Last updated April 16, 2026.
Who We Are
Welcome to Kubashi (“we,” “us,” “our”), your digital sanctuary for stories that matter. We are committed to safeguarding your data, respecting user rights, and ensuring a secure, trustworthy digital experience. Our website address is https://www.kubashi.com.
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at [email protected].
Authentication and Accounts
Kubashi uses Google Firebase Authentication to manage user sign-in. You can create an account or log in using your Google account. When you authenticate, we collect and store the following information:
- Firebase UID — A unique identifier assigned by Firebase, stored in your WordPress user profile to link your account across our systems.
- Authentication provider — The method you used to sign in (e.g., Google).
- Display name and email address — Provided by your Google account at sign-in.
- Profile picture URL — Your Google profile photo, displayed on your public profile page and alongside your comments and poll votes.
Your account data is stored in our WordPress database and synchronized with Google Firestore, a cloud database operated by Google. Google’s privacy policy applies to data processed through Firebase services.
User Sessions
When you log in, your session begins. A session is a temporary identifier that allows you to access features and interact with content. It lasts only for the duration of your visit. Once you log out or close your browser, your session ends and the temporary identifier is discarded. For visitors who are not logged in, we may set a session cookie (kbs_comments_session_id) to enable comment rate-limiting and spam prevention. This cookie contains a randomly generated UUID with no personal information and expires after one year.
Public Profiles
Registered users have a public profile page (accessible at kubashi.com/u/your-username/). Your profile displays:
- Your display name, username, and profile picture
- Badges earned through participation (quizzes completed, polls voted in, comments made)
- Your comment, quiz, and poll activity
You can control whether your poll votes are publicly visible through your notification preferences.
Polls
To participate in polls, you must be signed in with your Google account. When you vote, we collect:
- Your Firebase UID and WordPress user ID
- The poll you voted in and the choice you selected
- A timestamp of your vote
- The post associated with the poll
This data is used to prevent duplicate votes and to display aggregate results. Poll votes are stored in both our WordPress database and Google Firestore. Your profile picture may appear alongside your vote in poll results if your visibility settings allow it.
Comments
We love hearing from you! When you leave a comment, we collect:
- Your comment text
- Your display name, email, and user ID
- The post and any parent comment (for replies)
- A timestamp of your comment
Comments are stored in our WordPress database and synchronized to Google Firestore. Your profile picture is displayed alongside your comments. Other users can “applaud” your comments (up to 50 times per comment per user), and applause counts are tracked and displayed publicly.
Quizzes
When you take a quiz, we store your answers, score, and completion timestamp. Quiz results are linked to your user account and stored in our WordPress database, a custom results table, and Google Firestore. Your quiz completions contribute to your public profile badges.
Notifications and Email
We may send you email notifications for:
- Replies to your comments
- Applause milestones on your comments (at 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 applause)
- New polls and posts published on the site
You can manage your notification preferences from your profile settings, including toggling replies, applause, and new post notifications independently. We track whether notification emails have been sent to avoid duplicates.
Newsletter Subscription
We use Mailchimp to manage our email newsletter. When you subscribe, your email address is shared with Mailchimp and stored on their servers. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email. Mailchimp’s privacy policy governs how they handle your data.
Data Storage and Third-Party Services
Your data is stored across the following systems:
- WordPress database — User accounts, comments, poll votes, quiz results, and profile data.
- Google Firestore — Comments, poll votes, quiz results, notifications, and applause data are synchronized to Firestore for real-time features.
- Cloudflare R2 — Media files (images) are stored and served via Cloudflare’s R2 cloud storage through cdn.kubashi.com.
- Mailchimp — Newsletter subscriber email addresses and preferences.
Media
If you upload images to Kubashi, please be aware that images may contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). We recommend stripping location data before uploading. Uploaded media is stored on Cloudflare R2 and served through cdn.kubashi.com.
Cookies
We use the following cookies:
- Session cookies — Temporary cookies set when you log in to verify your browser accepts cookies. These carry no personal data and are removed when you close your browser.
- Login cookies — Set when you log in to remember your session. These last from two days to one year depending on your choices. Logging out removes these cookies.
- Comment session cookie —
kbs_comments_session_id, a UUID used for rate-limiting. HttpOnly, expires after one year.
Embedded Content
Our articles may include embedded content from other sites (videos, images, social media posts). Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you visited those sites directly. These sites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content.
Data Retention
Comments and their metadata are kept indefinitely so we can recognize and auto-approve follow-up comments. For registered users, we store the personal information provided in their profiles. Users can request deletion of their account data at any time. Contact form submissions are retained for 90 days and then automatically deleted.
Your Data Rights
If you have an account or have left comments, you can:
- Request an exported file of your personal data we hold, including any data you’ve provided to us.
- Request that we erase your personal data. This does not include data we are obligated to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
- Update your display name, profile picture, and notification preferences from your profile settings.
To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected].
Children’s Privacy
We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using Kubashi, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of a minor and consent to their use of the site. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under 18, please contact us at [email protected].
Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy, contact us at:
Kubashi
1737 Eno Ridge Dr
Hillsborough, NC 27278-8144
United States
[email protected]
(336) 549-9857
Messaging Terms & Conditions
General
When you opt in to the service, we will send you a message to confirm your signup.
By opting into messages, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing and informational text messages from Kubashi. Automated messages may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system to the mobile telephone number you provided when signing up or any other number that you designate.
Message frequency varies, and additional mobile messages may be sent periodically based on your interaction with Kubashi. Kubashi reserves the right to alter the frequency of messages sent at any time to increase or decrease the total number of sent messages. Kubashi also reserves the right to change the short code or phone number or alphanumeric sender where messages are sent.
Your usual message and data rates may apply. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your mobile provider. Your mobile provider is not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Your consent to receive marketing messages is not a condition of purchase.
Carriers
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Cancellation
Messages will provide instructions to unsubscribe either by texting STOP or through an included link. After you unsubscribe, we will send you a message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed and no more messages will be sent. If you would like to receive messages from Kubashi again, just sign up as you did the first time and Kubashi will start sending messages to you again.
Info
For support regarding our services, email us at [email protected] or, if supported, text “HELP” to our messages at any time and we will respond with instructions on how to unsubscribe. If we include a link in messages we send you from Kubashi, you may also access instructions on how to unsubscribe and our company information by following that link.
Transfer of Number
You agree that before changing your mobile number or transferring your mobile number to another individual, you will either reply “STOP” from the original number, unsubscribe using the link included in our messages (if one is provided), or notify us of your old number at [email protected]. The duty to inform us based on the above events is a condition of using this service to receive messages.
Messaging Terms Changes
We reserve the right to change or terminate our messaging program at any time. We also reserve the right to update these Messaging Terms at any time. Such changes will be effective immediately upon posting. If you do not agree to a change to these Messaging Terms, you should cancel your enrollment with our messaging program. Your continued enrollment following such changes shall constitute your acceptance of such changes.
