Privacy Policy
Effective Date: January 1, 2026
1. Introduction
The Autistic Culture Podcast Network ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard information when you visit our website (autisticculturepodcast.com), subscribe to our content, or interact with us in any way.
2. Information We Collect
Information You Provide Directly
- Contact inquiries: When you contact us via our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and message content.
- Podcast applications: When you submit a podcast application, we collect information about you and your show as entered in the form.
- Volunteer applications: When you apply to volunteer, we collect contact details and relevant background information you choose to share.
- Newsletter subscriptions: When you subscribe to our Substack newsletter, your email address is collected and processed by Substack.
Information Collected Automatically
- Website analytics: We may use analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to collect anonymised data about how visitors use our website, including pages visited, time spent, and referring sites.
- Cookies: Our website may use cookies to improve your browsing experience. You can control cookie settings through your browser.
- Podcast listening data: Our podcast distributor (Acast) and third-party platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.) collect listening data such as episode plays and downloads. This data is generally anonymised and aggregated.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Respond to your enquiries and contact form submissions
- Process podcast and volunteer applications
- Send you our newsletter and updates (only if you have subscribed)
- Improve our website and content based on usage analytics
- Comply with legal obligations
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.
4. Third-Party Services
We use a number of third-party services to operate the Autistic Culture Podcast Network:
- Substack: Our newsletter platform. Substack's privacy policy governs how your subscription data is handled.
- Acast: Our podcast hosting and distribution platform. Acast collects listening analytics.
- Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms: Your use of these platforms is governed by their own privacy policies.
- DFTBA: Our merchandise store. Purchases through DFTBA are subject to DFTBA's privacy policy.
- Google Forms: Used for podcast applications and volunteer sign-ups. Google's privacy policy applies to data entered in these forms.
5. Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. We may use cookies to:
- Remember your preferences
- Understand how visitors use our website (analytics)
- Improve site performance
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some features of our website may not function correctly if you do so.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Contact form submissions are retained for a reasonable period to allow us to respond and follow up. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Request deletion of your personal information
- Withdraw consent to processing (where processing is based on consent)
- Object to or restrict certain processing of your data
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@autisticculturepodcast.com.
8. Children's Privacy
Our Services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.
9. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Links to External Sites
Our website contains links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Email: info@autisticculturepodcast.com
Network: Autistic Culture Podcast Network