1. Introduction
Welcome to Choose Bold ("we," "our," or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website theboldpodcast.com (the "Site"), including any blog posts, podcast episodes, and related services.
By using our Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Site.
2. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
We collect information you voluntarily provide when you:
- Subscribe to our newsletter: We collect your email address to send you our bi-monthly newsletter with insights and updates.
- Leave a comment: We collect your name, email address, and comment content. Your name is displayed publicly with your comment; your email address is never displayed and is used only for moderation purposes.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain information, including:
- Device information: Browser type, operating system, and device type.
- Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation paths.
- IP address: Collected and hashed (anonymized) for spam prevention and security purposes.
- Referrer information: The website or source that directed you to our Site.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Send you our newsletter and manage your subscription preferences
- Display your comments on articles and enable community discussion
- Moderate comments and prevent spam or abusive content
- Understand how visitors use our Site to improve content and user experience
- Protect the security and integrity of our Site
- Respond to your inquiries when you contact us
4. Third-Party Service Providers
We use trusted third-party services to operate our Site. These providers may have access to your information only to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are obligated to protect your data:
- ConvertKit: Manages our newsletter subscriptions and email delivery. See their Privacy Policy.
- Supabase: Hosts our database for comments, likes, and view tracking. See their Privacy Policy.
- Vercel: Hosts our website and provides privacy-focused analytics. See their Privacy Policy.
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our Site uses only essential cookies necessary for basic functionality. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking pixels.
Vercel Analytics, which we use to understand site usage, is privacy-focused and does not use cookies or collect personal identifiers. It provides aggregate data about page views and site performance.
Do Not Track: Our Site respects Do Not Track (DNT) signals. When we detect a DNT signal, we do not collect analytics data from that visitor.
6. Data Retention
We retain your information for the following periods:
- Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe, plus 30 days to process the request.
- Comments: Indefinitely while published on the Site. You may request deletion at any time.
- Analytics data: Up to 24 months in aggregate form.
- IP addresses: Hashed and retained for up to 12 months for spam prevention, then deleted.
7. Your Privacy Rights
All Users
Regardless of where you live, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Request deletion of your personal information
- Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time (via the link in every email)
European Union Residents (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Union, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- Right to data portability (receive your data in a structured format)
- Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Right to withdraw consent at any time
- Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
Legal basis for processing: We process your data based on consent (newsletter subscription, comments) and legitimate interests (site security, analytics).
California Residents (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
- Right to know what personal information is collected about you
- Right to know whether your personal information is sold or disclosed
- Right to say no to the sale of personal information
- Right to delete your personal information
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
We do not sell your personal information. We have not sold personal information in the preceding 12 months and have no plans to do so.
8. Children's Privacy
Our Site is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the European Union). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete the information.
9. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:
- HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our Site
- Secure, reputable third-party service providers with their own security measures
- IP address hashing to anonymize identifying information
- Regular monitoring for security vulnerabilities
While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. International Data Transfers
Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States, where our service providers operate. These countries may have different data protection laws than your country.
When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including standard contractual clauses and reliance on service providers' compliance with applicable data protection frameworks.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. For material changes, we may provide additional notice on our Site.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about how we handle your information, please contact us.
We will respond to your request within 30 days.