Privacy policy

Last updated: October 2026

The UNIVERSTAR Observatory (hereafter “we”, “us”) runs this site, including the Paranormal Earth archive, the community forum and the submission desk. This page explains how we handle your information when you visit, register an account, submit an account of something strange, or post on the forum.

1. What we collect

  • What you give us: the username and email you register or sign in with; the location, story and byline you fill in when submitting; the content of your posts and comments.
  • What is collected automatically: IP address, browser and device type, pages visited and time spent, and similar log data, used for statistics and for preventing abuse.
  • Cookies: used to keep you signed in, to remember language and region preferences, and for basic visit statistics. You can turn cookies off in your browser, but signing in and posting will then stop working.

2. How we use it

  • To show and maintain the archive, the forum and your submissions;
  • To keep out spam and malicious behaviour;
  • To see which regions and categories are read most, so we know what to gather next;
  • To answer your emails (corrections, post removals, privacy requests).

We do not sell your email address to anyone, and we do not use it to send you advertising.

3. Who else touches your information

The site runs on Shopify, and the forum is provided by a third-party community app, so information passes through those providers (each with its own privacy policy). Beyond that, we disclose information only where the law requires it.

4. A note on public content

Forum posts, comments and the byline of a submission are visible to everyone. Please do not put your real name, house number, phone number or messaging ID in a post; if you do, we will delete that part.

5. Retention and deletion

Accounts and posts stay until you delete them. You can email the address below at any time to have your account, a post or a submission removed; we will act once we have confirmed who you are.

6. Minors

This site deals with accounts of the strange, so readers under 16 should browse with an adult. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors.

7. Across borders

Our servers and platform providers may sit outside mainland China, so your information may be transferred abroad for processing.

8. Changes and contact

When this policy changes, the date on this page changes with it. For questions, corrections or deletion requests, contact: foolkingluo@gmail.com.