We document our advertising tracking, Consent Mode v2 signals, and data retention parameters with total transparency.

These operational disclosures took effect on October 13, 2026. This date establishes the current standard for our data handling protocols, paid search parameters, Consent Mode v2 implementations, and user request response obligations across all digital properties under malapropsbookstore.com.

Any previous privacy notices issued prior to October 13, 2026 are superseded by this binding document. All revisions remain archived in our Haywood Street records and are accessible upon inquiry.

The data controller responsible for personal information processed on this website is Malapropsbookstore, trading publicly at malapropsbookstore.com.

Our verified operational headquarters is located at:

Our website code records specific, enumerated categories of data. We do not maintain user accounts, passwords, or stored payment card credentials on this domain.

• Inquiry Form Data: When you transmit a request via totud78.php, our database stores your full name, telephone number (if provided), email address (if provided), physical address (if provided), inquiry kind (curation, book-order, author-event, cafe-catering, or general), personal message notes, technical event specifications, and affirmative consent checkbox.
• Automated Transmission Telemetry: Alongside form inputs, our server records your IP address, browser user-agent string, referring URL, timestamp of page rendering, and timestamp of transmission.
• Support Chat Dialogues: When initiating communication via heji65f.php, the server records the chat transcript and issues a local browser token allowing continuity between visits.
• Storage Preference Tokens: Your consent preference is stored locally under the single cookie key site_consent_v2.
• Paid Advertising Click Identifiers: Inbound advertising links dynamically pass platform tracking strings including Google Ads click ID (gclid), Microsoft Advertising click ID (msclkid), and Meta Ads click ID (fbclid).

Because we run an inquiry-only commercial model with no online cart or checkout checkout portal, no payment card details, banking data, or credit card numbers ever touch our web servers.

Every data point gathered through our digital channels is mapped to a direct business operation:

1. Inquiry Fulfillment: Answering patron requests for book availability, publisher trade ordering, Appalachian collections, and institutional supply quotes.
2. Author Event Coordination: Managing attendee seat capacity (65 seated chairs), private bookstore floor reservations, and sound equipment staging.
3. Espresso Bar Hospitality: Scoping cafe catering requirements for private readings and community gatherings.
4. Paid Advertising Measurement: Verifying traffic performance and conversions originating from Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and Meta Ads.
5. Infrastructure Security: Preventing malicious form spam, honeypot scanning, automated scraping, and unauthorized server intrusion.

Under European data protection standards and comparable US statutes, our data processing activities rely on distinct legal grounds:

This website is an active destination for paid commercial acquisition. We actively run campaigns across major advertising platforms in the present tense:

• google ads: Google campaigns append the click identifier gclid to landing page destination URLs. This identifier connects the ad interaction to downstream on-site inquiry submissions.
• microsoft advertising: Bing and Microsoft network campaigns append the click identifier msclkid to destination links to assess campaign performance and merchant store engagement.
• Meta Ads: Facebook and Instagram campaigns append the click identifier fbclid to landing URLs for traffic verification and conversion reporting.

These platforms receive technical telemetry strictly when required consent states are met. Neither Google, Microsoft, nor Meta has reviewed, approved, or endorsed our business operations.

Our site implements Google consent mode v2. Prior to any visitor interaction with our consent dialog, the following four telemetry parameters are initialized and strictly held as denied:

• ad_storage: Denied (no advertising cookie persistence permitted).
• ad_user_data: Denied (no transmission of user identifiers to advertising platforms).
• ad_personalization: Denied (no remarketing or audience profile building permitted).
• analytics_storage: Denied (no first-party or third-party statistical cookies created).

Only when a visitor actively clicks "Accept Storage" are these four flags updated to granted. If a visitor declines or later revokes consent via our settings control, all four flags immediately reset to denied, terminating further tracking and data propagation.

We share personal information solely with third-party service providers required for core digital operations:

• Google LLC / Google Ireland Ltd: Operates Google Ads measurement and receives Consent Mode signals.
• Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd / Microsoft Corporation: Operates Microsoft Advertising infrastructure. Review their processing practices via the official Microsoft Privacy Statement at https://privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement.
• Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd / Meta Platforms, Inc.: Manages Meta Ads attribution when campaigns operate across social channels.
• Web Infrastructure & Hosting Provider: Provides secure hosting for our static assets and MySQL inquiry storage.
• Transactional Email Gateway: Relays incoming inquiry notifications directly to our booksellers' Haywood Street inbox.

Our primary servers are stationed within the United States. When visitors access our site from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or other international territories, data transmission occurs across borders.

