GraniteCitizen.com and ILSider.com / ILSide.comEffective Date: January 23, 2026
618 Digital, Inc. ("we," "us," or "our") operates GraniteCitizen.com, ILSider.com, and ILSide.com (collectively, the "Sites"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our Sites, subscribe to our newsletters, create an account, purchase services, attend our events, or otherwise interact with us.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about our data practices. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using our Sites or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Contact Information:
618 Digital, Inc.
Michael Halbrook, PO Box 43, Granite City, IL 62040
Email: [email protected]
We collect information you voluntarily provide to us, including:
Account Information: When you create an account to comment on articles, submit event listings, or manage business directory listings, we collect your name, email address, username, and password. For business directory accounts, we may also collect business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and business description.
Payment Information: When you purchase paid listings, subscriptions, or event tickets, our payment processor (Stripe) collects your payment card information. We do not store complete credit card numbers on our servers. We receive confirmation of payment and may retain the last four digits of your card number for reference purposes.
Event Registration: When you register for or attend events we organize, we collect your name, email address, and any other information necessary for event participation.
Communications: When you contact us via email or through our Sites, we collect the information you provide in your messages.
User-Generated Content: When you submit event listings, business directory information, comments on articles, or other content, we collect that content along with associated metadata.
When you visit our Sites, we automatically collect certain information through cookies and similar technologies:
Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors use our Sites, including pages visited, time spent on pages, referring websites, browser type, device type, operating system, and general geographic location (city/region level). Google Analytics uses cookies to collect this information. You can learn more about Google Analytics' data practices at https://policies.google.com/privacy and opt out at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Email Analytics: We use Beehiiv for email newsletter delivery and web hosting. Beehiiv collects information about email opens, link clicks, page views and sessions, and subscriber engagement. This helps us understand which content resonates with our readers.
Social Media Pixels and Advertising: We may use pixels and tracking technologies from social media platforms (such as Facebook/Meta, Instagram, and others) and advertising networks to measure the effectiveness of our advertising, deliver targeted advertisements, and understand how users interact with our content after seeing our ads. These third parties may collect information about your online activities over time and across different websites.
Server Logs: Our web servers automatically record information including your IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages, and timestamps.
We may receive information about you from third parties, including:
Social media platforms when you interact with our content or log in using social media credentials
Payment processors regarding transaction status
Advertising partners regarding ad performance and audience insights
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
Providing Our Services: To operate the Sites, deliver newsletters, process account registrations, publish user-submitted content, process payments, and facilitate event registrations.
Communications: To send you newsletters you have subscribed to, respond to your inquiries, send transactional emails (such as payment confirmations and account notifications), and provide customer support.
Sponsor Communications: We may send emails to our subscriber list that include messages from sponsors or advertisers. These emails are sent by us - we do not share your email address directly with sponsors. You may opt out of marketing emails at any time.
Improvement and Analytics: To analyze how our Sites are used, understand our audience, improve our content and services, and develop new features.
Advertising: To deliver targeted advertisements on our Sites and on third-party platforms, measure advertising effectiveness, and build custom audiences for advertising purposes.
Safety and Security: To protect the security and integrity of our Sites, detect and prevent fraud, enforce our Terms of Service, and comply with legal obligations.
Events: To organize and manage events, communicate with attendees, and use photos/videos from events as described in this policy.
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information and improve our services. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us recognize you and remember your preferences.
Types of Cookies We Use:
Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Sites to function, such as maintaining your logged-in session
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our Sites (Google Analytics)
Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and track ad campaign performance
Social Media Cookies: Enable social sharing features and may track your activity
Your Cookie Choices: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through browser settings. You can typically set your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. However, some features of our Sites may not function properly without cookies.
Do Not Track: Our Sites do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals.
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:
Service Providers: We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including:
Beehiiv (email newsletter delivery)
Stripe (payment processing)
Google Analytics (website analytics)
Web hosting providers
Advertising platforms
These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only as necessary to provide services to us.
Public Content: Information you submit for publication - including business directory listings, event listings, and comments on articles - will be publicly visible on our Sites. Please do not include sensitive personal information in public submissions.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a legal request.
Business Transfers: If 618 Digital, Inc. is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control.
With Your Consent: We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.
Important: We Do Not Sell or Rent Email Lists. We do not sell, rent, or share our email subscriber lists with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.
Our Sites may contain links to third-party websites and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:
Account Information: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter
Payment Records: Retained as required for tax and accounting purposes (typically seven years)
Email Subscriber Information: Retained until you unsubscribe
Analytics Data: Retained according to our analytics providers' standard retention periods
User-Generated Content: Retained unless you request deletion or we remove it pursuant to our Terms of Service
Email Communications: You may unsubscribe from our newsletters at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any email or by contacting us directly.
Account Information: You may update your account information by logging into your account or by contacting us.
Deletion Requests: You may request deletion of your account and personal information by contacting us at [email protected]. Please note that we may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.
California Residents: If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. As noted above, we do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us at [email protected].
Illinois Residents: Illinois law provides certain protections for personal information. To exercise any rights you may have under Illinois law, contact us at [email protected].
When you attend events organized by 618 Digital, Inc., you consent to being photographed and/or recorded on video. By attending our events, you grant us permission to use your likeness in photographs and videos for promotional purposes, including on our Sites, social media, newsletters, and marketing materials.
If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please notify event staff upon arrival. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate such requests, though we cannot guarantee complete exclusion from crowd shots or general event footage.
Our Sites are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please do not provide any personal information through our Sites. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at [email protected].
Users must be at least 13 years old to create an account or subscribe to our newsletters.
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.
Our Sites are operated in the United States. If you are located outside the United States, please be aware that information you provide to us will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using our Sites, you consent to this transfer.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised "Effective Date." We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our Sites after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
For material changes, we may provide additional notice, such as an email notification to registered users or a prominent notice on our Sites.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
618 Digital, Inc.
Michael Halbrook PO Box 43 Granite City, IL 62040
Email: [email protected]
This Privacy Policy was last updated on January 23, 2026.