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    Privacy Policy

    Last updated: September 14, 2026

    1. Objective

    This policy applies to all processing of personal data carried out by The Sober Curator and has the objective of informing the user regarding the way in which The Sober Curator carries out the processing of personal data (including details of the type of personal data collected and the purpose of processing) and regarding the rights of the user in relation to their personal data.

    2. Contact – How can I contact?

    In case of having any questions about the Privacy Policy, the user can contact The Sober Curator through the following means:

    • Headquarters are located at: PO Box 119, Centralia, WA 98531

    • Contact phone number is: 206-427-0652

    • Email: thesobercurator@gmail.com

    The user may establish direct and effective communication with The Sober Curator by written communication sent to the indicated address or by sending an email to thesobercurator@gmail.com. In addition, information of the officer in charge of processing your personal data is listed below:

    • Trade name: The Sober Curator

    • Identity of the controller: The Sober Curator, LLC

    • Address: PO Box 119, Centralia, WA 98531

    • Email: thesobercurator@gmail.com

    3. Processing identification – How do we collect personal data?

    In compliance with current regulations on the protection of personal data, especially:

    • Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and Council, dated April 27, 2016 on the protection of natural persons regarding the processing of personal data and the free circulation of these data (hereinafter, the “GDPR”).

    • The California Privacy Rights Act 2023 (CPRA)

    • The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA)

    • The Colorado Privacy Act (CPA)

    • The Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA)

    • Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) & Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

    • Australian Privacy Act No. 1988 (APA)

    • Mexican Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data in Possession of Private Parties (LFPDPPP)

    • Singapore Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA)

    • Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act BE 2562 (PDPA)

    • Switzerland’s new Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP)

    • India Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA)

    • Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA)

    • Tennessee Information Privacy Protection Act (TIPA)

    • Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA)

    • Indiana Consumer Data Privacy Act (INCDPA)

    • Iowa Consumer Data Privacy Act (ICDPA)

    • Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act (MTCDPA)

    • Delaware Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA Delaware)

    • Kentucky Consumer Data Privacy Act (KCDPA)

    • New Jersey Data Protection Act (NJDPA)

    • Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (OCPA)

    • New Hampshire Privacy Act (NHPA)

    • Nebraska Data Privacy Act (NDPA)

    • Turkish Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK)

    The Sober Curator collects personal data in its possession when the user:

    • (i) completes the forms of www.thesobercurator.com (the “Site”);

    • (ii) subscribes to the newsletter;

    • (iii) joins the BACKSTAGE membership community;

    • (iv) places an order in our store or makes a contribution;

    • (v) answers a poll, survey, or web form;

    • (vi) completes a printed form;

    • (vii) sends an email or communicates by phone, which are then loaded in the corresponding forms;

    • (viii) browses the Site, in which case technical data is collected automatically as described in Sections 6, 7, and 19.

    • (ix) plays the audio version of an article, in which case playback data is collected as described in Section 7.

    4. Personal Data Collected – What personal data do we collect?

    The Sober Curator collects information when you visit the Site and mainly when you complete our registration, subscription, or order forms.

    The following data may be collected, depending on how you interact with the Site: full name, email address, username and password (for BACKSTAGE members), mailing address and phone number (for orders or event registrations), payment confirmation details (not full card numbers, which are handled by our payment processors), date of birth where required to confirm you are an adult, and technical data such as IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, and approximate (city-level) location derived from your IP address.

    We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information such as racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, health information, or precise geolocation. If you choose to share such information with us, for example in a comment, a testimonial, a survey response, or a Speak Out! Speak Loud! submission, you do so voluntarily, and we treat it with the care required by applicable law.

    As a rule, when personal data is requested to use a service or access certain content, its delivery will not be mandatory, except for those cases where it is specifically indicated that it is data required for the provision of the service. In this case, the user may freely choose not to register and/or not to contract the services.

    The user declares and guarantees that all the data provided are true and correct and undertakes to keep them updated. Changes may be communicated to the Data Protection Officer or to the address indicated in Section 2.

    Likewise, the user acknowledges that the data required by The Sober Curator are necessary, adequate, and not excessive to carry out the purposes expressed in Section 5, which would be impossible to fulfill if said data are not provided.

    Any false or inaccurate statement that occurs as a result of the information and data given, as well as the damages that such information may cause, will be the responsibility of the user.

