Privacy Policy

The Red Shirt Watch (“we”, “us”) operates the website at redshirtwatch.com, an independent Star Trek fan fiction publication. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have — with a specific focus on our Facebook integration, which is the only third-party social connection this website uses.

For instructions on requesting deletion of Facebook-related information, see our Data Deletion Instructions.

We do not require you to create an account or sign in to read stories or browse the website. We do not intentionally collect personal information from readers.

Our hosting provider may automatically process basic technical information — such as IP addresses, browser type, and access logs — as necessary to operate, secure, and maintain the website. This information is not used to identify individual readers.

The Red Shirt Watch connects to Facebook through Meta’s official authorization flow so that the website owner can automatically share newly published stories to the owner’s own Facebook Page. This integration is initiated and controlled solely by the website owner (the person who manages the Facebook Page). It is never offered to or used by general visitors.

When the owner authorizes the connection, we request these Facebook permissions:

• pages_show_list — to display the list of Facebook Pages the owner manages so they can choose which Page to connect.
• pages_manage_posts — to create feed posts on the selected Page when a story is published.
• pages_read_engagement — required by Meta to allow the app to publish link posts that render the story’s preview.

Through these permissions we receive, from Facebook, the following information about the Pages the authorizing user manages:

• The Facebook Page ID of each Page the user manages.
• The Facebook Page name of each Page the user manages.
• A long-lived Page access token for the single Page the owner selects.

We do not access your personal Facebook profile posts, your friends list, your messages, your email address, or any other personal account data. The integration is scoped to the Pages you manage and to publishing posts on the Page you choose.

The Facebook information we receive is used only for these purposes:

• To show the owner the list of their Facebook Pages so they can select which one to connect.
• To create a feed post on the connected Page when the owner publishes a story. The post contains the story title, a short excerpt, and the public link to the story on redshirtwatch.com. The post template is editable by the owner.
• To send a single test post to the connected Page when the owner requests one, so the owner can verify the integration works.

We do not use Facebook information for advertising, profiling, selling data, or sharing it with any third party.

The Facebook App credentials (App ID and App Secret) and the connected Page’s access token are stored entirely server-side, in our application’s secure environment configuration. They are:

• Never sent to the browser or embedded in the public website.
• Never included in logs.
• Never shared with any third party.
• Used only to make the authorized Page feed posts described above.

The Page access token is a long-lived Page token issued by Meta. Only the connected Page’s name is shown in the owner’s admin console — the token itself is never displayed.

The Facebook Page ID, Page name, and Page access token for the connected Page are stored in our server-side environment configuration so the integration survives a restart. They are retained until the owner disconnects the Page, at which point they are removed (see the next section and our Data Deletion Instructions).

When a story is posted to Facebook, we record an internal flag on the story indicating it has been posted, so we do not create duplicate posts. This flag is internal to our content management and does not contain any Facebook personal data.

Posts created on the Facebook Page are stored on Facebook’s servers under the Page’s own account and are subject to Facebook’s data practices. We do not store a copy of posted content beyond what already exists as the published story on this website.

The website owner can disconnect the Facebook Page at any time from the admin console. Disconnecting clears the stored Facebook Page ID, Page name, and Page access token from our server-side configuration, which removes our ability to post to that Page.

Any Facebook user who authorized this app may also request deletion of their Facebook-related information by following the steps on our Data Deletion Instructions page. We do not automatically delete posts that have already been published to the Facebook Page — those posts remain on Facebook under the Page’s control and can be removed by the Page manager directly on Facebook.

The website may use cookies or similar technologies necessary for normal website operation and for the owner’s authenticated admin session. If analytics or additional tracking services are added in the future, this policy will be updated to describe their use.

The Red Shirt Watch does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The Facebook integration is used only by the adult website owner and is not directed at minors.

This Privacy Policy may be updated as the website or the Facebook integration changes. The current version will always be posted at this page with its most recent revision date.

Questions about this Privacy Policy or requests regarding Facebook data may be sent to privacy@redshirtwatch.com. We will respond to deletion requests within a reasonable timeframe, generally within 30 days.