Privacy policy

Effective · October 29, 2026

NEGENTROPY ("we") runs the NEGENTROPY Forum (forum.negentropy.it.kr, the "forum") and handles personal information as described below. This policy covers the forum only; the main site follows its own policy.

1. What we collect, why, and for how long

Membership

  • Required: email address, nickname, password, time of sign-up and consent
  • Optional: bio, two-step verification key (stored encrypted), email language
  • Purpose: identifying members, login, sending account emails (confirmation, password reset, security notices)
  • Retention: until you delete your account, then deleted without delay. Unconfirmed sign-ups are deleted after 7 days.

Posts and activity

  • Items: posts, comments, uploaded images, likes, and a keyed hash of the IP address used when posting or commenting
  • Purpose: running the forum and dealing with abuse
  • Retention: posts and comments stay until they are deleted. Deleted posts are removed completely after 30 days, images included, and the text of deleted comments is erased after 30 days. Posts and comments hidden by moderators for breaking the rules are kept for 365 days and then deleted. Images not used in any post are deleted after 24 hours. IP hashes are cleared after 90 days. When you delete your account, your posts and comments stay under the name "Former member".
  • JPG, PNG and WebP images are re-encoded on the server, which removes extra data such as camera location (EXIF). Animated GIFs are stored as uploaded, so please check they contain no personal information.

Reports and moderation records

  • Items: the reporting member, what was reported, the reason and any note, and moderator actions (including the reason and length of any restriction)
  • Purpose: handling reports, objections and disputes
  • Retention: reports are deleted 365 days after they are handled; moderation records after 365 days.

Security records

  • Items: records used to count failed logins, sign-ups, email requests, searches and posts (keyed hashes of IP or email addresses, or member numbers), request counts per connection, and a keyed hash of IP address and date used to avoid counting the same view twice
  • Purpose: blocking password-guessing and floods of requests (more than 240 requests a minute blocks a connection for 10 minutes), keeping view counts accurate
  • Retention: request counts after 1 day, other counters after 2 days, view records after 3 days

2. Cookies

  • __Host-nf: keeps you logged in and protects forms. Created only when you log in or open a form such as login or sign-up. Removed when you close the browser, or after 30 days if you choose "Keep me logged in". An unused session ends after 12 hours. The matching session record on the server (member number and a form security value) is deleted within 30 days.
  • lang: remembers the language you chose. Kept for one year.

We use no advertising or analytics cookies. You can read the forum with cookies blocked, but you can't log in.

3. Sharing with third parties

We do not give personal information to third parties, except where a law specifically requires it or it is unavoidable to meet a legal obligation, and then only to the extent the law allows.

4. Outsourcing and overseas transfer

The forum's server and email are run by the hosting company Hostinger, outside Korea, so personal information is transferred to and stored abroad as follows.

  • Recipient: HOSTINGER, UAB (Lithuania) · privacy contact gdpr@hostinger.com
  • Work outsourced: running the server, storing data, sending email
  • Country: United States (web server in Phoenix, Arizona). Email goes through mail servers Hostinger runs outside Korea.
  • Items: the information in section 1, and the IP address and browser details sent when you visit the forum
  • When and how: sent over the network when you visit the forum or we send you email
  • Retention: the same periods as in section 1. Server logs Hostinger keeps to run its service follow Hostinger's own policy.

To refuse this transfer, don't sign up, or delete your account. Note that simply visiting the forum sends connection details such as your IP address to the server abroad.

5. Outside services

  • Google Fonts (Google LLC): fonts
  • YouTube (Google LLC, privacy-enhanced mode) and Vimeo (do-not-track): only when a post embeds a video

Your browser connects to these companies directly, so they receive your IP address and browser details under their own policies.

6. Deletion

Information is deleted without delay once its retention period ends; the server does most of it automatically, and electronic files are deleted so they cannot be restored. Information that was included in a server backup made by the hosting company is removed when that backup is replaced under its backup schedule.

7. Security

  • All connections use HTTPS. Login cookies are set so that scripts can't read them and other negentropy.it.kr sites don't receive them.
  • Passwords are stored with one-way encryption (Argon2id); the original is not stored. That is why we can't tell you a forgotten password, and you reset it by email instead.
  • Repeated failed logins are locked out for a while.
  • Staff must pass two-step verification and re-enter their password to use the admin area. Full email addresses are visible only with the Staff (administrator) role; Mods see them partly hidden.
  • Code, settings and logs are kept outside the web folder so they are not served on the web.

8. Your rights and how to use them

You can see and change your details in account settings, and delete your account there. For other requests (access, correction, deletion, stopping processing), email us. You can also make a request through a legal representative or someone you authorise. We will handle it and tell you the result within 10 days of receiving it.

Children under 14 cannot sign up.

9. Privacy officer and contact

Questions, complaints and requests for remedies about personal information are handled by:

10. Where to get help (Korea)

  • Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee: 1833-6972 (www.kopico.go.kr)
  • KISA Personal Information Infringement Report Center: 118 (privacy.kisa.or.kr)
  • Supreme Prosecutors' Office: 1301 · Korean National Police Agency: 182

11. Changes

If this policy changes, we will post the changes and the effective date on this page and in the Announcements board 7 days before they take effect, or 30 days before if the change is unfavourable to members.