    5. Purpose – What do we use personal data for?

    The personal data requested from the user will be used for the following purposes:

    • To provide our Service and fulfill your requests. We use your information to provide and maintain our Service, to process and fulfill your requests, to communicate with you about your use of our Service or changes to our Service, to respond to your inquiries, and for other customer service and business administration purposes. For example, when you enroll in a newsletter, we may use your personal information to deliver that newsletter to you.

    • Identification and authentication purposes. We may use your information for identification and authentication purposes. For example, when you enter your account login ID and password to enter one of our registration or login portals, we use your login credentials to authenticate your identity.

    • Personalization. We use your information to tailor the content and information that we may send or display to you, to offer location customization, and personalized help and instructions, and to otherwise personalize your experience while using the Service. For example, if you allow us to collect approximate location data, we use this information to deliver content that is relevant to your area and identify business locations or listings near you.

    • Marketing and promotional purposes. We may use your information to send you news and newsletters, event updates, and to communicate with you about new features, offers, events, or products, or to otherwise contact you about information we think may be of interest to you. We may also use your information to display advertisements to you on our Site (including to sell advertising space on the Service) and on other unaffiliated websites and services.

    • Research and reporting. We may use your information to administer surveys and questionnaires (online and offline) for research and reporting purposes to help us better serve individuals by learning more about their needs and the quality of the products, services, and educational information we provide. The survey responses may be utilized to determine the effectiveness of our Service, various types of communications, advertising campaigns and/or promotional activities.

    • Combining information. We (and our third-party business partners on our behalf) may merge, co-mingle, or otherwise combine information, including your personal information, in furtherance of the purposes described above.

    • To comply with legal obligations. We may use your information to comply with our legal obligations or to exercise or defend our rights or the rights of a third party, including complying with law enforcement or government authority requests and participating in compliance audits.

    • To protect us and others. We may use your information where we believe it necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities, fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person or to otherwise enforce this Policy, our Terms and Conditions, and the integrity of the Service.

    • Deidentified data. We may also deidentify or anonymize your data in such a way that you may not reasonably be re-identified by us or another party, and we may use this deidentified data for any purpose permitted under applicable law. To the extent we deidentify any data originally based on personal information, we will maintain and use such data in deidentified form and will not attempt to reidentify the data.

    The data subject to treatment will not be used for purposes other than or incompatible with those mentioned above and that motivated its collection. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is stated that the recorded data may be used, in addition to the purposes for which it was expressly collected, for the purpose of carrying out statistics, managing incidents or conducting market studies. However, in the event that personal data is processed for a purpose other than that initially specified when collecting said data, a compatibility analysis will be carried out by The Sober Curator in accordance with applicable regulations. The processing will only be authorized if the original purpose is compatible with the new purpose or allowed in accordance with an independent legal basis. In these cases, the user will be informed of the changes in purpose or legal justification for the processing of their data.

    We remind the user that they can oppose the sending of commercial communications (unsubscribe) and stop receiving emails from The Sober Curator by reliably notifying The Sober Curator, interrupt such communications as soon as possible after receiving such notification which will proceed to interrupt in the shortest possible time after receiving such communication. For this purpose, the user may send an email to the address indicated in Section 2, a postal mail addressed to the address indicated in Section 2, or directly follow the unsubscribe instructions detailed at the end of each email from The Sober Curator.

    6. Google Services and Reader Revenue Manager

    We use certain Google services to operate, measure, and support The Sober Curator. When you interact with these services, information is also processed by Google in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy, in addition to this Policy.

    Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. We use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to understand how visitors use our Site. These tools collect information such as your device type, browser, pages visited, time spent on the Site, approximate location, and similar usage data, typically through cookies and similar technologies. We use this information to measure and improve our content and Services. You can control cookies through your browser settings and, where applicable, through our cookie consent banner.

    Google Reader Revenue Manager. We use Google Reader Revenue Manager to offer newsletter sign-up, reader contributions, and related features. Depending on which features you use:

    • If you sign up for our newsletter through a Google one-click form, Google shares the email address associated with your Google Account with us, with your consent, so we can send you our newsletter.

    • If you make a contribution, Google processes your payment, including card information, on our behalf. We do not store your full payment card details. Payment processing is handled by Google and is subject to Google’s terms and Privacy Policy.

