Privacy Policy

thou that art

Last updated: Nov 24, 2025

This Privacy Policy explains how thou that art (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information about you when you access or use our publication, newsletters, and related services (collectively, the “Publication”).

The Publication is hosted on a third-party platform (currently Substack), which has its own terms and privacy policy that also apply to you.

By subscribing to or using the Publication, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Who we are

thou that art is a New York–based editorial project focused on technology, finance, and philosophy. We publish essays, commentary, and related content via email and the web.

• Data controller (for this Publication):

  thou that art

• Contact email:

  hello@thouthatart.blog

The hosting platform (Substack or any successor) may act as an independent controller or processor of your data for its own purposes. Please review its privacy policy as well.

2. Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy covers information we collect in connection with:

• Visiting our publication pages and posts

• Subscribing to free or paid newsletters

• Opening, reading, or interacting with our emails

• Commenting on posts or otherwise engaging with community features

• Contacting us directly via email or other channels

It does not govern how the hosting platform, payment processors, or other third-party services use your data for their own purposes.

3. Information we collect

3.1 Information you provide directly

When you interact with the Publication, you may provide:

• Contact information – such as your email address and, if you choose, your name or display name

• Account details on the hosting platform – such as your username and profile information, managed by that platform

• Subscription and payment information – for paid or founding memberships (payment details are handled by the hosting platform and/or its payment processors, not stored by us directly)

• Content you submit – comments, replies, messages, questions, or other text you post or send to us

• Other information you choose to share – such as topic requests or feedback

3.2 Information collected automatically

When you access the Publication or our emails, certain data may be collected automatically by the hosting platform and the tools we use, for example:

• Usage data – pages visited, posts read, time spent, referral URLs

• Email engagement – whether you opened an email, which links you clicked, approximate location inferred from IP, device and client type

• Log data and device information – IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and general location (city/region level, not precise GPS)

This data is typically anonymized or aggregated when we view analytics, but some of it may be linked to your email or subscriber profile by the platform.

3.3 Information from third parties

We may receive information about you from:

• The hosting platform – including your subscription status (free, paid, founding), email address, and engagement analytics

• Payment processors – limited information such as subscription status, last payment date, and country or currency

• Other services – if you follow links to us from social platforms or other sites, subject to their privacy policies

4. How we use your information

We use your information for purposes such as:

1. Delivering the Publication

   • Sending newsletters and posts to your email

   • Providing access to free and paid content

   • Managing subscription levels and access rights

2. Communication and support

   • Responding to messages, questions, and feedback

   • Notifying you about changes to content, features, Terms, or this Privacy Policy

3. Editorial and product decisions

   • Understanding what posts people read, share, and ignore

   • Prioritizing future essays and topics in tech, finance, and philosophy based on aggregate engagement

4. Analytics and performance

   • Measuring open rates, click-throughs, and churn

   • Diagnosing technical issues, preventing abuse, and improving reliability

5. Legal and compliance

   • Enforcing our Terms of Service

   • Complying with legal obligations and responding to lawful requests

4.1 AI tools and automated processing

We may use AI tools and other automated systems to help draft, edit, or analyze content and engagement patterns. These tools may process limited data (for example, anonymized snippets or aggregated statistics), but we do not use them to build separate profiles of individual readers for resale or ad targeting.

5. Legal bases for processing (EEA/UK only)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK, we process your personal data under one or more of the following legal bases:

• Consent – for sending you newsletters after you sign up and confirming your opt-in

• Contract – to deliver the services you subscribed to (free or paid)

• Legitimate interests – for basic analytics, security, and improving the Publication, where these interests are not overridden by your rights

• Legal obligation – where processing is necessary to comply with applicable law

You can withdraw your consent at any time, for example by unsubscribing from emails.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

The hosting platform and its providers may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to:

• Remember your session and preferences

• Measure newsletter open rates and link clicks

• Provide basic site analytics

Your browser may allow you to block or delete cookies, but some features may not work properly if you do so. You can also typically manage email tracking by disabling images or using privacy features in your email client, though this may affect how content is displayed.

7. How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share your information with:

1. Hosting platform and service providers

   • The platform that hosts the Publication (currently Substack) for account management, email delivery, payments, and analytics

   • Payment processors handling your subscription fees

   • Tools for analytics, logging, or email performance measurement

2. Professional advisors and legal authorities

   • Lawyers, accountants, or other advisors where necessary

   • Law enforcement or regulators if we are legally required to do so or if we believe it is necessary to protect our rights or others’ safety

3. Business transfers

   • If we reorganize, merge, or transfer the Publication to another entity, your information may be transferred as part of that arrangement, subject to similar privacy protections.

We require service providers to handle your information in a manner consistent with this Policy and applicable law.

8. International data transfers

The Publication and hosting platform are operated primarily from the United States, and your information may be processed in the U.S. or other countries that may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

Where required by law, appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) are used by third-party processors to protect data transferred from the EEA/UK.

9. Data retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to:

• Provide the Publication and related services

• Maintain records of your subscriptions and payments as required by law

• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

If you unsubscribe, the hosting platform may still retain certain records (like your email in a suppression list to ensure we don’t email you again) or transaction data as required for compliance.

10. Your rights

Your rights depend on your location and applicable law, but may include:

10.1 General rights

In many jurisdictions, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you

• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data

• Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention obligations)

• Object to or restrict certain types of processing

• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

10.2 EEA/UK

If you are in the EEA or UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe your rights have been violated.

10.3 California (CCPA)

If the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) applies to us in the future, you may have additional rights such as: the right to know what categories of personal information are collected, the right to request deletion, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

At this stage, thou that art does not sell personal information.

10.4 Exercising your rights

You can exercise many of your rights directly by:

• Unsubscribing from newsletters using the link in any email

• Updating your information via your account on the hosting platform

• Contacting us at hello@thouthatart.blog with your request

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

11. Your choices: email and tracking

You can control your relationship with the Publication by:

• Unsubscribing – Every email we send includes an unsubscribe link. Once you unsubscribe, you stop receiving future emails, though the platform may still hold basic records (e.g., to respect your opt-out).

• Managing cookies – Use your browser settings to block or delete cookies.

• Privacy-focused email settings – Disable images or remote content loading if you want to limit tracking pixels.

If you unsubscribe from emails, you may still be able to read free content on the web version depending on your account and the platform’s features.

12. Data security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures are partly implemented by the hosting platform and its providers.

However, no system is perfectly secure. Transmission of data over the internet always carries some risk. You use the Publication and share information at your own risk.

13. Children’s privacy

The Publication is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 16 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

If you believe we may have collected information from a child, please contact us at hello@thouthatart.blog, and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in laws, our practices, or the services we use.

When we make changes, we will:

• Update the “Last updated” date at the top; and

• Where appropriate, notify subscribers via a post or email.

Your continued use of the Publication after any changes become effective means you accept the updated Policy. If you do not agree, you should unsubscribe and stop using the Publication.

15. Contact

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, you can contact:

thou that art

Email: hello@thouthatart.blog