Privacy policy
In short: we collect what we need to send you the paper, bill you and answer you. We do not sell your information, we do not share it for advertising, and we use no advertising or third-party tracking tools.
1. Who we are
The Erstwhile Courier is published and sold by Ambrette Technologies LLC, doing business as The Erstwhile Courier. The seller decides how your information is used. Write to support@erstwhilecourier.com or by post to PO Box 397, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. This policy sits alongside our terms of service and sale.
2. What we collect and why
When you sign up for news
- Your email address, who the paper is for (you, a gift or a community), the run you would like, your ZIP code and, if you give it, your birth year.
- The code on any card you were handed, which delivery area it came from, how you heard about us, plus the campaign tags in the link you followed and the page that sent you.
- Why: to email you news from the paper, nothing else; to plan where papers will go; and to count which cards and campaigns work. We ask you to confirm by email before we write again.
When you order
- Your name, email, billing address and, for print, delivery address. Stripe takes your card; we never see or store the full number.
- What you bought, the run, the start week, the birth year for a birth-year issue, and any card code and answer to “where did you hear about us?”.
- For plans that renew: the exact words you agreed to, when, and the IP address and browser you agreed from. The law requires us to be able to show your consent.
- Why: to deliver what you paid for, take payments, send receipts and renewal reminders, and handle refunds and questions.
When you ask us to stop delivering doorstep papers
- The street address and ZIP code you give us, the delivery area, and, if you text STOP, your phone number and your message.
- Why: so we never leave a paper at that address again.
When you visit
- We count visits and steps through signup and checkout on our own systems, with a random visit identifier and the campaign tags in your link, to see what works. Our host keeps short-lived server logs with IP addresses for security.
We do not sell your information or share it for targeted advertising, and we do not collect sensitive information such as health, financial account or precise location data.
3. If someone gave you the paper
The person who bought your gift gave us your name and postal address, and perhaps your email and a note for the card. We use them only to send you the gift and its card. We do not add you to our mailing list or send you offers unless you sign up yourself. To change your address, stop the gift or have your details removed, write to us.
4. Cookies and similar
- ec_zone: if you arrive from a doorstep card's web address, a cookie remembers that card's delivery area for 30 days, so an order or signup is counted for it.
- courier.utm: if you arrive from one of our ads, codes or campaign links, your browser remembers which one for 30 days, so an order placed later is counted for it. It stays on your device until you check out, and holds no personal information.
- edition: if you switch between the light and dark editions of the site, your browser remembers your choice. It stays on your device.
- Stripe sets its own cookies on its payment page, for fraud prevention.
We use no advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. Because we do not track you across other sites or sell or share your information, Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals have nothing to switch off here; if that ever changes, we will honor them.
5. Who handles it for us
These companies process information on our behalf, only to do the job named, under their own security and privacy terms.
| Company | What it does | What it sees |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Runs this website. | Pages you visit, your IP address and browser, in short-lived server logs. |
| Supabase | Our database. | Everything listed under What we collect. |
| Stripe | Takes card payments on its own payment page. | Your name, email, card, billing address and, for print, your delivery address. |
| Resend | Sends our emails. | Your email address and the email we send you. |
| Twilio | Runs the STOP text line for doorstep papers. | Your phone number and what you text us. |
| Our printer and mailing house | Print and post the paper. | Each reader's name and postal address, for the label. |
| Google Fonts | Supplies the typefaces the site uses. | Your IP address and browser, when the page loads its fonts. |
We may also disclose information when the law requires it, or to a buyer of the business, who would be bound by this policy.
6. How long we keep it
- Mailing list: an unconfirmed signup is deleted after 90 days. A confirmed one is kept until you leave the list, or two years after our last email to you.
- Orders and payments: seven years after the order, for tax and accounting.
- Auto-renewal consent: at least three years, or one year after your plan ends if that is later.
- Gift recipients' details: used only while the gift runs, then kept only as part of the order record above.
- Stop requests: for as long as we deliver papers door to door, so we keep honoring them.
- Visit counts: up to two years. Server logs: as our host keeps them, usually days.
7. Your choices and rights
- Every marketing email we send has a link to stop them. Receipts and renewal reminders are part of your order and keep coming while you have a plan.
- Wherever you live, you can ask us to tell you what we hold about you, give you a copy, correct it or delete it. Email support@erstwhilecourier.com from the address we know you by, or tell us how else to confirm it is you. Someone you authorise may ask for you.
- We answer within 45 days and charge nothing. We may keep what the law requires us to keep (such as order and consent records) and will tell you if we do.
- If we turn down a request, reply to say you want to appeal and someone will look at it again within 45 days.
- Using these rights never changes your price or your service.
8. Children, security and changes
- The paper is for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13; if we learn we have, we delete it.
- Your information is kept in our database with access limited to the people and systems that need it; card details stay with Stripe. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects you, we will tell you as the law requires.
- We offer the paper in the United States, and we choose US data locations wherever our providers offer the choice.
- When we change this policy, the date at the top changes. If a change matters, we will email the people it affects before it applies.