Transfers to third-party processors operating internationally are governed by standard contractual clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, ensuring equivalent protections for fundamental privacy rights regardless of physical server location.

We do not retain customer data indefinitely. Every category of information follows an exact, binding retention schedule:

We safeguard stored inquiries through rigorous technical and administrative controls:

• Encryption in Transit: All web traffic is forced across HTTPS using modern Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3).
• Database Protection: Inquiry records are maintained behind administrative firewalls with strict role-based access restricted to authorized bookstore managers.
• Automated Spam Defense: Ingestion scripts employ honeypot inputs (agency and weblink) alongside timestamp verification to stop automated bot injections without invasive CAPTCHA hurdles.
• Minimal Data Footprint: We deliberately store no financial credentials, passwords, or personal account profiles.

If you reside in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you maintain statutory protections under the gdpr:

1. Right of Access: Request a full copy of the personal information we maintain regarding your inquiries.
2. Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete contact records.
3. Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request immediate deletion of your inquiry submissions from our database.
4. Right to Restrict Processing: Request suspension of data processing while a dispute is resolved.
5. Right to Data Portability: Obtain your submitted data in a structured, commonly used machine-readable format.
6. Right to Object: Object at any time to processing predicated upon legitimate interests or direct marketing.
7. Right to Withdraw Consent: Revoke consent at any moment via our footer consent control without affecting previous lawful processing.

Residents of California and other states with comprehensive data privacy laws exercise specific statutory privileges under the ccpa and state privacy acts:

• Right to Know and Access: Request disclosure of the exact categories and specific pieces of personal information collected.
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of personal information collected directly from you, subject to legal record retention requirements.
• Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal contact details.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: We do not sell personal data for monetary compensation. However, because paid ad platform tracking may constitute "sharing" under California law, our consent architecture allows you to opt out entirely.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We do not alter service availability, book pricing, or event access based on your exercise of statutory rights.

Our website client script inspects the browser Sec-GPC header and Navigator property. If your browser broadcasts a valid global privacy control signal:

Our consent engine automatically treats the transmission as an affirmative, binding request to opt out of advertising tracking and non-essential analytics storage. In this case, ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization, and analytics_storage remain locked in denied state without presenting recurring consent banners.

While Malaprop's welcomes young readers to our physical bookstore with their families, our digital website and online forms are not directed to children under 16 years of age.

We never knowingly gather or solicit personal details from minors. If we discover that an inquiry form was submitted by a child under 16 without verified parental consent, we permanently delete the corresponding submission within 24 hours.

If you believe our data processing violates applicable privacy laws, you possess the statutory right to lodge an official complaint with an oversight agency. The visitor may complain to their state Attorney General, and to the California Privacy Protection Agency in California.

• North Carolina Residents: The Attorney General of North Carolina, Consumer Protection Division, 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699.
• California Residents: California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) or the Attorney General of California.
• Other US Residents: Your state Attorney General consumer protection bureau.
• European Visitors: The national Data Protection Authority (DPA) in the member state where you reside or work.

To exercise any of your statutory privacy rights—including requesting copies of past inquiries, demanding deletion of contact records, or verifying ad tracking state—submit a written request directly to our desk:

We charge zero fees for processing routine privacy requests and verify requester identities using matching email or phone confirmations.

We review our privacy commitments periodically to maintain alignment with advertising platform policies, search engine requirements, and emerging state or international regulations.

Any updates take effect immediately upon publication. Substantive modifications that alter how previously collected data is processed will be accompanied by an updated effective date at the top of this document.

Questions regarding this privacy statement, Consent Mode v2 configurations, or our bookseller operations should be addressed to our downtown floor team:

Malapropsbookstore
55 Haywood St, Asheville, North Carolina 28801, Asheville, North Carolina, United States
Telephone: 828-254-6734
Electronic Mail: [email protected]

This policy is governed by the law of North Carolina, United States, with disputes heard in the courts of Asheville.

Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe is committed to digital inclusivity. We construct our static web interfaces to conform with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA:

• Semantic Markup: Pages utilize hierarchical HTML landmarks, unique page headings, and native interactive elements.
• Contrast Ratios: Contrast ratios for bone white typography on our deep petrol ground exceed 7:1, surpassing standard AA requirements.
• Keyboard Navigation: All interactive buttons, links, form controls, and disclosure toggles are navigable via standard Tab and Enter key commands with visible focus indicators.
• Reduced Motion Support: The CSS architecture explicitly honors the prefers-reduced-motion media query, neutralizing non-essential scroll animations and ticker transitions for sensitive patrons.

If you encounter an accessibility obstacle while browsing our site, please contact us at 828-254-6734 or [email protected] for immediate accommodation.