Privacy Policy

Freight Caviar is a small, independent media company. We collect as little as we can, we never sell your information, and we tell you plainly what we do with it. This policy covers freightcaviar.com, the Freight Caviar newsletter, print subscriptions, and the Caviar Club. Freight Caviar is the controller of the personal information described here.

What we collect

Email address. When you subscribe to the newsletter, we send your email to beehiiv, the platform that hosts our list. Unlocking a subscriber-only story checks the same list: if the email is already subscribed we unlock the story, and if not we add you as a subscriber. We also record which part of the site the signup came from (for example the homepage or the sticky bar) so we know what works.

Purchase details. Print subscriptions are sold through Stripe. Stripe collects your name, shipping address, and payment details directly on its checkout page. We receive your name, email, shipping address, and which plan you bought so we can ship the magazine (and the hoodie, on the plan that includes one). Renewals are billed by Stripe on the schedule you chose. We do not receive or store card numbers.

Caviar Club. There is no Club signup form or payment on the site. Joining starts with an email to us, and we keep that correspondence. We do not collect anything else about Club members through the website.

Messages you send us. If you email us about partnerships, the Caviar Club, or anything else, we keep the correspondence so we can reply and follow up.

Usage data. Like most websites, we collect aggregate information about how the site is used: pages viewed, approximate location derived from IP address, device and browser type, referring site, and which links in a story were clicked. This is collected through Google Analytics and Vercel Analytics and is used to understand our audience, not to identify individuals.

Newsletter engagement. beehiiv records whether newsletter emails are opened and which links are clicked. We use this to see which stories land and to keep the list healthy.

How we use it

• To send you the newsletter you asked for and let you manage that subscription.
• To fulfil print orders and answer questions about them.
• To recognise returning subscribers so we stop asking you to subscribe.
• To measure readership and improve the site and the newsletter.
• To report aggregate, anonymised audience numbers to sponsors and partners.
• To protect the site from bots, abuse, and fraudulent signups.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Sponsors never receive subscriber emails or individual reader data.

Who we share it with

We rely on a small number of service providers to run Freight Caviar. Each one only receives what it needs to do its job.

When someone subscribes, an internal notification with the new subscriber's email is posted to our team's Slack workspace so we can welcome them. We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect our rights and the safety of our readers.

Cookies

We keep cookies to a minimum. These are the ones the site sets:

Embedded YouTube videos and X posts may set their own cookies once they load. You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings. The site works without them, though you may see subscribe prompts more often. To opt out of Google Analytics everywhere, install Google's opt-out browser add-on.

A note for EU and UK readers.We do not yet show a cookie consent prompt, so Google Analytics currently loads for every visitor, including you. We know EU and UK rules generally expect consent before analytics cookies are set, and we are working on it. In the meantime, the opt-out add-on above or your browser's cookie blocking stops it entirely, and nothing else on the site depends on it.

Your choices and rights

• Unsubscribe any time using the link at the bottom of every newsletter or the unsubscribe page.
• Access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you by emailing us. We will confirm and act within 30 days.
• Object or restrict. You can ask us to stop using your information for a particular purpose.

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, California, or another place with a privacy law, these rights are yours by law and we honour them for everyone regardless of where you live. We do not sell personal information as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act, and we do not use it for targeted advertising. Our legal bases for processing under the GDPR are your consent (newsletter), performance of a contract (orders), and our legitimate interest in running and improving an independent publication (analytics and security).

How long we keep it

We keep your email for as long as you are subscribed. When you unsubscribe, beehiiv retains a suppression record so we do not accidentally email you again. Order records are kept for as long as tax and accounting rules require. Analytics data is retained in aggregate form and is not tied back to you.

Security and transfers

The site is served over HTTPS, and access to subscriber and order data is limited to the Freight Caviar team through authenticated accounts. Our providers are based in the United States, so if you read us from elsewhere your information is transferred there. Each provider is bound by its own privacy commitments linked above.

Children

Freight Caviar is written for working professionals and is not directed to anyone under 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

When we change this policy we will update the effective date above. If a change is significant, we will say so in the newsletter.

Contact

Questions, requests, or complaints: pbj@freightcaviar.com. We read every message and reply to all of them.