Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 4, 2026

Effective Date: July 25, 2026

# Privacy Policy (Short Version)

     The summed up, short version first (for those that just want to get to the point):

     Due to the nature of some of the poems / content such as abuse, suicide and trauma, much focus on user privacy and security has been implemented throughout this site’s design. If a user decides to share their story or give appreciation regarding a sensitive poem that impacted them, then they should feel safe in doing so.

     The site collects as little information as possible to keep itself running. For example, the hosting provider requires certain data for their system to properly run. The site, GhostAgent.net itself though, does not intentionally collect personally identifiable information beyond what visitors voluntarily submit through contact forms. Standard technical server logs generated by the hosting provider (DreamHost) may include IP addresses and related information as part of ordinary website operations. This is perfectly normal and standard procedure for a website—nothing to cause concern.  For analytics, we use Plausible, which shows us only anonymized, aggregated data—never your identity or personal details. This means that when you view the site, the pages and poems you are viewing are your business. For our main contact form, we use Palform, which is an end-to-end encrypted service. That means that your message is encrypted in your browser prior to being sent when you submit it.  Only the site owner can read and decrypt the submission—no other 3rd party can (including Palform themselves).  Even for our backup form, submissions are sent via secure HTTPS and stored on Proton Mail's servers with zero-access encryption at rest. It isn't as secure as Palform since the message isn't encrypted in your browser before sending, but in a situation where Palform is down, we still utilize a secure method for your privacy.

     Great care has been taken to respect the privacy of this site’s viewers and their stories.
     Your information is never sold to third parties and never shared for advertising or profiling purposes.
     (Certain information passes through trusted service providers where necessary to operate this site—as described in the Full Version below).

     As for partner services, such as payment processors for donations (FourthWall), Palform for encryption, DreamHost for hosting, etc., we do not have control of their privacy policies but have been very selective in partnering with businesses that align with our ethos (protecting visitor information).

# Privacy Policy (Full Version)

     This Privacy Policy describes how GhostAgent ("we," "us," or "the site") collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website at GhostAgent.net. This site is a personal creative project focused on poetry and written expression. It includes content covering mature and potentially distressing themes. Please review our Content Consent page before browsing further.

  We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains, in plain language, what data is collected, why, and what your rights are.

## 1. Information We Collect

### 1.1 Analytics Data (via Plausible)

  We use Plausible Analytics (https://plausible.io), a privacy-focused, cookieless web analytics service. Plausible does not use cookies or track individuals across websites. The data collected is aggregated and anonymized, and includes:

- Pages visited
- General geographic location (country-level only)
- Device type (e.g., desktop, mobile)
- Referring source (e.g., how you arrived at the site)

  Plausible does not collect personally identifiable information (PII), does not track you across other sites, and does not build user profiles. You can review Plausible's privacy practices at https://plausible.io/privacy.

### 1.2 Message/Submission Form (via Palform)

  We provide a contact form powered by Palform (https://palform.app), which uses end-to-end encryption. When you submit this form, the following may apply:

   Name (optional): You may choose to provide your name, or skip it.
   Email address (optional): You may choose to provide your email, or skip it.
   Message content: Whatever you choose to share in the message field.

  All submissions are end-to-end encrypted on Palform's platform. This means your message is encrypted in your browser before it reaches Palform's servers, and can only be decrypted by the site owner using a locally stored private key. Even Palform cannot read the content of your submission. Palform's servers are hosted in the European Union. You can review Palform's privacy and security practices at https://palform.app/legal/privacy.

  Submissions are read only by the site owner and are never published, shared, or posted on the site or anywhere else.

### 1.3 Backup Contact Form (via Proton Mail)

  In the event that the encrypted form (Palform) is unavailable, a standard web-based contact form is offered as an alternative. This form sends your submission via email to the site owner's Proton Mail (https://www.protonmail.com) account.

  Important: This backup form uses standard HTTPS/TLS encryption during transmission, but it does not provide end-to-end encryption in the same way that Palform does. However, Proton Mail uses zero-access encryption at rest, meaning that once your email arrives, it is encrypted on Proton's servers and can only be decrypted by the site owner. Not even Proton can read the stored content.

  We still recommend using the Palform encrypted form whenever possible, as it provides the strongest protection — your message is encrypted before it leaves your browser and never exists in plaintext on any server. The backup form provides a meaningful but lesser level of protection: your data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and encrypted at rest (zero-access), but passes through Proton's incoming mail servers in a decryptable state briefly before being stored.

  If you use the backup form, any information you submit is received by the site owner only and treated with the same confidentiality. It is never published or shared. You can review Proton Mail's privacy policy at https://proton.me/legal/privacy.

### 1.4 Donations / Purchases (via FourthWall)

  If you choose to make a donation or purchase merchandise, you will be redirected to our page hosted on FourthWall (https://fourthwall.com) at https://ghostagent-shop.fourthwall.com/pages/donate. FourthWall is a separate third-party platform that handles all transaction processing. When you interact with FourthWall, their privacy policy governs the collection and use of your personal data. We do not control, access, or store payment information — all such data is processed by FourthWall.

  Depending on the transaction, FourthWall may collect your name, email address, mailing address, and payment details. You can review FourthWall's privacy policy at https://fourthwall.com/privacy-policy.

### 1.5 Audio Player

  Some pages on this site include an HTML audio player for ambient music. Audio files are hosted on GhostAgent.net's own infrastructure (provided by DreamHost). Standard server access logs (e.g., IP address, request time, requested file) may be generated by the web server as part of normal operations, but are not actively monitored or used for tracking purposes. No personal data is intentionally collected through the audio player.

