Privacy Policy

1. Information you give us

• Discussion accounts. When you join the discussions we store your email address, your handle, an optional display name and bio, and, if you set one, a password stored only as a one-way hash. Your email is never shown publicly.
• Posts and activity. Threads, replies and votes you submit are stored and shown publicly with your handle. Reports you file about other posts are kept private.
• Newsletter and downloads. When you sign up for our newsletter or request a guide (such as "State of AI Automation 2027") we store your email address, your name if you give it, the page you signed up on and the date of your consent.
• Chat. When you use the "Ask Z Media" chat on the Site, we store the messages you send and the replies you receive, and any contact details you choose to share in the chat so our team can follow up.
• Contact form and email. Messages you send through the contact form or by email, with your name, email address and anything else you include.
• Event tickets. When you buy a ticket to an event we host, we collect your name, email address, phone number if you give it, the tickets you bought and your check-in status at the door.
• Phone, text and WhatsApp. When you call, text or WhatsApp (419) 500-4882, we collect your phone number, the content and time of your messages or voicemail, and a record of your consent to be contacted.

2. Information we collect automatically

• Usage data. Pages you view, the site or link that referred you, the date and time of your visit, and events such as clicking a headline, playing a podcast episode or reading most of an article.
• Device data. Your browser and device type, screen size, language, and approximate location (city or region) derived from your IP address.
• Server logs. Our servers and our network provider record IP addresses and request details to keep the Site secure and working. These logs are kept for a short period.
• Cookies and similar technologies. See section 6.

3. How we use information

• To run the Site: show content, keep you signed in, publish your posts and deliver the emails you asked for.
• To answer your questions, messages, chats and calls, and to follow up when you ask us to.
• To send the newsletter and guides you signed up for. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link.
• To issue tickets, send receipts and event reminders, and check you in at the door.
• To moderate the discussions: new posts are checked by an AI moderation service before they appear, and our team reviews flagged posts.
• To understand which articles, news and episodes are useful so we can improve the Site.
• To protect the Site and its users from spam, fraud, abuse and security threats.
• To meet our legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Use.

We do not use your information to make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you based solely on automated processing.

4. AI features

The "Ask Z Media" chat, our discussion moderation and some of our content tools use AI models from providers such as Anthropic. When you use the chat, your messages are sent to the AI provider to generate a reply. When you post in the discussions, your post is sent to the AI provider for a moderation check. These providers process the data on our behalf under their business terms, which do not allow them to train their models on it. Please do not share sensitive personal information (such as health, financial or government ID details) in the chat or in public posts.

5. Who we share information with

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We share it only as follows:

• Service providers that help us run the Site, under contracts that limit their use of the data to providing the service to us: hosting and network security (Cloudflare), email delivery (Resend), analytics (Google Analytics and DocFluence Site Pulse), AI processing (Anthropic), card payments for tickets (Stripe), payment plans (PayPal), and calls, texts and WhatsApp (Twilio and Meta).
• DocFluence. Our newsletter, chat, contact records and podcast are managed in DocFluence, a platform built and operated by Z Media Group.
• Publicly. Your handle, display name, bio and posts in the discussions are public by design.
• Legal and safety. When required by law, subpoena or court order, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is needed to protect the rights, property or safety of Z Media, our users or others.
• Business transfers. If Z Media Group is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, information may transfer as part of that deal, subject to this policy.

Payments. Stripe and PayPal collect your card or account details directly under their own privacy policies. We never see or store your full card number.

6. Cookies and analytics

• Essential cookies keep you signed in (for up to 60 days), protect forms from abuse and remember your privacy choices. The Site does not work properly without them.
• Google Analytics 4 sets cookies to measure visits and events. Google processes this data under its own policies; see how Google uses information from sites that use its services. You can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
• DocFluence Site Pulse is our own first-party analytics. It counts page views and events without advertising cookies and is not shared with advertisers.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking analytics cookies does not stop the Site from working.

7. Text messages and WhatsApp

We use your phone number only to reply to you, give you support and send service messages you asked for, such as event ticket reminders. We do not use text messaging for advertising.

• No sharing for marketing. No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties.
• Your choices. Reply STOP to any text to stop receiving messages, or HELP for help. Message and data rates may apply.

8. How long we keep information

• Discussion accounts and posts: until you delete them or ask us to delete your account.
• Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe. We keep a record of the unsubscribe so we do not email you again.
• Chats, contact messages, texts and voicemails: for as long as needed to help you, generally no more than three years.
• Ticket and payment records: as long as required for tax, accounting and legal purposes, generally seven years.
• Analytics data: Google Analytics keeps event data for no more than 14 months; server logs are kept for a short period.

9. Your choices and rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

• tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy;
• correct information that is wrong;
• delete your information, including your discussion account and posts;
• stop sending you marketing emails (or use the unsubscribe link in any email).

Email [email protected] with your request and the email address or phone number you used with us. We will confirm your identity before acting and reply within 30 days (45 days where state law allows). We will not treat you differently for using these rights. You can also use the Your privacy choices link at the bottom of every page.

U.S. state privacy rights. Residents of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, Oregon and other states with privacy laws have the rights above, plus the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising. We do not sell or share personal information for those purposes. We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a valid opt-out request. You may use an authorized agent to make a request, and you may appeal a decision by replying to our response.

Visitors outside the United States. The Site is run from the United States and your information is processed there. Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on your consent (newsletter, optional analytics), on performing our agreement with you (accounts, tickets), and on our legitimate interests (security, improving the Site). You may also complain to your local data protection authority.

10. Security

We use HTTPS everywhere, store passwords only as one-way hashes, limit staff access to personal information, and run the Site behind Cloudflare's network protection. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we learn of a breach that affects your information, we will notify you as required by law.

11. Children

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. You must be at least 13 to create a discussion account. If you believe a child has given us information, email [email protected] and we will delete it.

12. Links to other sites

Our AI news headlines, articles and podcast notes link to publishers and tools we do not control. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the Site changes. We will change the "Last updated" date at the top, and if a change is significant we will tell you by email or with a notice on the Site before it takes effect.

14. Contact us

Z Media Group
Email: [email protected]
Phone, text or WhatsApp: (419) 500-4882