    • If you choose to link your account, Google may associate your Google Account with your relationship to The Sober Curator so our content can appear in features such as the “From Your Subscriptions” panel on Google Search, Discover, and News.

    • If you respond to a survey, your responses may be processed through Google and made available to us, including through Google Analytics, to help us understand our audience and improve our content.

    We use information collected through these Google services for the purposes described in Section 5, including providing and improving our Services, communicating with you, processing your requests and contributions, and understanding our audience. To manage your Google Account privacy settings, visit https://myaccount.google.com.

    7. Affiliate Programs, Advertising & Tracking

    The Sober Curator earns revenue through affiliate links, sponsored content, display advertising, and reader memberships. This section explains what data is involved in each.

    Affiliate links and commission tracking. Some links on the Site are affiliate links. When you click one, the affiliate network or merchant may place a cookie or similar identifier on your browser so that a purchase you make within a set period can be attributed to The Sober Curator and a commission paid to us. We do not receive your name, payment details, or the full contents of your order; we typically receive aggregated or pseudonymous reporting such as the date, the item category, and the commission amount. The programs we participate in include:

    Each of these partners is an independent controller of the data it collects through its own cookies, and their privacy policies govern that processing. You can block or delete affiliate cookies through your browser settings; doing so does not affect your ability to read the Site.

    Display advertising. We may display advertisements served by third-party advertising networks. These networks use cookies, device identifiers, and similar technologies to measure ad performance and, where you have not opted out, to show ads based on your interests. When we work with an advertising network that requires specific disclosure language, that language appears below in this section. You can opt out of interest-based advertising through the Digital Advertising Alliance at https://optout.aboutads.info/ and the Network Advertising Initiative at https://optout.networkadvertising.org/, and through your device’s advertising settings. Residents of states with applicable privacy laws may also opt out of targeted advertising using our Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information page or a Global Privacy Control signal.

    Audio player and audio advertising. Articles on the Site include an audio player provided by Instaread, Inc. that converts our written content to speech. When you load a page with the player, Instaread receives the article URL and text, our site domain, and technical data such as your IP address, approximate location, device and browser type, and playback events (play, pause, duration). Audio advertisements may be inserted into the stream by Instaread and its audio advertising partners, including Kulture Media and AdsWizz, which may use cookies or device identifiers to measure and, where permitted, personalize those ads. The Sober Curator receives a share of audio advertising revenue and aggregated listening statistics; we do not receive your identity. Instaread’s privacy policy: https://instaread.co/privacy. AdsWizz opt-out: https://www.adswizz.com/our-privacy-policy/. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising using the links above.

    Meta Pixel and social advertising. We use the Meta Pixel (Facebook and Instagram) on the Site. The pixel collects information about your visit, such as the pages you view and your device and browser type, and shares it with Meta so that we can measure the performance of our content and show you relevant posts or advertisements on Meta platforms. Under some state privacy laws this is considered “sharing” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may opt out through our Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information page, by using a Global Privacy Control signal, or through your Meta ad preferences at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences.

    Sponsored content and brand partners. When a brand sponsors an article or partners with The Sober Curator or our BACKSTAGE community, we may share aggregated, non-identifying performance data (such as page views or click counts) with that brand. We do not share subscriber lists or individual reader data with sponsors.

    Site analytics and performance. In addition to Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager (described in Section 6), the Site uses Jetpack (Automattic) for site statistics and security, and NitroPack for page-speed optimization. These services process technical data such as IP address, browser type, and pages viewed. Jetpack: https://automattic.com/privacy/. NitroPack: https://nitropack.io/page/privacy-policy.

    8. Newsletter, Memberships & Store

    Newsletter. Our email newsletter is delivered through beehiiv. When you subscribe, your email address (and name, if you provide it) is stored with beehiiv, which also records opens, clicks, and the approximate location from which you open our emails so that we can understand what our readers find useful. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every email. beehiiv’s privacy policy: https://www.beehiiv.com/privacy

    BACKSTAGE memberships. Our BACKSTAGE membership community runs on MemberPress, a WordPress membership plugin hosted on our Site. When you join, we collect your name, email address, username, and membership level. Payments are processed by Stripe or PayPal; we never see or store your full card number. Stripe: https://stripe.com/privacy. PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/us/legalhub/privacy-full. Membership records are retained for as long as your membership is active and for the period afterward required for tax and accounting purposes.

