Privacy Policy
Last Updated & Effective: September 24, 2026
MN CRIME LLC is committed to protecting visitor privacy and ensuring transparency about data collection. This policy outlines what information is gathered, how it is used, and how your privacy is safeguarded when visiting our website, engaging on social media, or using our services.
Data Collection
We may collect the following information to enhance your experience and ensure proper functioning:
- Browser Information: Details about your browser, network, and device including IP address, browser type, and device identifiers
- Usage Data: Information about how you use the website including pages visited, clicks, search terms, timestamps, and scrolling activity
- Referral Information: Data about web pages visited before arriving at our site
- Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and authentication data through our identity provider (Clerk)
- Subscription Data: If you subscribe to a paid plan, payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store credit card numbers on our servers.
Tipline. When you submit a tip we collect what you enter and the network address the tip came from. What you enter may include a photo and contact information you choose to give. We use the network address to stop abuse of the tipline and we never publish it. We share information about who sent a tip only in four cases: with the sender's consent, when the law requires it, to prevent imminent harm to someone's safety and to report to police a tip that threatens or harasses someone.
Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to analyze traffic, manage user sessions, and improve our services. We use:
- Necessary Cookies: Essential for secure authentication and proper website functioning
- Analytics and Performance Cookies: Used to track visitor activity and analyze site performance
- Authentication Cookies: Managed by Clerk to maintain your login session
Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services that may collect and process visitor data:
- Clerk: Authentication and user management
- Stripe: Payment processing for subscriptions
- Supabase: Database hosting and data storage
- Vercel: Website hosting and analytics
- Google Analytics: Website traffic and usage measurement
- Sentry: Error and performance monitoring
- Resend: Transactional and news update email delivery
- Google Workspace: SMTP delivery for the MN CRIME Weekly Digest and other outbound email via smtp.gmail.com from contact@mncrime.com
- Mediavine: Programmatic advertising management — see the dedicated section below
- Grow by Mediavine: On-site engagement and subscription widgets
- Embedded Content: YouTube videos and other embedded media may collect visit information
Each third-party service has its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review them.
Analytics
We collect information such as visitor behavior, browser types, and referral sources to improve our site and monitor activity.
Newsletter and Email Communications
When you subscribe to the MN CRIME Weekly Digest or other email updates, we collect your email address, your subscription preferences, the date you signed up and the referral source that brought you to the signup form. If we later add open and click analytics to our email system, we will track those aggregate engagement events as well. We use this information to send you the weekly summary of newsworthy Minnesota criminal filings, court case updates and occasional promotional content.
We do not read the contents of your inbox, and we do not collect data on whether you forward our emails or who you forward them to. Email delivery is handled through Google Workspace using smtp.gmail.com, which means message headers and delivery metadata pass through Google as our SMTP provider.
Every marketing email includes a one-click unsubscribe option using the RFC 8058 List-Unsubscribe header, along with a plain-text unsubscribe link pointing to /account/unsubscribe. Transactional emails such as account confirmations and subscription receipts cannot be unsubscribed from.
When you unsubscribe, your email address is moved to a suppression list for 30 days so we can confirm no further mail is sent to it. After that window, the address is replaced with a one-way hash so we can continue to honor the opt-out without retaining the plain address. You can request full deletion of your record at any time by emailing contact@mncrime.com.
Case Paywall Email Capture
When you enter your email on a case-page paywall to receive a free preview of that case, we collect the email address, the IP address the request originated from, and contextual metadata about the case you were viewing: the case identifier (“case slug”), the defendant's name as published by the court, the county, and the top listed charge. This metadata is attached to your newsletter-subscriber record so we can send the case-specific preview email and segment nurture communications by the type of case you first engaged with.
This metadata is shared with Resend to send the immediate preview email. You may request deletion of the record at any time by emailing contact@mncrime.com.
