Last Updated: April 2, 2026
1. Introduction
In The Know Houston (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website intheknowhouston.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a form, or otherwise interact with our content and services. By using this website, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the site.
2. Who We Are
In The Know Houston is a locally owned and operated digital magazine and blog based in Houston, Texas. We publish editorial content focused on local restaurants, businesses, neighborhoods, events, history, and culture. We are not a licensed professional services firm and do not provide legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice.
3. Information We Collect
We collect information in two ways: information you provide directly and information collected automatically when you visit our site.
Information You Provide When you interact with us through forms, email, or other direct communication, we may collect your name, email address, phone number (if provided), subject or reason for contacting us, and any additional information you include in your message. If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect the email address you provide at the time of signup. We do not require you to create an account to use this website.
Information Collected Automatically When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and similar tracking technologies. This may include your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, referring URL or search terms that led you to our site, pages you visit and how long you spend on each page, date and time of your visit, and general geographic location based on your IP address. This information is collected in aggregate and is used to understand how visitors use our site and to improve our content and performance. For more details on how we use cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes: to respond to your inquiries, messages, or feedback, to send you our newsletter if you have subscribed, to analyze website traffic and user behavior to improve our content and user experience, to serve and measure the effectiveness of advertisements displayed on our site, to detect and prevent spam, abuse, or unauthorized use of our website, and to comply with applicable legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your personal information for purposes unrelated to the operation of this website without your consent.
5. Newsletter and Email Communications
If you subscribe to the In The Know Houston newsletter, we will use your email address to send you periodic updates, new articles, local recommendations, and other Houston-related content. Every email we send will include an option to unsubscribe. If you choose to unsubscribe, we will remove your email address from our active mailing list promptly. We may use a third-party email service provider to manage and send our newsletters. These providers are bound by their own privacy policies and are only authorized to use your information for the purpose of delivering our emails.
6. Third-Party Services
We use certain third-party tools and services to operate and improve this website. These services may collect information about you independently. The third-party services we may use include:
Google Analytics — Used to collect anonymous data about website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics uses cookies and may collect your IP address, browser information, and browsing activity on our site. You can learn more at google.com/policies/privacy and opt out at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Google AdSense or Google Ad Manager — If we display advertising on our site, Google may use cookies to serve ads based on your browsing history and interests. You can manage your ad preferences at adssettings.google.com.
Email Marketing Platforms — We may use third-party tools to manage newsletter subscriptions and email communications. These tools may track whether emails are opened and which links are clicked to help us improve our content.
Social Media Platforms — Our site may include links to or embedded content from platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter). These platforms may collect data about you when you interact with their features on our site. Their data practices are governed by their own privacy policies.
Hosting and Infrastructure — Our website is hosted by a third-party provider that may collect server logs including your IP address, access times, and pages requested. This data is used for security and performance monitoring.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party service you interact with through our website.
7. Advertising
In The Know Houston may display advertisements on our website through third-party ad networks. These networks may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing activity across websites in order to serve you more relevant ads. This information may include your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and interactions with ads. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance at optout.aboutads.info or the Network Advertising Initiative at optout.networkadvertising.org. Opting out does not mean you will no longer see ads on our site. It means the ads you see may be less relevant to your interests.
8. Data Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances: with third-party service providers who assist in operating our website, sending emails, or analyzing traffic, and only to the extent necessary for them to perform those services; if required to do so by law, court order, subpoena, or other legal process; if necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of In The Know Houston, our users, or the public; and in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our business, in which case your information may be transferred to the new entity.
9. Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Contact form submissions and email correspondence are retained for up to 24 months unless a longer retention period is required by law or necessary for ongoing communication. Newsletter subscriber information is retained for as long as your subscription is active. If you unsubscribe, your email address will be removed from our active list, though it may be retained in backup systems for a limited time. Analytics data is retained in aggregated, anonymized form and is not linked to individual users.
10. Data Security
We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include the use of encrypted connections (HTTPS) across our website, secure storage of any personal data collected through forms or email, and limited access to personal information, restricted to individuals who need it to operate the site. However, no method of data transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You provide your information at your own risk.
11. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These may include the right to access the personal information we hold about you, the right to request correction of inaccurate information, the right to request deletion of your personal information, the right to opt out of certain data collection practices such as personalized advertising, and the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@intheknowhouston.com. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.
12. Texas Data Privacy and Security Act
As a business operating in the State of Texas, In The Know Houston is committed to complying with the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA), which took effect on July 1, 2024. Under the TDPSA, Texas residents have the right to confirm whether their personal data is being processed, to access their personal data, to correct inaccuracies in their personal data, to request deletion of their personal data, to obtain a copy of their personal data in a portable format, and to opt out of the processing of personal data for purposes of targeted advertising, sale of personal data, or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
To submit a request under the TDPSA, please contact us. We will verify your identity before processing your request and will respond within 45 days as required by law. If we need additional time, we will notify you of the extension and the reason for it. If we decline your request, you have the right to appeal by contacting us at the same email address. We will respond to your appeal within 60 days.
In The Know Houston does not sell personal data. We do not process personal data for the purpose of profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
13. Children’s Privacy
In The Know Houston does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. Our website is not directed at children, and we do not intentionally target minors with our content or services. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will take prompt steps to delete that information. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.
14. Links to Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, businesses, or services that are not owned or controlled by In The Know Houston. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit after leaving ours.
15. Do Not Track Signals
Some web browsers offer a “Do Not Track” feature that sends a signal to websites indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. There is currently no universal standard for how websites should respond to this signal. At this time, In The Know Houston does not respond to Do Not Track signals. We will update this policy if a standard is established in the future.
16. Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Texas and the United States of America. Any disputes arising from or related to this policy or your use of our website shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Harris County, Texas.
17. Changes to This Policy
In The Know Houston reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted to this page with a revised “Last Updated” date. If we make material changes to how we handle your personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you, such as through a prominent notice on our website or via email if you are a subscriber. Your continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
18. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact us.