    Shop. Physical and digital products, including The Sober Curator Mixtape zine, are sold through our Shopify store. Orders placed there are governed by Shopify’s privacy policy (https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy) in addition to this one. We receive your name, shipping address, email, and order details so that we can fulfill your order.

    Google Reader Revenue Manager. Described in Section 6.

    9. How do we use your information?

    We will use the information we collect about you for the following purposes:

    • Administration

    • Creating and managing user accounts

    • Testimonials

    • Customer feedback collection

    • Enforcing our Terms and Conditions

    • Managing customer orders and memberships

    • Support

    • Targeted advertising

    • User-to-user comments

    • Site protection

    • Dispute resolution

    • Processing payments for BACKSTAGE memberships, contributions, and store orders through Stripe, PayPal, Shopify Payments, and Google (for Reader Revenue Manager contributions). Where a processor offers additional payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or buy-now-pay-later options, those are provided and governed by the processor.

    If we want to use your information for any other purpose, we will ask for your consent and use your information only when we receive your consent and then only for the purpose(s) for which consent will be granted, unless we are required by law to do otherwise.

    We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, as detailed in Section 11 and in the Data Retention paragraph of Section 21.

    10. Consent and legal basis

    By providing personal data to The Sober Curator, the user declares to accept its processing fully and without reservation by The Sober Curator. The user gives his/her free, express and informed consent to The Sober Curator’s use of the data collected for the purposes indicated in Section 5, as well as its incorporation into a The Sober Curator database.

    The Sober Curator carries out the processing of user data on the following legal bases: (i) the contracting of The Sober Curator services by the user, in accordance with the terms and conditions that are made available to the user at the end of the completion of the service request form (prior to possible contracting) and which the user (after reading them), and if the user agrees, can accept by ticking the box that has been included for this purpose; and (ii) the free, informed and unambiguous consent of the user, made after reviewing this privacy policy, where The Sober Curator informs you of the processing it will carry out with your data, and if you agree, by ticking the box that has been included for this purpose in the service request form. Data processing that is not covered by any of the above legal bases will be carried out if The Sober Curator considers it necessary to protect a legitimate interest and only if it does not infringe the fundamental rights and freedoms of the user.

    11. Validity – How long do we keep it?

    The data will be destroyed or archived when it is no longer strictly necessary or relevant for the purposes described in Section 5. In particular, personal data will be kept for as long as the business relationship is in force (and to the extent that you have not previously requested their deletion) and for as long as obligations, indemnities and/or liabilities may arise under the business relationship or for the services provided.

    The Sober Curator informs you that it will retain information essential to identify the origin of the data stored for the duration of the user’s relationship with The Sober Curator and/or until revocation of the user’s consent in accordance with the information in Section 5 of this Privacy Policy and/or as long as required by applicable law.

    12. Confidentiality / Assignment / International Transfer – Do we disclose data to third parties?

    The Sober Curator will keep collected personal data private and confidential, and will not use it for purposes other than those set out in Section 5. The Sober Curator requires its employees and third parties providing services that access the contents of the databases to sign confidentiality and personal data processing agreements (or include such obligations in the service agreements it signs with such providers, as indicated in the following paragraph).

    The user’s personal data collected by The Sober Curator will not be transferred, sold, exchanged, transmitted and/or communicated to third parties outside The Sober Curator without the user’s consent, except for legal obligation and/or for the purpose of providing the services to the user. This does not include certain employees and service providers enabling The Sober Curator to keep the Site operational, fulfil the objectives set out in Section 5 of this document and/or provide services to the user, who have undertaken the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the data provided and undertake to comply with applicable regulations on the protection of personal data, at the time of contracting. Contracts with service providers stipulate the purpose, scope, content, duration, nature and purpose of data processing, the type of personal data, the categories of data subjects and the obligations and responsibilities of The Sober Curator and contracted third parties.

    In particular:

    • The Sober Curator may share the personal information provided with parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, related companies and/or intermediaries related to The Sober Curator.

    • The Sober Curator may share certain user-provided personal information internally within The Sober Curator, with certain departments, such as administration, marketing, or IT.

