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Privacy Policy

Last updated: DRAFT — pending lawyer review before launch

1. Plain-English summary

  • We collect your email when you join the waitlist or subscribe.
  • We collect payment details via Stripe — we never see your card number.
  • We collect basic usage analytics via Plausible (privacy-first, no cookies) and PostHog (anonymized session events).
  • We do not sell reader data. Ever.
  • We use writer journals as input to an aggregate, anonymized dataset that may be sold to enterprise customers in the future. Reader behavior is never part of that dataset.
  • You can request export or deletion of your personal data at any time by emailing privacy@joinstringer.com.

2. Who we are

Stringer Media Inc., a Delaware C-Corporation. Address and contact methods on the homepage. For privacy questions: privacy@joinstringer.com.

3. Information we collect

3.1 Information you give us

  • Waitlist signup: email, optional school, optional graduation year, referral source if any.
  • Writer application: name, email, school, company, role, internship dates, LinkedIn URL, writing sample, pitch.
  • Subscription: email, name, payment details (handled by Stripe), billing address.
  • Communications: emails or messages you send us.

3.2 Information we collect automatically

  • IP address, browser type, device type, referring URL — collected by Plausible (privacy-first analytics, no cookies).
  • Page views, button clicks, signup funnel events — collected by PostHog (anonymized, configurable).
  • Subscription metadata (plan, billing date) — held by Stripe.

4. How we use your information

  • Service delivery — to deliver journals, send emails, process payments, respond to support.
  • Account management — to authenticate you, manage subscriptions, send transactional notifications.
  • Editorial review (writer applications) — to evaluate fit, contact references, send a contract if approved.
  • Analytics + product improvement — to understand how readers use Stringer in aggregate.
  • Legal compliance + fraud prevention — when required by law or to protect Stringer's rights.

5. Aggregate datasets (the enterprise product)

Stringer plans to launch an enterprise data product (Y2+) selling aggregate, anonymized analytics derived from journal content — for example, sentiment scores at the company level, or hours-per-week distributions by role and industry. Important boundaries:

  • We never include individual reader data, behavior, or identifiers in this dataset.
  • The dataset is derived from writer journals, which writers explicitly license to us via the Writer Agreement.
  • Aggregations are at the company × role × season level (e.g. "Stripe SWE Summer 2026") with minimum sample sizes to prevent re-identification of any individual writer.

6. Who we share information with

We share information only with:

  • Service providers who help operate Stringer: Stripe (payments), Resend (transactional email), Supabase (database hosting), Vercel (site hosting), Cloudflare (DNS + security), Plausible + PostHog (analytics). All have signed data-processing agreements.
  • Authorities when legally required (e.g., subpoena, court order). We notify the affected user where lawful to do so.
  • Successors in the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale of Stringer Media Inc., subject to equivalent privacy protections.

We do not sell, rent, or lease personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

7. Your rights

Regardless of where you live, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correct inaccurate information.
  • Delete your account and personal information (subject to limited legal-retention requirements, e.g., financial records).
  • Export your data in a portable format.
  • Object to or restrict certain processing.
  • Withdraw consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@joinstringer.com. We respond within 30 days.

EU/UK readers have additional rights under GDPR; California readers under CCPA; Canadian readers under PIPEDA. We honor all of these.

8. Data retention

  • Active subscribers: for the duration of your Subscription plus 24 months (for tax + legal compliance).
  • Cancelled subscribers: 24 months from cancellation.
  • Waitlist signups (never converted): 24 months from signup, then deleted.
  • Writer applications (rejected or waitlisted): 12 months, then deleted.
  • Published journals: retained indefinitely (writer can request unpublishing per Writer Agreement).

9. Data security

We use industry-standard practices: HTTPS everywhere, encryption at rest, two-factor authentication on admin accounts, principle of least privilege on internal access. No system is perfectly secure; in the event of a breach affecting your data, we will notify affected users without undue delay and consistent with applicable law.

10. International data transfers

Your information may be processed in the United States, Canada, or the European Economic Area, depending on the relevant service provider's hosting region. Where applicable, we use Standard Contractual Clauses to govern transfers out of the EEA.

11. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy. The "Last updated" date reflects the most recent change. Material changes will be notified by email to active subscribers at least 30 days before taking effect.

12. Contact

Questions, requests, or complaints: privacy@joinstringer.com.