Privacy Policy

The short version

Past Customs is a small, independent site. I collect only what you choose to send me through a form, plus anonymous usage data about how the site is used. I do not sell your data. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, and you can ask me to delete your details.

Who "I" am

"Past Customs," "I," "me," and "my" mean the person who runs this website and the show. "You" means anyone who visits the site.

What the forms collect

Contact form: your name, email address, the subject, and your message.

Sponsor form: your name, company or brand, email address, website, the kind of sponsorship you are interested in, a budget range if you choose one, and your message.

Affiliate partner form: your name, email address, website or channel, a short description of your audience, the program or product, and your message.

Newsletter (Letters From the Road): your email address only.

When you submit a form, the server also records the date and time and, to stop spam and abuse, a network address. Each form has a hidden spam check that people never see or fill in.

How I use it

I use what you send to read and reply to your message, to consider a sponsorship or partnership, and to send Letters From the Road if you signed up for it. I do not use form details for advertising, and I do not add contact, sponsor, or partner emails to the newsletter unless you sign up for it separately.

Analytics and cookies

This site uses Google Analytics to understand, in aggregate, which pages are read, roughly where visitors come from, and what kind of device and browser they use. It sets cookies in your browser for this purpose. The data is anonymous usage data: I do not use it to identify you, and I do not combine it with anything you send through a form.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, use a content blocker, or install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The site works normally without analytics cookies. This site does not run advertising or ad-targeting cookies of its own.

YouTube videos

Videos on this site are hosted on YouTube. They load from YouTube's privacy-enhanced (no-cookie) domain, and only after you press play. Once a video loads, YouTube may collect information under its own privacy policy, as it would on its own site.

Affiliate links and sponsorships

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy or sign up through one, I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. At the moment, italki is the only live affiliate link on the site. The partner's site may use cookies to record that you arrived through my link. Sponsorships are always disclosed. See the Affiliate Disclosure for details.

No sale of personal data

I do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, and I do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Your details are seen only by me and by the service providers that host the site and deliver email, and only so they can do that job.

Newsletter and unsubscribing

Every issue of Letters From the Road includes an unsubscribe link. You can also ask to be removed through the contact form. Once you unsubscribe, I stop sending the newsletter.

Deleting your data

To ask me to delete the details you have sent through a form, or your newsletter address, use the contact form and say what you would like removed. I will delete it within a reasonable time, unless I need to keep a record for a legal reason. Depending on the US state you live in, you may have additional rights to know, correct, or delete personal information, and I will honor those requests the same way.

How long I keep it

I keep messages and inquiries for as long as needed to deal with them and for reasonable record keeping. I keep newsletter addresses until you unsubscribe or ask me to delete them.

Security

The site is served over an encrypted connection (HTTPS), and access to form data is restricted. No method of sending or storing data over the internet is completely secure, so I cannot promise absolute security.

Children

This site is not directed to children under 13, and I do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, consistent with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe a child has sent me personal information, use the contact form and I will delete it.

Third-party sites

This site links to other websites. When you leave this site, the other site's privacy policy applies. I do not control those sites and am not responsible for their practices.

United States law

This site is operated from the United States, and this policy is governed by US law.

Changes to this policy

I may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed. If a change is significant, I will note it on this page.

Contact

Questions about this policy can be sent through the contact form.