    In certain cases, The Sober Curator transfers personal data based on legitimate interest and the economic and technical advantages associated with the use of specialized providers. In this sense:

    • Maps. The Sober Curator uses Google Maps to include maps on the Site. Integration with Google Maps allows Google to collect the user’s IP address. The user can consult the privacy policy and other legal aspects of said company at: https://policies.google.com/privacy

    • YouTube. The Site has links to and embeds from YouTube in relation to videos linked to The Sober Curator services. As indicated in Section 17, by using these links the user is leaving the Site and is redirected to YouTube. The user can consult the privacy policy and other legal aspects of YouTube at: https://policies.google.com/privacy

    • Facebook and Instagram (Meta). The Sober Curator has integrated Meta components on the Site. In particular, The Sober Curator uses the Meta Pixel and Meta advertising tools, as described in Section 7. The company that operates Facebook and Instagram is Meta Platforms, Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. The user can consult the privacy policy and other legal aspects of Meta at: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/ and https://help.instagram.com/155833707900388

    • LinkedIn. The Site has links to LinkedIn. As indicated in Section 17, by using these links the user is leaving the Site and is redirected to LinkedIn. The user can consult the privacy policy and other legal aspects of LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy

    • X (formerly Twitter). The Site has links to X. As indicated in Section 17, by using these links the user is leaving the Site and is redirected to X. The user can consult the privacy policy and other legal aspects of X at: https://x.com/en/privacy

    • TikTok. The Site has links to TikTok. As indicated in Section 17, by using these links the user is leaving the Site and is redirected to TikTok. The user can consult the privacy policy and other legal aspects of TikTok at: US: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/us/privacy-policy/en; EEA/UK/CH: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/eea/privacy-policy; Global: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/row/privacy-policy

    • Pinterest. The Site has links to Pinterest. As indicated in Section 17, by using these links the user is leaving the Site and is redirected to Pinterest. Privacy policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy

    • Google Analytics. The Sober Curator utilizes Google Analytics for website analytics. This integration involves Google collecting the user’s IP address and usage data. Users can refer to the privacy policy and other legal information of Google Analytics at: https://policies.google.com/privacy

    • Google Fonts. The Sober Curator incorporates Google Fonts to enhance the visual aesthetics of the Site. This integration may result in Google collecting information about the user’s device and usage. Users can review the privacy policy and additional legal details of Google Fonts at: https://policies.google.com/privacy

    • beehiiv. The Sober Curator uses beehiiv to deliver its newsletter. Subscriber email addresses and engagement data are processed by beehiiv, Inc. Privacy policy: https://www.beehiiv.com/privacy

    • MemberPress, Stripe, and PayPal. BACKSTAGE memberships are managed with MemberPress and paid through Stripe or PayPal, as described in Section 8.

    • Shopify. Store orders are processed by Shopify Inc. Privacy policy: https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy

    • Affiliate networks. Amazon, ShopMy, Awin, Impact, Tripaneer, and other affiliate partners listed in Section 7 receive click and conversion data as described there.

    • Advertising networks. Where we display advertising, our advertising partners receive the data described in Section 7 and any network-specific disclosure included there.

    • Instaread. The article audio player is provided by Instaread, Inc., which processes article content and listener playback data and serves audio advertising with its partners, as described in Section 7. Privacy policy: https://instaread.co/privacy 

    • Jetpack and NitroPack. Site statistics, security, and performance services, as described in Section 7.

    • The Events Calendar. Event listings on the Site are powered by The Events Calendar (StellarWP / Liquid Web). Privacy policy: https://www.liquidweb.com/about-us/policies/privacy-policy/

    Social Networks. The Sober Curator also uses social networks, such as Facebook or Instagram, and has integrated functions of these networks into its services. The user may only use these social networks to the extent that they are registered in them and have accessed the corresponding social network with their user. These social networks have their own privacy policies and their own terms and conditions, over which The Sober Curator has no interference or control.

    Finally, you should be aware that The Sober Curator may (and that The Sober Curator reserves the right to) disclose your information in the following cases:

    • Business transfer: If we or our subsidiaries are acquired, merged, or invested in by another company, or if any of our assets are transferred or may be transferred to another company, whether as part of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding or otherwise, we may transfer the information we have collected about you to the other company. As part of the business transfer process, we may disclose certain information about you to lenders, auditors, and outside advisors, including lawyers and consultants.

