookie-consent management tool to help manage cookie preferences and provide information about our use of cookies.

Where required by applicable law, non-essential cookies and similar technologies will be used only after the necessary consent has been obtained.

You can manage your cookie preferences through the cookie-consent controls available on our website, where provided. You may also be able to manage or delete cookies through your browser settings.

Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of some website features.

Please note that blocking cookies in your browser does not necessarily disable all forms of analytics or other data collection.

4. Google Analytics and Google Site Kit

We use Google Analytics, integrated into our WordPress website through Google Site Kit, to measure website traffic and understand how visitors interact with our content.

These services may collect information such as:

• Pages viewed and interactions with website content.
• Approximate geographic information derived from technical data.
• Browser, device, and operating system information.
• Referral sources and website navigation patterns.
• Information about the duration and frequency of visits.
• Online identifiers and other analytics information.

We use these insights to improve our reporting, understand audience interests, identify technical issues, and make informed decisions about our website.

Google processes analytics information in accordance with its applicable terms and privacy practices. Depending on our configuration and Google’s services, information may be processed or disclosed to Google for purposes associated with providing analytics and related services.

We do not intend to use Google Analytics to identify individual visitors personally. However, information collected through analytics technologies may be considered personal information under applicable law.

You can learn more about Google’s data practices through the Google Privacy Policy:

https://policies.google.com/privacy

You can also learn about Google’s available analytics controls and opt-out options here:

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

The availability and effectiveness of particular controls may depend on your device, browser, and the services in use.

5. How We Use Your Information

We may use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To operate and maintain our website.
• To respond to questions, inquiries, feedback, and messages.
• To send newsletters and communications that you have requested.
• To receive and review news tips, community announcements, and story submissions.
• To manage participation in our media programs and other activities.
• To understand audience engagement and improve our news coverage.
• To analyze website traffic and performance.
• To detect spam, fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, and other security threats.
• To maintain the reliability and security of our website.
• To enforce our website policies and protect our rights.
• To comply with applicable legal obligations.
• To establish, exercise, or defend legal claims where necessary.

We will use personal information only for purposes that are consistent with the circumstances in which it was collected or otherwise permitted by applicable law.

6. How We Share Information

PAHNA Media does not sell personal information in exchange for money.

We may disclose personal information in the following circumstances.

A. Service Providers

We may share information with third-party service providers that help us operate our website and provide our services.

These providers may include:

• Website hosting and infrastructure providers.
• WordPress-related service providers.
• Google Analytics and Google Site Kit services.
• Email delivery and newsletter management providers.
• Cookie-consent management providers.
• Spam prevention, security, and website maintenance providers.

These providers may process information on our behalf or as independent service providers, depending on the service and applicable arrangements.

We seek to use appropriate safeguards for information shared with service providers.

B. External Donation Platforms

Our website may include links or buttons that direct visitors to external platforms, such as PayPal, to make donations supporting PAHNA Media.

When you click a donation link and visit an external platform, your interaction is subject to that platform’s own terms and privacy policy.

Payment information, billing details, and other information you submit directly to the external platform are generally collected and processed by that platform under its applicable practices.

PAHNA Media does not intentionally collect or store your complete payment card details through our website when donations are processed entirely by an external payment provider.

We encourage you to review the privacy policy of the payment provider before submitting personal or financial information.

C. Legal and Safety Requirements

We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or valid government requests.
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of PAHNA Media, our visitors, or others.
• Investigate suspected fraud, security incidents, or unlawful activity.
• Enforce our legal rights or defend against legal claims.

D. Business or Organizational Changes

If PAHNA Media undergoes a merger, restructuring, transfer of operations, or similar organizational change, information may be transferred as part of that process, subject to applicable legal requirements.

E. Publicly Submitted Content

If you voluntarily publish a comment or other contribution through a public feature of our website, the information you choose to publish may be visible to other visitors and potentially accessible through search engines or other third-party services.

We do not control how other people use information that you voluntarily make public.

7. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to external websites, social media platforms, payment providers, embedded media, or other third-party services.

These services may collect information about you when you visit their websites or interact with their content.

PAHNA Media does not control the privacy practices, security, or content of third-party websites.

A link to an external service does not mean that we endorse its privacy practices.

We recommend reviewing the privacy policy and applicable terms of any third-party service before providing personal information.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Retention periods depend on the type of information and why it was collected.

For example:

• Contact form submissions may be retained as long as necessary to respond to inquiries, maintain relevant correspondence, and address related matters.
• Newsletter information may be retained while you remain subscribed and for a limited period afterward where necessary to maintain unsubscribe records or comply with legal obligations.
• Website analytics information may be retained according to the retention settings of our analytics services.
• Security logs and technical records may be retained for a period appropriate to security, troubleshooting, and legal requirements.
• Public comments, when enabled, may remain published until they are removed or no longer needed.

When information is no longer necessary, we will take reasonable steps to delete it, anonymize it, or otherwise dispose of it appropriately, subject to applicable legal and operational requirements.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, and disclosure.

These measures may include website security controls, access restrictions, software updates, and other safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information we process.

However, no website, online service, or method of electronic transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted to or stored by our website.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have certain rights concerning your personal information.

These rights may include the right to:

• Request access to personal information we maintain about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Request deletion of personal information, subject to applicable exceptions.
• Request information about our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.
• Receive information about the categories of personal information we collect and the purposes for which it is used.
• Opt out of certain processing activities where applicable law provides that right.
• Withdraw consent for processing activities that rely on your consent.
• Unsubscribe from marketing or newsletter communications.
• Exercise applicable privacy rights without unlawful discrimination or retaliation.

The availability and scope of these rights depend on applicable law and the circumstances of your request.

California Privacy Rights

Because PAHNA Media is based in California, certain California privacy laws may apply to our collection and processing of personal information.

Eligible California residents may have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, subject to applicable requirements and exceptions.

These rights may include the right to know about personal information collected, used, or disclosed; request access to or deletion of eligible personal information; request correction of inaccurate information; and opt out of certain sales or sharing of personal information.

California law also provides protections against discrimination for exercising applicable privacy rights.

The applicability of particular rights and obligations depends on the circumstances and the requirements of the law.

PAHNA Media does not sell personal information for monetary consideration. However, certain uses of analytics, advertising, or third-party tracking technologies may qualify as “sharing” or other regulated processing under applicable California law, depending on how those technologies are configured and used.

Where applicable law requires an opt-out mechanism or other privacy control, we will provide the required mechanism.

How to Exercise Your Rights

To submit a privacy request or ask a question about your personal information, contact us using the details provided in the Contact Us section below.

Please describe your request clearly so we can understand and respond to it.

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests. We will respond within the time required by applicable law.

We may decline or limit a request where permitted by law, including where an exception applies or where we cannot reasonably verify the request.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our website is intended for a general audience and is not specifically directed toward children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 without the legally required authorization.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us inappropriately, please contact us so that we can review the matter and take appropriate action.

Nothing in this section limits any obligations that may apply to us under children’s privacy laws.

12. International Visitors

PAHNA Media serves an audience that may include visitors from outside the United States.

If you access our website from another country, your information may be processed in the United States or other locations where our service providers operate.

Privacy and data-protection laws differ between jurisdictions. Where applicable law imposes additional requirements concerning international data transfers or the processing of personal information, we will take the steps required by that law.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our website, services, technologies, legal obligations, or data-handling practices.

When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page.

Where required by applicable law, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent before implementing changes that require it.

We encourage visitors to review this page periodically to stay informed about our privacy practices.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise an applicable privacy right, or have concerns about how your personal information is handled, you can contact us using the following details:

PAHNA Media

Location: Sacramento, California, United States

Email: info@pahnamedia.com

Phone: +1 832 283 0980

Website: https://pahnamedia.com/contact-us/

We will review privacy inquiries and respond as required by applicable law.