Last updated: October 25, 2026
GONST is an independent pop culture media. This page explains what we collect when you read us, sign up or support us, why we collect it, and what you can do about it. The short version: we collect as little as we can, we never sell your data, and we don't run ads or ad trackers.
Who's responsible for your data
The data controller is the publisher of GONST, whose details are on our Legal Notice page. For anything related to your data, write to hello@gonstmedia.com.
What we collect
When you just read
We use Ghost's built-in analytics, which works without cookies. It tells us things like how many people visited a page, which site sent them, their country and what kind of device they used. We use it to see what you like reading, not to follow you around. Our host also keeps standard technical logs, like IP addresses, for security and to keep the site running.
When you create an account
- Your email address, and your name if you give it
- The date you signed up and which page brought you to us
- Your newsletter preferences
- Whether you open our emails and click the links in them, so we know what works
When you become a Founding Member
Payments are handled by Stripe. We see your name, email, country, the plan you chose and your payment history. We never see or store your full card number.
When you comment or write to us
Comments are public: your name and what you wrote appear next to the article. If you email us, we keep the conversation so we can reply and follow up.
When you enter a giveaway
We use your account details to run the draw and to contact you if you win. Each giveaway has its own rules, like our launch giveaway rules.
Why we use it
- To give you what you signed up for: your account, the newsletter, your membership and its perks. Legal basis: performing our agreement with you.
- To understand our audience and make GONST better: visit stats, email opens and clicks. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in running a media people actually want to read.
- To keep the site safe from spam, fraud and abuse. Legal basis: legitimate interest.
- To keep billing records, because the law requires it. Legal basis: legal obligation.
We don't sell, rent or trade your personal data. We don't use it for advertising, and we don't make automated decisions about you.
Who else handles it
A few providers process data for us, only for the purposes above:
- Ghost Foundation (Singapore) hosts the site, member accounts and analytics, and sends our emails through its delivery partner Mailgun (United States).
- Stripe processes payments for Founding Memberships.
- Zoho hosts our email inbox, on servers in the European Union.
- Cloudflare manages our domain name.
Some of these providers are based or store data outside the European Union. When that's the case, the transfer is covered by the safeguards the GDPR requires, such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
Cookies
We don't use advertising or tracking cookies, which is why you won't see a cookie banner here. The only cookies on GONST are the ones the site needs to work:
- Ghost sets a cookie to keep you signed in to your account.
- Stripe sets cookies during checkout to prevent fraud.
- Your browser remembers whether you picked light or dark mode. That stays on your device.
Some articles include embedded content, like a YouTube video or a Spotify player. Those services may set their own cookies when you play them, under their own privacy policies.
How long we keep it
- Account data: as long as your account exists. Delete it and it's gone within 30 days.
- Billing records: 10 years, as required by French law.
- Emails you send us: up to 3 years after our last exchange.
- Analytics: visit stats that don't identify you, kept as long as they're useful.
Your rights
You can ask to access, correct or delete your data, get a copy of it, limit how we use it, or object to us using it. Just email hello@gonstmedia.com and we'll get back to you within a month.
You can also do most of it yourself: update your email or name and manage your newsletters from your account, and unsubscribe with the link at the bottom of every email.
If you're in the EU and think we got something wrong, you can file a complaint with the French data protection authority, the CNIL, or with the authority where you live.
If you live in California or another US state with a privacy law: we don't sell or share your personal information, and you have the same rights described above.
Age
You need to be at least 15 years old to create a GONST account.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll let members know by email before it applies. The date at the top always shows the current version.