    • Compliance with the law: We may disclose your personal information to comply with the law, a legal proceeding, a court order, or other legal process, such as in response to a court order or subpoena.

    • Protection and Facilitation of Rights: We may disclose your personal information when we believe it is appropriate to investigate, prevent, or take action against illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations that may pose potential threats to the safety of any person, or violations of our Terms and Conditions or this Policy. This disclosure may also include using your personal information as evidence in litigation in which we are involved. Additionally, we may disclose your personal information when necessary to assist you in exercising your rights under the Terms and Conditions of The Sober Curator and this Privacy Policy.

    • Reasons related to public safety, national defense, or public health: In situations where there are well-founded reasons related to the safety of the community, national defense, or public health, your personal information could be disclosed.

    • Aggregate, anonymized, or de-identified information: We may disclose aggregate, anonymized, or de-identified information about you for any purpose permitted by applicable law.

    • Consent: We may disclose your personal information with your consent.

    13. Security – How do we ensure data security?

    The Sober Curator adopts reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the security, integrity, and confidentiality of personal data, in accordance with the GDPR, the CPRA, and the other data protection laws listed in Section 3, in order to prevent its alteration, loss, unauthorized access, or unauthorized processing. These measures include HTTPS encryption across the Site, access controls on administrative accounts, use of payment processors that are PCI-DSS compliant so that we never store full card numbers, and regular software updates.

    The Sober Curator does not guarantee absolute privacy when using the Site, since the possibility that unauthorized third parties may have knowledge of it cannot be excluded. The user acknowledges that the existing technical means that provide security are not impregnable and that even when all reasonable security precautions are taken, it is possible to suffer manipulation, destruction and/or loss of information. In the event that a security incident is detected and entails a significant risk to the data owner, such event will be reported without delay to the competent control authority, together with the corrective and remedial measures implemented and/or to be implemented.

    The Sober Curator is not responsible for users’ loss or deletion of data. Similarly, The Sober Curator accepts no responsibility for possible damage caused by computer viruses.

    Finally, the user must also take measures to protect their information. The Sober Curator insists that you take every precaution to protect your personal information while on the Internet. At the very least, it is advisable to change your password periodically, using a combination of letters and numbers, and to make sure you are using a secure browser.

    14. Data owner rights – What rights do I have as a data owner?

    The data owner user may at any time exercise the rights of access, rectification, cancellation, opposition, limitation of processing, portability, confidentiality and deletion of his/her personal data, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 15 and following of the GDPR and the provisions of the CPRA, VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA, PIPEDA-CASL, APA, LFPDPPP, PDPA (Singapore), PDPA (Thailand), nFADP, DPDPA (India), UCPA, TIPA, TDPSA, INCDPA, ICDPA, MTCDPA, DPDPA (Delaware), KCDPA, NJDPA, OCPA, NHPA, NDPA, and KVKK, as applicable.

    The exercise of these rights may be carried out by the user by means of an email addressed to thesobercurator@gmail.com, by written communication addressed to the Data Protection Officer at the address in Section 2, through our Data Subject Request Form, or by any of the methods provided for in the applicable regulations referred to above. The Sober Curator may request the data necessary to validate the identification of the data owner.

    The deletion of some data shall not be carried out where it may cause damage to the legitimate rights or interests of third parties, or where there is a legal obligation to retain the data.

    If you are located in the UK or EEA, and subject to national or local law exemptions, you have certain data protection rights in certain circumstances. Please contact us if you would like to exercise any of these rights.

    • Withdraw their consent at any time. Users have the right to withdraw consent where they have previously given their consent to the processing of their Personal Data.

    • Object to processing of their Data. Users have the right to object to the processing of their Data if the processing is carried out on a legal basis other than consent.

    • Access their Data. Users have the right to learn if Data is being processed by the Owner, obtain disclosure regarding certain aspects of the processing and obtain a copy of the Data undergoing processing.

    • Verify and seek rectification. Users have the right to verify the accuracy of their Data and ask for it to be updated or corrected.

    • Restrict the processing of their Data. Users have the right to restrict the processing of their Data. In this case, the Owner will not process their Data for any purpose other than storing it.

