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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 14, 2026

At Chicago Insider (“Chicago Insider,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), accessible at ChicagoInsider.com (the “Website”), we respect your privacy and are committed to handling personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect when you visit or interact with ChicagoInsider.com, how we may use and disclose that information, how we protect it, and the choices that may be available to you.

By accessing or using ChicagoInsider.com, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with our Website.

Information You Provide Directly

You may voluntarily provide information when you:

  • Contact us through our Website
  • Send us an email
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Submit a news tip or story idea
  • Submit comments or other content
  • Contact our editorial team
  • Contact us regarding advertising or business opportunities
  • Apply for an opportunity listed on the Website
  • Participate in surveys, promotions, or other interactive features

Depending on the interaction, information may include your:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Company or organization
  • Job title
  • Information contained in your message
  • Other information you voluntarily provide

You are not required to provide personal information simply to browse publicly available editorial content on ChicagoInsider.com.

2. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit ChicagoInsider.com, certain information may be collected automatically by our servers, hosting providers, analytics services, advertising partners, or other technologies used on the Website.

This information may include:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Device type
  • Screen or display information
  • Approximate geographic location
  • Referring website or webpage
  • Pages visited
  • Date and time of visits
  • Time spent on pages
  • Links and content with which you interact
  • General Website usage information

This information may be used in aggregate to understand how visitors use the Website and to maintain, secure, and improve our services.

3. Cookies and Similar Technologies

ChicagoInsider.com may use cookies, pixels, web beacons, local storage, and similar technologies.

These technologies may be used to:

  • Keep the Website functioning properly
  • Remember preferences
  • Understand Website traffic
  • Measure content engagement
  • Improve Website functionality
  • Analyze readership
  • Support advertising
  • Detect fraud or unauthorized activity
  • Improve the performance of our Website

Some cookies may be placed by third-party services that provide analytics, advertising, security, social-media, or other functionality.

You can generally control or disable cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of portions of the Website.

4. Analytics

Chicago Insider may use third-party analytics services to understand how visitors interact with the Website.

Analytics providers may collect information such as:

  • Browser and device information
  • IP address
  • Pages viewed
  • Referring pages
  • Approximate geographic information
  • General Website activity

We may use analytics information to:

  • Understand readership
  • Measure content performance
  • Improve our Website
  • Identify technical problems
  • Understand how visitors navigate the Website
  • Develop new features and services

Third-party analytics providers may have their own privacy policies governing their collection and use of information.

5. Advertising

ChicagoInsider.com may display advertising provided by Chicago Insider or third-party advertising partners.

Advertising partners may use cookies, pixels, web beacons, or similar technologies to:

  • Deliver advertisements
  • Measure advertising performance
  • Understand interactions with advertisements
  • Prevent advertising fraud
  • Provide personalized or interest-based advertising where permitted

Third-party advertising providers may collect information about your browser, device, Website activity, or interaction with advertisements.

The privacy practices of advertising providers are governed by their respective privacy policies.

We recommend reviewing the privacy policies and available privacy controls of advertising providers whose advertisements or services you interact with.

6. Newsletter and Email Communications

Chicago Insider provides newsletter functionality through which readers may voluntarily subscribe to receive updates and other communications.

If you subscribe, we may collect your email address and information necessary to manage your subscription.

We may use your information to:

  • Deliver newsletters
  • Manage your subscription
  • Send requested communications
  • Understand newsletter engagement
  • Improve our email communications

You may unsubscribe from marketing or newsletter communications at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism included in the relevant email or by contacting us.

We may continue to send certain non-promotional communications when necessary to respond to an inquiry or provide a service you have requested.

7. Contact Forms and Communications

If you contact Chicago Insider through a contact form, email, or another communication channel, we may retain the information you provide.

This may include your name, email address, message, contact information, and any other information you choose to provide.

We may use this information to:

  • Respond to your inquiry
  • Communicate with you
  • Investigate and resolve issues
  • Maintain appropriate business records
  • Improve our services

Please do not submit sensitive personal information through a general contact form unless specifically requested.

8. News Tips and Editorial Submissions

Chicago Insider may receive news tips, story ideas, documents, photographs, comments, or other information from readers and members of the public.

Please consider carefully what personal or confidential information you include in a submission.

Submitting information to Chicago Insider does not automatically guarantee confidentiality or publication.

If you require a particular level of confidentiality, please communicate that to our editorial team before submitting sensitive information.

Editorial submissions may be reviewed by our journalists, editors, contributors, or other authorized personnel for legitimate editorial purposes.

9. How We Use Information

We may use information collected through ChicagoInsider.com to:

  • Operate and maintain the Website
  • Respond to inquiries
  • Deliver newsletters
  • Communicate with readers
  • Process editorial submissions
  • Provide requested services
  • Understand Website traffic and readership
  • Improve editorial and digital products
  • Analyze Website performance
  • Maintain security
  • Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
  • Manage advertising and business relationships
  • Comply with applicable legal obligations
  • Protect our rights, property, and users

We will not use personal information for purposes materially different from those described in this Privacy Policy without appropriate notice or where otherwise permitted or required by law.

10. How We Share Information

We may share information in limited circumstances.

