Privacy Policy

StackTrace Media, Inc.
Last Updated: June 29, 2025

Introduction

StackTrace Media, Inc. ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") operates newsletter services covering technology, business, financial markets, economic trends, and related topics. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and protect your information when you subscribe to our newsletters, visit our websites, purchase products or services, or interact with our content.

Information We Collect

Personal Information You Provide

Email Address: Required for newsletter subscription and account creation
Name: Optional for personalization; required for certain premium services
Payment Information: Credit card details, billing address for paid subscriptions and merchandise purchases (processed securely through third-party payment processors)
Shipping Information: Name, address, phone number for merchandise orders
Communication Preferences: Newsletter frequency, content preferences, and notification settings
Contest/Giveaway Information: Entry details, demographic information when participating in contests or promotions
Feedback and Correspondence: Information provided when contacting customer support or submitting feedback
Survey Responses: Optional feedback about our content and services

Automatically Collected Information

Email Engagement Data: Open rates, click-through rates, time spent reading, and interaction with newsletter content
Website Analytics: Pages visited, time on site, referral sources, and user behavior patterns
Device and Technical Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and connection information
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: See our Cookie Policy section below

Third-Party Information

We may receive information about you from:

Social Media Platforms: When you interact with our social media content or use social login features
Advertising Partners: Demographic and interest data to improve ad targeting (with your consent where required)
Data Brokers: Publicly available information to enhance our services (in compliance with applicable laws)
Referral Partners: Information when you're referred by another user or partner organization

How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Deliver newsletters and communications you've subscribed to
Process payments and fulfill merchandise orders
Personalize content based on your interests, reading history, and market focus areas
Improve our newsletter content, website functionality, and delivery systems
Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
Conduct contests, sweepstakes, and promotional activities
Send marketing communications about our premium services and products
Analyze market trends and user engagement to enhance our content
Comply with legal obligations and regulatory requirements
Prevent fraud and ensure platform security
Generate anonymized analytics and reports

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our website. We use both session cookies (deleted when you close your browser) and persistent cookies (remain until deleted or expired).

Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies: Necessary for website functionality, subscription management, and security
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website (Google Analytics, etc.)
Marketing Cookies: Track your activity to provide relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness
Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and personalization choices

Third-Party Cookies

Our website may contain cookies from:

Google Analytics and Google Ad Manager
Social media platforms
Email service providers
Advertising networks and partners

EU/UK Residents: We obtain explicit consent before placing non-essential cookies
Cookie Settings: You can manage cookie preferences through our cookie banner or browser settings
Opt-Out: You can disable cookies in your browser, though this may affect website functionality

For users in the European Economic Area and United Kingdom:

Consent: Newsletter subscriptions, marketing communications, and non-essential cookies
Contract Performance: Processing payments, delivering purchased products/services
Legitimate Interests: Analytics, service improvement, fraud prevention, and customer support
Legal Compliance: Compliance with tax, financial regulations, and legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share information in these circumstances:

Service Providers

Email Service Providers: For newsletter delivery and automation
Payment Processors: Secure processing of subscription and merchandise payments
Shipping Partners: Fulfillment of physical product orders
Analytics Providers: Website and email performance analysis
Customer Support Tools: To provide efficient customer service
Cloud Storage and Hosting: Secure data storage and website hosting

Advertising and Marketing Partners

Advertising Networks: To display relevant ads on third-party websites (anonymized data only)
Social Media Platforms: For custom audience creation and lookalike targeting
Affiliate Partners: Performance tracking for referral programs

Legal Requirements and Business Protection

Legal Process: Court orders, subpoenas, or government requests
Safety and Security: Protecting our rights, users' safety, and preventing fraud
Business Transfers: Mergers, acquisitions, or asset sales (with user notification)

Contest and Promotional Partners

Prize Fulfillment: Third-party sponsors or prize providers for contests and giveaways
Co-Marketing Partners: Joint promotional activities (with your explicit consent)

Age Verification and Children's Privacy

Age Requirements

Our services are intended for users 18 years and older
We do not knowingly collect information from individuals under 13 years of age
Users between 13-17 must have parental consent to use our services

Verification Process

We may request age verification for certain premium features or contest entries.

