Last updated: October 29, 2026
The Broken Ear ("we", "us") runs the amateur wrestling forum at thebrokenear.com. This policy explains what we collect, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: we only collect what we need to run the forum, and we never sell or rent your data to anyone.
What we collect
- Account details: your username, email address, password (stored scrambled, never readable by us), and anything you add to your profile, such as your name, photo or signature.
- What you post: topics, replies, likes, photos and files you upload, group membership, and private messages you send or receive.
- Technical data: your IP address and browser details when you post or sign in. We use them to fight spam and abuse, and they're kept with your posts so moderators can act on abuse.
- Cookies: only the ones needed to keep you signed in and protect the site. See our Cookie Policy.
Why we use it
- To run your account and show your posts, profile and messages.
- To send emails you need, such as password resets, notifications you've turned on, and replies to topics you subscribed to.
- To send occasional news from The Broken Ear, such as a newsletter if we start one. You agree to this when you register, and every such email has an unsubscribe link. You can also ask us to stop at any time.
- To keep the forum safe: spam protection, moderation and security logs.
Who else sees it
Your public posts, profile and username can be seen by anyone. That includes search engines and AI assistants, which may show or summarize public pages. Posts in private groups are only visible to that group's members. Private messages are only visible to the people in the conversation and, if a message is reported, to moderators.
We do not sell, rent or trade personal data. We share it only with the services that run the site for us:
- Our web host (GoDaddy) and its security and network services (Cloudflare, Sucuri).
- Google reCAPTCHA on sign-in and registration, to stop bots.
- Google Fonts, which delivers the site's fonts.
- YouTube, Vimeo or X, but only when you view a post that embeds their content.
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect members from harm.
How long we keep it
We keep your account and posts until you ask us to delete them. Forum posts are part of public conversations, so when an account is deleted we may keep its posts but show them as from a removed member, unless you ask us to remove them too.
Your choices
- Edit your profile and email settings at any time from your account.
- Unsubscribe from newsletters with the link in any email.
- Ask us for a copy of your data, to correct it, or to delete your account, by emailing us (below). Your account settings also have a data export.
Children
The Broken Ear is for people 13 and older. We don't knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, email us and we'll remove it.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also post a notice on the forum.
Contact
Questions or requests: support@asebconsulting.com.