Service Providers

We may use third-party companies and service providers to support our operations, including providers of:

  • Website hosting
  • Content delivery
  • Analytics
  • Email and newsletter services
  • Website security
  • Advertising
  • Technical support
  • Data storage
  • Other business services

These providers may process information on our behalf as necessary to provide their services.

Legal Requirements

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

  • Comply with applicable law
  • Respond to lawful legal process
  • Comply with a court order or governmental request
  • Investigate fraud or unlawful activity
  • Protect the rights, property, or safety of Chicago Insider or others

Business Transactions

If Chicago Insider or substantially all of its assets are acquired, merged, reorganized, or transferred, information associated with the Website may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

11. Third-Party Websites and Links

ChicagoInsider.com may contain links to third-party websites and services.

These may include:

  • News organizations
  • Government websites
  • Social-media platforms
  • Advertisers
  • Technology providers
  • Research organizations
  • Travel services
  • Business websites
  • Other external resources

We do not control third-party websites and are not responsible for their content, security, privacy practices, policies, or services.

A link to a third-party website does not necessarily constitute an endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation by Chicago Insider.

Once you leave ChicagoInsider.com, the privacy policy and terms of the external website may apply.

12. Social Media and Embedded Content

ChicagoInsider.com may include links, widgets, videos, social-media posts, advertisements, or other embedded content supplied by third parties.

When you interact with such content, the relevant third party may collect information about your interaction.

Such collection is governed by the third party’s own privacy policy and terms.

13. User Comments and Community Features

If ChicagoInsider.com provides commenting or other community features, information associated with those activities may be collected and retained.

Users should avoid publishing personal information about themselves or others in public comments.

Chicago Insider may moderate, edit, restrict, or remove comments or other user-generated content in accordance with our editorial and community policies.

14. Advertising and Commercial Communications

Chicago Insider may have commercial relationships with advertisers, sponsors, partners, or other businesses.

Information submitted through advertising or business inquiry forms may be used to respond to requests, evaluate opportunities, communicate with businesses, and manage commercial relationships.

Advertising partners may independently collect information through technologies used in advertisements displayed on the Website.

Their collection and use of information are governed by their respective privacy policies.

15. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

However, no website, internet transmission, electronic storage system, or security measure can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Accordingly, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to or stored by us.

16. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, operate the Website, provide requested services, maintain appropriate business or editorial records, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and protect our legitimate interests.

The length of time information is retained may vary depending on its nature and the purpose for which it was collected.

When information is no longer reasonably required, we may delete, anonymize, or securely dispose of it, subject to applicable legal or operational requirements.

17. Children’s Privacy

ChicagoInsider.com is intended for a general audience.

We do not knowingly solicit personal information from children under 13 through the Website.

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

18. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information.

These may include the right to:

  • Request access to personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of certain personal information
  • Opt out of certain forms of targeted advertising or data sharing
  • Withdraw consent where applicable
  • Unsubscribe from marketing communications
  • Request information about how personal information is used or disclosed

The availability of these rights varies according to applicable law and the circumstances of the request.

We may need to verify your identity before processing certain privacy requests.

19. California Privacy Rights

If applicable to our business and your circumstances, California residents may have additional rights under California privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act and related amendments.

Depending on the circumstances, these rights may include rights relating to:

  • Access
  • Correction
  • Deletion
  • Opting out of certain sales or the sharing of personal information
  • Opting out of certain targeted advertising
  • Limiting certain uses of sensitive personal information where applicable

If these laws apply to Chicago Insider, we will provide legally required mechanisms for exercising applicable rights.

You may contact us using the information provided below to ask about applicable privacy rights.

20. Other U.S. State Privacy Laws

Depending on our business activities and your state of residence, additional state privacy laws may provide you with privacy rights.

These laws may include legislation applicable to residents of states such as Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Florida, New Jersey, and other states with applicable comprehensive privacy legislation.

Where required, Chicago Insider will provide applicable disclosures and mechanisms for exercising legally recognized privacy rights.

21. Do Not Track

Some web browsers offer a “Do Not Track” or similar privacy setting.

Because there is no universally accepted standard requiring websites to respond to all such signals, Chicago Insider may not respond to every browser-based Do Not Track setting.

Where applicable law requires us to recognize a legally valid privacy preference signal, we will process that signal as required by law.

22. International Visitors

Although Chicago Insider has a strong Chicago and U.S. editorial focus, ChicagoInsider.com may be accessed by readers around the world.

Information collected through the Website may therefore be processed or stored in countries where we, our service providers, or other third parties operate.

Privacy laws may differ between jurisdictions.

By using the Website, you acknowledge that information may be processed in jurisdictions outside your country of residence, subject to applicable legal requirements.

23. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:

  • Our Website
  • Our services
  • Technology
  • Business practices
  • Advertising relationships
  • Analytics practices
  • Applicable laws and regulations
  • Privacy practices

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

We encourage visitors to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

24. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or information we may hold about you, please contact us:

Chicago Insider
Website: ChicagoInsider.com
Email:
Mailing Address: 1941 Northwest Boulevard, Washington, Washington DC, 20005
Contact: 202-220-8754

If you are making a privacy rights request, please clearly state the nature of your request so we can respond appropriately.