Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 3, 2026

The Short Version

We collect only what we need to run your account and improve the site.
We never sell your personal data.
No advertising trackers or marketing pixels.
Payments are processed by Stripe — we never see or store your card number.
You can delete your account and data at any time by contacting us.
Analytics are opt-in via the consent banner.

1. What We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your email address, display name (optional), and a securely hashed version of your password. We never store passwords in plain text.

Profile Information

If you complete your member profile, we store the information you choose to provide: display name, bio, avatar URL, website, and Bluesky handle. All profile fields are optional.

Payment Information

Payments are processed by Stripe. We store your Stripe customer ID and subscription status to manage your membership. We do not receive, process, or store your credit card number, expiration date, or CVC.

Content You Create

When you submit content as a writer, we store the title, body, tags, and metadata you provide. Your author name is displayed publicly on published content.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics (GA4) to measure page views, engagement, and referral sources. IP addresses are anonymized. Analytics tracking is disabled by default and only activates when you explicitly consent via the banner. We implement Google Consent Mode v2.

Cookies

We use essential cookies for authentication sessions. If you accept analytics, Google Analytics sets a first-party analytics cookie. No marketing, retargeting, or social media tracking cookies are used.

2. How We Use Your Data

To operate your account and process your membership
To display your name and profile on content you publish
To communicate about your account or subscription status
To improve site functionality and content (via anonymized analytics)
To enforce our Terms of Service and prevent abuse

3. What We Share

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only with:

Stripe — to process payments (governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy)
Google Analytics — anonymized usage data, only when you consent
AWS — infrastructure hosting (data stored in US-East-1)

We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the safety of our users.

4. Data Retention

Account data is retained for as long as your account is active. If you cancel your subscription, your account and content remain unless you request deletion. Analytics data follows Google's default GA4 retention period. Stripe retains payment records per their policies and applicable financial regulations.

5. Your Rights

Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you
Correction — update your profile information at any time
Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated data
Consent — manage analytics preferences below or via the consent banner
Portability — request an export of your content

6. Analytics Preferences

7. Security

We use industry-standard security measures: HTTPS everywhere, hashed passwords, signed session cookies, and infrastructure protected by AWS WAF. Payment data is handled entirely by Stripe's PCI-compliant systems.

8. Children

MachineSpeak is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. Account registration requires age confirmation.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as our services evolve. Significant changes will be communicated via the site or email. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

10. Contact

For privacy questions or data requests, contact us at privacy@machinespeak.systems.