Data Deletion

If we discover we have collected information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete such information and terminate the account.

Data Retention

We retain personal information based on:

Active Subscriptions: Duration of your subscription plus 2 years for customer service
Inactive Accounts: 3 years from last engagement, then anonymized or deleted
Financial Records: 7 years for tax and regulatory compliance
Marketing Data: Until you opt-out or request deletion
Legal Requirements: As required by applicable laws and regulations

Upon unsubscription, we will:

Stop sending marketing communications immediately
Retain minimal information for legal compliance and fraud prevention
Delete or anonymize your data within 30 days unless legally required to retain

Your Rights and Choices

Subscription Management

Unsubscribe: Use the link in every email or contact customer support
Preferences: Update frequency, content topics, and notification settings
Account Deletion: Request complete account and data deletion

Data Protection Rights (GDPR/CCPA)

Access: Request a copy of your personal information
Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete information
Deletion: Request removal of your personal information
Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
Objection: Object to certain processing activities
Restriction: Limit how we process your information
Withdraw Consent: Revoke previously given consent

California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

Additional rights for California residents:

Right to know categories and specific pieces of personal information collected
Right to know business/commercial purposes for collecting information
Right to know categories of third parties with whom we share information
Right to delete personal information (with certain exceptions)
Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights
Right to limit use of sensitive personal information

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@stacktracemedia.com with "Privacy Request" in the subject line.

International Data Transfers

Data Processing Locations

Your information may be processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.

Transfer Safeguards

We implement appropriate safeguards including:

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for EU data transfers
Adequacy decisions where applicable
Binding Corporate Rules with international partners
Data Processing Agreements with all service providers

Security Measures

We implement comprehensive security measures:

Technical Safeguards

End-to-end encryption for data transmission
Regular security audits and penetration testing
Multi-factor authentication for employee access
Secure payment processing (PCI DSS compliant)

Organizational Safeguards

Employee privacy training and confidentiality agreements
Need-to-know access controls
Regular security awareness programs
Incident response procedures
Data breach notification protocols

Limitations

While we implement industry-standard security measures, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will promptly notify you of any material security incidents as required by law.

Contest and Promotional Terms

Contest Information Collection

When you participate in contests or promotions, we may collect:

Contact information for winner notification
Demographic information for eligibility verification
Social media handles for promotional purposes
Content submissions (with usage rights)

Winner Verification

Contest winners may be required to:

Provide government-issued identification
Sign winner declarations and liability releases
Consent to publicity rights usage
Comply with tax reporting requirements

Third-Party Sponsors

Some contests may be sponsored by third parties. Your information may be shared with sponsors as disclosed in contest rules, and their privacy policies will also apply.

Merchandise and E-commerce

Order Processing

For merchandise purchases, we collect and process:

Payment information (through secure third-party processors)
Shipping and billing addresses
Order history and preferences
Product reviews and ratings

Payment Security

We do not store complete credit card information
All payments processed through PCI-compliant providers
Fraud detection and prevention measures in place
Secure tokenization for recurring payments

Return and Refund Data

We retain information about returns and refunds for:

Customer service and warranty purposes
Fraud prevention and pattern analysis
Financial reporting and tax compliance

Updates to This Privacy Policy

Notification Methods

We will notify you of material changes through:

Email notification to all subscribers
Prominent website notice for 30 days
In-newsletter announcements
Updated effective date at the top of this policy

Your Continued Use

Continued use of our services after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. If you disagree with changes, you may unsubscribe or delete your account.

Contact Information

General Inquiries

StackTrace Media, Inc.
Email: support@stacktracemedia.com

EU Representative

For GDPR-related inquiries, you may also contact your local data protection authority.

Response Times

We will respond to privacy requests within:

30 days for GDPR requests
45 days for CCPA requests (with possible 45-day extension)
5 business days for general privacy inquiries

This Privacy Policy was last updated on June 29, 2025. Please review this policy periodically for updates.