Advertising
MN CRIME is supported by advertising. We work with third-party advertising partners including Mediavine. These partners and their own vendors use cookies and similar technologies to deliver advertising, measure its performance and, in many cases, select advertisements based on your interests and your activity across other websites. This is commonly called interest-based or cross-context behavioral advertising.
The information our advertising partners may collect or receive includes your IP address, device and browser information, general location, the pages you view on this site and identifiers stored in cookies. We do not give advertisers your name, your email address or your subscription records.
You can limit interest-based advertising through the industry opt-out tools at optout.networkadvertising.org and optout.aboutads.info, and through your browser and device settings. These tools are operated by third parties and we do not control them.
Paid subscribers on any tier are served no advertisements at all, and the advertising scripts are not loaded for them.
Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)
The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.
First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The "help" feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.
Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.
The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:
- IP Address
- Operating System type
- Operating System version
- Device Type
- Language of the website
- Web browser type
- Email (in hashed form)
Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.
If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.
For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.
Data Licensing and API
Our Data Feed API logs usage data including API key identifiers, request parameters, IP addresses, and response metadata. This data is used for rate limiting, billing, and service improvement. API usage data is not shared with third parties.
Purchase Information
For subscription purchases, we collect:
- Name, email, and phone number
- Billing address
- Subscription details
Payment information is processed directly by Stripe and is never stored on our servers.
Security and Data Protection
We value your trust and take data security seriously. We use industry-standard practices including secure storage, encryption in transit (HTTPS), and regular security audits. No internet transmission method guarantees absolute security.
Data Retention
We retain personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, and in compliance with applicable law. Current retention periods are:
- Ad impression and click logs, including IP address: 90 days, after which records are deleted or fully anonymized
- Data Feed API usage logs, including IP address: 30 days for rate limiting, billing, and abuse detection
- Newsletter subscribers (email and signup IP address): retained while the subscription is active. On unsubscribe, the address is held in a 30-day suppression window and then replaced with a one-way hash so we can continue to honor the opt-out without retaining the plain address
- Case-paywall email captures: stored on the associated newsletter-subscriber record and follow the same retention and deletion rules
- Account data (managed by Clerk): retained while your account is active; deleted within 30 days of account closure, subject to legal or accounting holds
- Subscription and billing records (managed by Stripe): retained for up to 7 years for tax and audit compliance
- Published case data, charging documents, and other public-record material: retained indefinitely as part of our published reporting, subject to our Redaction Policy
You may request earlier deletion at any time by emailing contact@mncrime.com, subject to legal and operational exceptions (for example, outstanding billing, active investigations, or tax recordkeeping requirements).
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Request access to personal information we hold about you
- Request corrections or updates to your information
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal and operational requirements
- Opt out of marketing communications
- Request export of your data in a portable format
To exercise these rights, contact us at contact@mncrime.com.
Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
MN CRIME is written for readers in the United States. If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) give you the right to:
- Know what personal information we collect, use and share (disclosed above)
- Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal and operational exceptions
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information
- Limit the use of sensitive personal information
- Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights
Our advertising partners use personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, which California law treats as sharing and may also treat as a sale. We do not receive money in exchange for handing over lists of readers, and we do not give advertisers your name, email address or subscription records.
To opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, email privacy@mncrime.com with the subject line “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.” You can also use the industry opt-out tools linked in the Advertising section above and your browser privacy settings.
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@mncrime.com with the subject line “California Privacy Request” and tell us which right you want to exercise. We will verify your identity by confirming the email address matches an account or subscription record, and respond within 45 days as required by law (we may extend once by an additional 45 days if needed, with notice to you).
Browser Privacy Signals
Some browsers send privacy signals such as Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. There is no industry consensus on Do Not Track and we do not act on it. You can control cookies and tracking through your browser settings and through the advertising opt-out tools linked above.
Children's Privacy
Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided personal information, we will take steps to delete it.
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be updated to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The most current version will always be available on this page with the effective date clearly stated.
Contact
Questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy? Contact us at contact@mncrime.com
MN CRIME LLC
202 N. Cedar Ave. Ste. #1
Owatonna, MN 55060