1. Scope; the Operator
This Privacy Policy describes how personal information is collected, used, and disclosed in connection with thethinplaces.com (the “Site”), the marketing website for The Thin Places book series. The Site is operated by Annie Barber (“we,” “us,” or the “Operator”). By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and accept the collection of usage data by PostHog described in Section 2.2. By submitting the newsletter form, you additionally accept the handling of your email address by Kit described in Section 4. This Policy does not apply to third-party websites, including the retailer sites the Site links to, which maintain their own privacy practices.
2. Information we collect
2.1 Information you provide. The only personal information you can submit through the Site is an email address, provided voluntarily through the newsletter signup form. The Site offers no user accounts, comment functionality, or on-site purchasing, and does not request or collect names, postal addresses, payment information, or any category of sensitive personal information.
2.2 Information collected automatically. When you visit the Site, the hosting provider records the IP address, requested page, and browser details of each request in server logs, which are used to serve pages and protect the Site from abuse. The Site also uses PostHog, an analytics service, to collect usage information such as pages viewed, links and buttons clicked (including which retailer link was selected), referring pages, approximate general location derived from IP address, and browser and device characteristics. In addition, when you confirm a newsletter subscription, the email service provider records the IP address and timestamp of the confirmation as the record of consent.
2.3 Categories. For the purposes of laws that classify personal information by category, the Site collects: (a) identifiers (email address; IP address); and (b) internet or other electronic network activity information (the usage data described in Section 2.2). No other categories are collected.
3. How information is used
Personal information is used solely to: (a) deliver the email newsletter you requested, including news about the books and the series; (b) maintain the record of your subscription consent; (c) understand how the Site is used and improve it; and (d) comply with applicable law. Personal information is not used for targeted advertising, is not used to build profiles for any third party, and the newsletter list is not combined with analytics data.
4. How information is shared
Personal information is disclosed only to the following service providers, acting on the Operator’s behalf and under contractual limitations on their use of the data: (a) Kit (formerly ConvertKit), which stores the subscriber list and sends the newsletter (see kit.com/privacy); (b) PostHog, which processes the analytics data described above; and (c) Vercel, which hosts the Site and processes the server logs described in Section 2.2. Personal information may also be disclosed if required by law, legal process, or to protect legal rights, and may be transferred to a successor if the Site or the series is sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred, in which case this Policy will continue to apply to it. Personal information is never sold, rented, or traded, and is not shared for cross-context behavioral advertising.
5. Cookies, local storage, and tracking
The Site sets no advertising cookies. PostHog may set a cookie or use browser local storage to recognize a returning browser for analytics purposes; the cookie persists for up to one year. The Site itself sets two functional local storage values, named tp-newsletter-done and tp-slidein-dismissed: one recording that you have already subscribed to the newsletter and one recording that you dismissed the signup prompt. These values contain no personal information, are not transmitted to any server, and persist until you clear them. You may block or delete cookies and local storage through your browser settings; the Site remains usable if you do. The Site does not respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals, for which no common standard exists. Because the Site does not sell or share personal information, no sale or sharing opt-out mechanism is required or provided, and a Global Privacy Control signal does not change how the Site treats your information. If that practice ever changes, this Policy will be updated and an opt-out, including recognition of the Global Privacy Control signal, will be provided before the change takes effect.
6. Children’s privacy
The books marketed on this Site are written for young readers, but the Site and the newsletter are directed to adults: parents, guardians, teachers, librarians, and adult readers. The Site is not directed to children under 13, and the Operator does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Children under 13 should not submit an email address; a parent or guardian may subscribe on a child’s behalf. If the Operator learns that personal information has been collected from a child under 13, it will be deleted promptly. A parent or guardian who believes a child has submitted personal information may contact legal@thethinplaces.com and the information will be removed.
7. Data retention
Newsletter email addresses are retained while the subscription is active. When you unsubscribe, the email service provider keeps your address only on a suppression list so that you are not emailed again; you may instead request full deletion, which is executed with the provider promptly. The consent record is retained as long as the subscription is active, as evidence of consent. Analytics data is retained for a limited period consistent with the analytics provider’s settings and then deleted or aggregated. Server logs are retained by the hosting provider for a short period under its own retention practices.
8. Your rights and choices
Regardless of where you live, you may: (a) unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the link included in every email, with immediate effect; (b) request access to the personal information held about you; (c) request correction or deletion of that information; (d) receive a copy of the information you provided in a portable form; (e) object to processing based on legitimate interest; and (f) withdraw consent to processing based on consent. Requests may be made free of charge to legal@thethinplaces.com and will be honored within a reasonable time, subject to verification that the request concerns your own information.
9. Notice to California residents
This section supplements the rest of this Policy for California residents. In the preceding 12 months, the Site has collected the categories of personal information identified in Section 2.3 (identifiers; internet or other electronic network activity information), from you directly and automatically from your browser, for the business purposes described in Section 3, retains them for the periods described in Section 7, and has disclosed them only to the service providers identified in Section 4. The Site does not sell personal information and does not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, and has not done either in the preceding 12 months. It does not collect sensitive personal information and does not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those described in this Policy.
Subject to applicable law, California residents have the right to: know and access the personal information collected about them; delete personal information; correct inaccurate personal information; and not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising these rights. The Operator may fall below the thresholds at which the California Consumer Privacy Act applies to a business, but honors requests to access, correct, and delete from any resident regardless. Requests may be submitted to legal@thethinplaces.com. California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (“Shine the Light”) permits requests for information about disclosures to third parties for their direct marketing purposes; the Site makes no such disclosures.
10. Notice to visitors in the EU, UK, and EEA
Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, the Operator is the controller of the personal information described in this Policy. The legal basis for processing your email address is your consent, evidenced by the double opt-in confirmation, which you may withdraw at any time; the legal basis for analytics processing and server logging is legitimate interest in understanding, improving, and securing the Site, or consent where required. The service providers identified in Section 4 are located in the United States, so your information is transferred to and processed there. Those transfers rely on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or an equivalent lawful safeguard incorporated in each provider’s data processing terms; details are available on request. You additionally have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
11. Security
The Site is a static website and stores no personal information on its own infrastructure. Personal information is held by the service providers identified in Section 4, each of which maintains its own administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. Reasonable measures are used in the selection of those providers; however, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and absolute security cannot be guaranteed.
12. Changes to this policy
This Policy may be updated from time to time. The current version will always be posted at this address with its effective date; material changes affecting subscribers will additionally be announced by email. Continued use of the Site after a revised Policy is posted constitutes acceptance of the revision.
13. Contact
Questions, requests, and complaints concerning this Policy or your personal information may be directed to legal@thethinplaces.com.