Your privacy is not an afterthought. At FLINT, we operate from a few core commitments:
We collect only what we need, and we are deliberate about what that means. We do not hold personal information beyond the period for which it serves a legitimate purpose. We use cookies sparingly. We will contest overreaching government demands for your data. And we will tell you, plainly, how your information is gathered, used, and shared.
The following is our Privacy Policy.
What We Collect
We collect information about you only when we have a reason to do so: to establish your account, to communicate with you, or to make FLINT better. That information comes from three sources: what you give us directly, what our systems collect automatically, and what comes from third parties.
What you provide
When you create an account, we ask for your email address. That is the baseline. Beyond that:
If you set up a public profile, we collect what you submit for that profile. Our system uses your email to retrieve a Gravatar image if you have created one.
If you become a paying subscriber, we collect the payment and contact details necessary to process your subscription. We keep a record of your purchases.
If you submit content, respond to a survey, post a comment, or contact us for any reason, we retain a copy of that exchange.
What we collect automatically
When you use FLINT, our systems collect certain information automatically. This includes how you interact with the site: pages visited, actions taken, and general usage patterns. We use this to understand how readers engage with our work and to improve it.
We may determine your approximate location from your IP address. We use this to understand our readership geographically, not to track individuals.
Our commenting system records certain interactions you have within it, including reactions to comments and the fact of your participation in a given thread.
We use cookies only to keep subscribers logged in. We do not place tracking cookies on readers who are not free or paid subscribers. We also use pixel tags to assess the effectiveness of our email campaigns.
Third-party links and embeds
FLINT may embed content from or link to third-party services. We are not responsible for the data practices of those services. Your interactions with any embedded or linked third party are governed by that party's own policies.
How We Use What We Collect
We use the information we gather to:
Operate FLINT: maintain accounts, deliver newsletters, process payments, and verify users.
Improve FLINT: analyze how readers engage with the publication so we can make it better.
Protect FLINT and its readers: detect and respond to security threats, fraudulent activity, and legal obligations.
Fix what breaks: monitor and resolve technical problems.
Communicate with you: send feedback requests, product updates, and relevant notices.
Legal basis (EU/GDPR)
For readers in the European Union, our legal grounds for processing your personal information are one or more of the following: the processing is necessary to fulfill our obligations to you under our terms of service; it is required to comply with a legal obligation; it is necessary to protect vital interests; we have a legitimate interest in doing so; or you have given your consent by signing up.
How We Share Information
We share your information only in limited circumstances, with appropriate protections in place.
With contractors and subsidiaries who help us operate FLINT, subject to this same policy.
With third-party vendors whose services we rely on: payment processors, cloud storage, email delivery, fraud prevention, analytics, and operational tools. We require these vendors to maintain comparable privacy commitments.
With legal authorities when required by subpoena, court order, or other valid legal process.
When we have a good-faith basis to believe disclosure is necessary to prevent serious harm or protect the rights and property of FLINT or others.
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or business transfer, in which case this policy continues to govern any user information that changes hands.
With your explicit consent.
In aggregated or de-identified form, which cannot reasonably be used to identify you.
If you submit a support request, we may publish that request stripped of identifying information in order to address it publicly or help other readers with similar questions.
We do not sell reader data.
FLINT is not a data broker. We do not sell your personal information to data brokers, marketing firms, or anyone else. We may carry advertising at some point. If we do, it will not involve handing over personally identifiable information to advertisers.
Note: Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, certain forms of personalized advertising may be classified as a "sale" even where no identifiable personal information is exchanged.
Public information
Information you choose to make public, including comments, is visible to other readers.
Security
No online service is fully immune to security threats. We take reasonable and ongoing measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, modification, or loss. We actively monitor for vulnerabilities.
Your Choices
You have options when it comes to your information:
You can limit what you provide. Optional profile and billing fields are optional. Declining to fill them may restrict access to certain features.
You can reject cookies. FLINT does not respond to "do not track" signals because we do not use tracking cookies.
You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time via the unsubscribe link in any mailing or through your account settings. You cannot opt out of essential service communications: account verification, billing confirmation, security notices.
You can close your account if you choose to stop using FLINT.
Your Rights
GDPR
If you are in a country covered by the GDPR, you have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data; to object to or request limits on our processing of your data; and to request a portable copy of your data. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
California (CCPA)
In the past twelve months, FLINT and our service providers may have collected the following categories of personal information from California residents: identifiers such as name and email address; commercial information including purchase history; internet activity including interactions with our services; approximate geolocation based on IP address; profile images; and inferences about retention likelihood.
California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect and why; to request deletion of that information; to opt out of any sale of personal information; and to be free from discrimination for exercising these rights.
Contact
To access, correct, or delete your data, use your account settings or contact us through the support link in your account. We will need to verify your identity before acting on any request. You may designate an authorized agent to act on your behalf with written authorization; verification may still be required.
Last updated: April 2026