    • Have their Personal Data deleted or otherwise removed. Users have the right to obtain the erasure of their Data from the Owner.

    • Receive their Data and have it transferred to another controller. Users have the right to receive their Data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and, if technically feasible, to have it transmitted to another controller without any hindrance.

    • Lodge a complaint. Users have the right to bring a claim before their competent data protection authority.

    15. Appointment of a Data Protection Officer

    The Sober Curator has appointed Alysse Bryson as the delegate for the application and control of this Privacy Policy and the relationship with the supervisory authority. She can be contacted by the following means:

    16. Training – Do we train?

    The staff of The Sober Curator whose functions are related to the processing of personal data are trained in order to ensure better protection of personal data and the rights of data subjects.

    17. Links to third parties – Does our Site contain links to other websites?

    The Site may contain links to third-party websites, with or without advertising content, whose privacy policies are foreign to The Sober Curator. The linked sites are not related to The Sober Curator and their existence in no way presupposes that there is any kind of suggestion, invitation or recommendation to visit the target sites or any kind of link or association between The Sober Curator and such sites, except where a link is identified as an affiliate or sponsored link as described in Section 7 and in our Disclaimer & Disclosures page. The Sober Curator is not responsible for the content, use and activities of these linked sites, or for any actual or potential, material or moral, direct or indirect damages suffered by users and derived from the information contained in such sites or the relationship that users may establish with third parties whose services have been published on the Site. Notwithstanding the above, any feedback on these linked sites will be useful to The Sober Curator in order to improve the services and/or ensure the integrity of the Site. The Sober Curator undertakes to do everything possible to prevent the existence on its Site of links to sites with illegal content.

    18. Children’s Privacy

    The Site and our Services are intended for adults. They are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it promptly.

    For residents of California: we do not sell or share the personal information of consumers we know to be under 16.

    For residents of the EU and UK: we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 without the consent of a parent or guardian.

    If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, contact us at thesobercurator@gmail.com and we will take prompt action.

    19. Cookies – Do we use cookies?

    When you visit the Site, we and our partners may store small files called cookies, or use similar technologies such as pixels and local storage, on your device. We use them for the following purposes:

    • Strictly necessary: to keep you logged in to BACKSTAGE, remember your cookie preferences, protect the Site against abuse, and deliver pages quickly (WordPress, MemberPress, Jetpack, NitroPack).

    • Analytics: to understand how visitors use the Site (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Jetpack Stats).

    • Affiliate attribution: to credit The Sober Curator when you buy something after clicking one of our affiliate links (Amazon, ShopMy, Awin, Impact, Tripaneer, and others listed in Section 7).

    • Advertising and social: to measure and personalize advertising (Meta Pixel, the Instaread audio player and its audio advertising partners, and, where applicable, our display advertising network).

    • Embedded content: to display newsletter sign-up forms, videos, and social posts (beehiiv, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook), which may set their own cookies when loaded.

    You do not need to accept non-essential cookies to read the Site. You can delete or block cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of interest-based advertising using the links in Section 7. Where required by law, we display a cookie consent banner that lets you accept or reject non-essential cookies before they are set. Cookies by themselves do not identify you by name, although they may contain or be linked to your IP address or a pseudonymous identifier. The Sober Curator reserves the right to hire the services of third parties to analyze and understand the users of the Site, who may not use the information collected for purposes other than improving The Sober Curator’s services.

    20. Approval

    Your use of the Site constitutes your acknowledgement and approval of The Sober Curator’s Privacy Policy and The Sober Curator’s Terms and Conditions, if any. Likewise, the user accepts The Sober Curator’s Privacy Policy and The Sober Curator’s Terms and Conditions by completing the request for services.

    21. Do United States residents have specific Privacy Rights?

    You may have certain rights regarding our processing of your personal information under applicable local law. If our processing of your personal information is governed by such laws, this section provides you with additional information regarding your rights and our processing of your personal information under applicable local law.

    MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

    We may send periodic promotional emails to you. You may opt out of promotional emails by following the opt-out instructions contained in the email. Please note that it may take up to 10 business days for us to process opt-out requests. If you opt out of receiving promotional emails, we may still send you emails about your account or any services you have requested or received from us.

