Privacy Policy
What we collect, why we collect it, and what we don't do.
Effective April 11, 2026
1. Who we are
Substrate is operated by Substrate Media, Inc. ("Substrate," "we," "us," or "our"), a Delaware corporation. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use substrate.news, our email newsletters, and our audio digests (together, the "Service"), how we use it, and what rights you have over it.
2. Our privacy principles
Substrate does not display advertising and does not sell or rent user data to third parties for commercial purposes. We collect only what we need to operate the Service, keep it reliable, and deliver the content you asked for. These commitments are published in our Public Charter and apply across every product we offer.
3. Information we collect
We collect a small amount of information to operate the Service. This includes: (a) information you give us directly, such as your email address when you subscribe to a newsletter or audio digest; (b) basic server and request information when you visit the site, such as IP address, user agent, referrer, and pages viewed, which is used for security, anti-abuse, and aggregate analytics; and (c) anonymous usage data such as which stories are read, which is used to improve the ranking and curation of future content. We do not use third-party advertising trackers or cross-site fingerprinting.
4. How we use your information
We use the information we collect to deliver the Service (for example, to send you the newsletter you signed up for), to operate and secure our infrastructure, to analyze and improve the Service in aggregate, to communicate with you about material changes to the Service or to our policies, and to comply with legal obligations. We do not use your information to build advertising profiles or to sell products to you.
5. Cookies and local storage
We use a small number of first-party cookies and local storage items strictly for functional purposes — for example, to remember your category preferences or to keep you signed in to an optional subscriber dashboard. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies; doing so may affect functionality.
6. Email newsletters and audio digests
When you subscribe to an email newsletter or audio digest, we store your email address and subscription preferences so we can deliver the content you requested. Every email includes a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time. If you unsubscribe, we retain a suppressed record of your address solely to ensure we don't send you email again.
7. How we share information
We share information only where necessary to operate the Service, and only with vendors bound by confidentiality. These include, for example, our hosting provider, database provider, email delivery provider, and the third-party AI vendors we use to generate summaries and audio. We may also disclose information if required by law, to enforce our Terms of Use, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Substrate, our users, or the public. We do not sell, rent, or trade your information for marketing or advertising purposes.
8. Data retention
We retain personal information only for as long as we need it to deliver the Service, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Server logs are retained for a short operational window and then deleted or aggregated. Subscriber information is retained until you unsubscribe, after which we keep only a minimal suppression record.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export personal information we hold about you, and to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise any of these rights, email us at contact@substrate.news from the address on file. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or California, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
10. Children's privacy
The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
11. Security
We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect information we hold against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. No system is perfectly secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
12. International transfers
Substrate is based in the United States, and the information we collect is processed there. If you are accessing the Service from outside the United States, you understand and agree that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will announce them on the site and, where appropriate, notify subscribers by email before the changes take effect. The "Effective" date at the top of this page indicates when the current version was posted.
14. Contact
Questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy can be sent to contact@substrate.news, or to Substrate Media, Inc. at the same address.