### 1.6 Web Hosting (via DreamHost)

  This website and its content are hosted on DreamHost (https://www.dreamhost.com), a US-based web hosting provider. As part of standard web hosting operations, DreamHost's servers may generate automated logs (IP addresses, request timestamps, user agents, etc.) for security and operational purposes. These logs are managed by DreamHost under their own privacy practices. DreamHost provides GDPR-related tools and privacy documentation. You can review their privacy policy at https://www.dreamhost.com/legal/privacy-policy.

### 1.7 Newsletter Subscription (via Buttondown)

  We offer an optional newsletter subscription for readers who want updates on new poems and site changes. When you subscribe, we collect your email address and the date you signed up. Subscriptions are managed by Buttondown (https://buttondown.com), a privacy-focused newsletter service.

  We have disabled all tracking features on our newsletter account, including email open tracking, click tracking, and UTM parameters. This means we only know that you subscribed — not whether you opened emails or which links you clicked. We send from a custom domain (echoes.ghostagent.net) for better deliverability and brand consistency.  Buttondown still uses basic email delivery infrastructure (Mailgun), which generates minimal temporary logs for deliverability purposes, but no engagement analytics are collected.  Subscribers can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every newsletter email. All subscriber data can be deleted upon request. You can review Buttondown's privacy policy at https://buttondown.com/legal/privacy.

### 1.8 Information We Do Not Collect

  We do not use cookies.
  We do not sell your data to third parties.
  We do not track you across other websites.
  We do not use advertising trackers.

## 2. How We Use Your Information

  Analytics: Aggregated, anonymized traffic data is used to understand general site usage patterns (e.g., which pages are visited) to improve the site.

  Form submissions: Messages submitted through the contact form (Palform or backup Proton Mail form) are read by the site owner for the sole purpose of reading and responding (if requested). They are not published, shared with third parties, or used for marketing.

  Donations/merchandise: All transaction-related data is handled entirely by FourthWall and governed by their privacy policy.

## 3. How We Store and Protect Data

  Encrypted form submissions (Palform): End-to-end encrypted. Only the site owner holds the decryption key. Data is stored on Palform's EU-based servers in encrypted form. No server — including Palform's — can read the content.

  Backup form submissions (Proton Mail): Protected by HTTPS/TLS in transit. Stored with zero-access encryption at rest on Proton's Swiss-based servers. Only the site owner can decrypt and read stored messages. Proton cannot access the content at rest. However, this is not end-to-end encryption — the email passes through Proton's mail servers in a decryptable state briefly during delivery before being encrypted at rest.

  Analytics: Stored by Plausible Analytics. No personal data is stored on our end.

  Payment data: Not stored by us at all. Handled exclusively by FourthWall.

  Server logs: Managed by DreamHost as part of standard hosting operations. Not accessed or used by the site owner for tracking.

  Newsletter subscribers (Buttondown): Email addresses and signup dates stored on Buttondown's servers. No engagement tracking (opens, clicks) is recorded. Subscribers may request deletion at any time.

## 4. Third-Party Services

  Each of these services operates independently and has its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review them.

## 5. Your Rights

  Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data, which may include:

   Right of access: Request a copy of any personal data we hold about you.
   Right to erasure: Request that your personal data be deleted.
   Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data.
   Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data.
   Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
   Right to object: Object to certain types of processing.

  Because we collect minimal personal data and do not use cookies or advertising trackers, most of these rights have limited applicability. However, if you have submitted a message through our contact form and wish to have it deleted, you may request this at any time by contacting us (see Section 7).

  Note: Under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA/CPRA (California), these rights are legally guaranteed. Other jurisdictions may offer similar or fewer protections.

## 6. Children's Privacy

  This site is intended for mature audiences only. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18 years of age. Our Content Consent page requires visitors to acknowledge they are at least 18 before entering the site. If you believe a minor has submitted information through our contact form, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

## 7. Data Retention

  Analytics data (Plausible): Retained according to Plausible's own retention policies. As this data is anonymized and aggregated, it is not tied to you personally.

  Form submissions (Palform): Retained only as long as reasonably necessary to respond to your message or continue correspondence, unless law requires longer retention. You may request deletion of your submission at any time.

  Backup form submissions (Proton Mail): Stored for the period needed to address the submission or maintain communication, except where legal obligations require extended retention. You may request deletion of your submission at any time.

  Transaction data: Retained by FourthWall according to their policies. We do not store this data.

  Newsletter subscriptions (Buttondown): Kept until you unsubscribe or request deletion, unless a longer period is mandated by applicable regulations.

## 8. International Data Transfers

  This site is accessible worldwide. Because of the nature of the internet, your data may be processed by third-party services whose servers are located in different countries:

   Plausible — EU-based servers
   Palform — EU-based servers
   Proton Mail — Switzerland-based servers (subject to Swiss privacy laws)
   DreamHost — US-based servers (web hosting)
   FourthWall — US-based servers (donations, merchandise)
   Buttondown — US-based servers (newsletter subscriptions)

  If you are in the EU, UK, or another region with strict data protection laws, your data may be transferred to and processed in jurisdictions that may not offer the same level of protection. The services listed above implement safeguards consistent with their respective privacy policies. Proton Mail is based in Switzerland and subject to some of the world's strongest privacy laws. DreamHost provides GDPR-related tools and privacy documentation. Plausible and Palform are EU-based with GDPR-aligned practices.

## 9. 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 revision date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

## 10. Contact

  If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, you may contact us through:

   Encrypted contact form (recommended): https://www.ghostagent.net/contact_encrypted/
   Backup contact form: https://www.ghostagent.net/contact_standard/

  Please use the encrypted form whenever possible for any privacy-related inquiries.

If you have questions about how your personal information is handled, please contact us using one of the methods in Section 10.