    DATA RETENTION

    Your personal information will be held for only so long as it is necessary for the purpose for which it was originally collected, and in accordance with applicable local law. We will retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy. When assessing retention periods, we first examine whether it is necessary to retain the personal information collected and, if retention is required, work to retain the personal information for the shortest possible period permissible under applicable law. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of the personal information, the purposes for which we process the personal information, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other requirements.

    YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES AND RIGHTS

    Depending on the jurisdiction in which you live, you may have the following rights under applicable local law:

    • Right to request access and a copy of your personal information and information relating to how it is processed;

    • Right to request deletion of your personal information;

    • Right to request the correction or update of the personal information we hold about you;

    • Right to opt out of “sales” of your personal information and “sharing” of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes (as these terms are defined under applicable law);

    • Right to opt out of targeted advertising;

    • Right to limit our use of your sensitive personal information;

    • Right to not be unlawfully discriminated against for exercising your rights.

    These rights may be limited or denied in some circumstances. For example, we may retain your personal information where required or permitted under applicable law. You may also opt out of our “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information through our Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information page or through privacy preference signals recognized under applicable local law, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC), but please note that this signal will be linked to your browser only. For more information on the GPC and how to use a browser or browser extension incorporating the GPC signal, see https://globalprivacycontrol.org/.

    VERIFICATION PROCESS

    In order to protect your information, we will confirm a requestor’s identity before responding to any request. To start the process, you must provide your name and email. We will ask you at least one question, and you must reply by email with the correct answer for each question based on your previous interaction with us. If we still cannot verify your identity as required by applicable laws, we will let you know and may ask additional questions. Otherwise, we will acknowledge your request and contact you later with our full response. We will only send verification questions from thesobercurator@gmail.com. Before sending a verification response, please double-check the email address. If you receive an email that appears to be from us but is not from our verification email address listed above, do not respond. Any information we gather through this process will only be used for consumer verification, security procedures, or fraud prevention. We will delete any verification information as soon as practical after processing your request.

    AUTHORIZED AGENTS

    You may designate an authorized agent to exercise your rights under applicable laws on your behalf. Pursuant to applicable laws:

    • You must provide the authorized agent written permission to exercise your rights under applicable laws on your behalf.

    • We may deny a request from an authorized agent on your behalf if the authorized agent does not submit proof that he, she, or it has been authorized by you to act on your behalf if we request such proof, as permitted by applicable laws.

    • Even if you use an authorized agent to exercise your rights under applicable laws on your behalf, pursuant to applicable laws we may still require that you verify your own identity directly to us.

    FINANCIAL INCENTIVES

    “Financial incentive” means a program, benefit, or other offering, including payments to consumers as compensation, for the disclosure, deletion, sale, or sharing of personal information.

    The law permits financial incentives or a price or service difference if it is reasonably related to the value of the consumer’s data. A business must be able to explain how the financial incentive or price or service difference is reasonably related to the value of the consumer’s data. The explanation must include:

    • a good-faith estimate of the value of the consumer’s data that forms the basis for offering the financial incentive or price or service difference; and

    • a description of the method the business used to calculate the value of the consumer’s data.

    We do not offer financial incentives to collect personal information and we will not discriminate against you if you exercise any of the rights provided by applicable laws set forth in this Privacy Policy. Please note that a legitimate denial of a request for information, deletion, or to opt out is not discriminatory, nor is charging a fee for excessive or repetitive consumer requests as permitted by applicable laws.

    APPEALS

    If we decline to take action regarding your request, we will inform you of our decision and the reasoning behind it. If you wish to appeal our decision, please email us at thesobercurator@gmail.com with the subject line “Privacy Request Appeal.” Within sixty (60) days of receipt of an appeal, we will inform you in writing of any action taken or not taken in response to the appeal, including a written explanation of the reasons for the decision. If your appeal is denied, you may contact your state Attorney General to submit a complaint.

    CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS

    California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information in Section 2.

    If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with the Services, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Services. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information in Section 2 and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Services, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from all our systems (e.g., backups).

    22. Modifications – Is this the most current version?

    This is the current version of The Sober Curator Privacy Policy, updated on September 14, 2026.

    The Sober Curator may at any time and without prior notice modify this Privacy Policy. Such modifications will be operative from their publication on the Site or when they are notified to users by any means, whichever occurs first. The user should review this page periodically to stay informed of its terms.