Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 6, 2026 | Last Updated: February 6, 2026

Introduction

Welcome to The Methods Section. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and share your information. This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding personal information when you use our newsletter-based science literacy platform at www.methodssection.com.

Who We Are

The Methods Section is a newsletter-based science literacy platform operated from San Diego, California. Our mission is to make scientific research more accessible and understandable to the general public.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

We collect only the information you voluntarily provide when you subscribe to our newsletter:

Email address (required for newsletter delivery)
First and last name (optional)

If you choose to reply to our newsletter via email, we will receive and store your email communications.

Payment Information

When you subscribe to a paid plan, payment processing is handled by Stripe, a third-party payment processor. We do not directly collect or store your credit card information. Stripe collects:

Payment card details
Billing address
Transaction information

Please review Stripe's Privacy Policy at stripe.com/privacy for information about how they handle your payment information.

Automatically Collected Information

Our website and newsletter platform automatically collect certain information when you visit our site or interact with our content:

Browser type and version
Device information
IP address
Approximate geographic location (derived from your IP address)
Pages visited and time spent on our site
How you interact with our newsletter content (such as which articles you click on)

This information is collected through:

Ghost: Our newsletter platform automatically tracks subscriber engagement, including approximate location and page visits, to help us understand how readers interact with our content
Standard web server logs
Google technologies that may be part of our website hosting

We use this automatically collected information to improve our content, understand our audience, and provide you with a better experience.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To deliver our newsletter to your email address
To process subscription payments through Stripe
To respond to your email inquiries and communications
To understand how readers engage with our content and which topics resonate most
To analyze site usage patterns and improve our content and user experience
To understand our audience demographics and geographic distribution
To comply with legal obligations

Third-Party Services We Use

We work with the following third-party service providers:

Ghost: Our newsletter is managed and delivered through Ghost, our email service provider. Ghost has access to subscriber email addresses and names for the purpose of sending our newsletter. Ghost also automatically collects analytics data including approximate location (based on IP address), pages visited, and how you engage with our content. This helps us understand our audience and improve our newsletter. Review Ghost's privacy practices at ghost.org/privacy. If you prefer not to have your engagement tracked, you can contact us at hello@methodssection.com to request that analytics tracking be disabled for your subscription.

Stripe: Payment processing for paid subscriptions is handled by Stripe. Stripe collects and processes payment information on our behalf. Review Stripe's privacy practices at stripe.com/privacy.

Private Email (Namecheap): Email communications sent to hello@methodssection.com are managed through Private Email by Namecheap. Review Namecheap's privacy practices at namecheap.com/legal/general/privacy-policy.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies as part of standard web hosting and analytics practices. These technologies help us understand how visitors use our site and improve user experience.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that some features of our website may not function properly if you disable cookies.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes. We only share your information in the following limited circumstances:

With service providers: We share information with Ghost, Stripe, and Namecheap only as necessary for them to provide their services to us
For legal reasons: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government regulation
To protect our rights: We may disclose information to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Methods Section, our subscribers, or others

We maintain accounts on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok to share content and engage with our community. We do not collect personal information through our social media accounts. Any information you share by interacting with our posts (comments, likes, direct messages) is governed by each platform's privacy policy:

Instagram: privacycenter.instagram.com/policy
X (Twitter): x.com/privacy
TikTok: tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy

How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our newsletter service to you. Specifically:

Subscriber information: Retained while you maintain an active subscription
Email communications: Retained as long as necessary for customer service purposes
Payment records: Retained as required by law and accounting practices

When you unsubscribe, we will delete or anonymize your information within a reasonable timeframe, except where we are required to retain it for legal or legitimate business purposes.

Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Unsubscribe: You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any newsletter email.

Access and Correction: You can request to access or update your personal information by contacting us at hello@methodssection.com

Deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information by contacting us at hello@methodssection.com

Data Portability: You can request a copy of your personal information in a portable format (such as CSV or JSON) by contacting us at hello@methodssection.com.

Please note that certain rights may be subject to legal limitations or exceptions.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and share
Right to request deletion of your personal information
Right to correct inaccurate personal information
Right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (we do not sell your information)
Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, please contact us at hello@methodssection.com

Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. However, no internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@methodssection.com and we will delete that information.

International Users

The Methods Section is operated from the United States. If you are accessing our service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using our service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by:

Posting the updated policy on our website with a new effective date
Sending an email notification to our subscribers (for significant changes)

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our service after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

Email: hello@methodssection.com

Location: San Diego, California, United States

This privacy policy was created using the template developed by Automattic, the makers of WordPress, which is available under a Creative Commons Sharealike license.

Thank you for trusting The Methods Section with your information.