This analysis describes what Substack's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The updated policy discloses that Substack obtains additional information from third parties and sources beyond what it directly collects from you on the platform. This third-party information is combined with platform data to provide what Substack describes as more relevant and safer experiences, and to improve platform analytics. The policy also clarifies that Substack shares account identifiers with child safety industry consortia and receives information from them to detect CSAM. You can review Substack's full privacy policy to understand which third parties may be sources of this information and how your data may be combined with external sources.
View change record →The updated policy discloses that Substack shares account identifiers (email addresses and usernames) with trusted child safety organizations to detect and prevent online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Users now have the right to object to processing of their personal information for personalization purposes on grounds relating to their particular situation, and Substack commits to responding to privacy rights requests within one month. The policy also clarifies that while recipients of direct messages may retain them independently, the platform may restrict your access to messages when other users delete or block you. You can exercise your right to object to personalization processing by contacting privacy@substackinc.com.
View change record →How other platforms handle this
Right to Non-Discrimination. You have a right to not be discriminated against for exercising rights set out in the CCPA.
If you are a user under the age of 18, California Business and Professions Code Section 22581 allows you to request and obtain removal of content or information you have publicly posted.
Right to Request Correction: The right to request correction of any inaccurate Personal Information we maintain about you
"Our CCPA Policy, the terms of which are incorporated by reference into this Privacy Policy, can be found here.Excerpt from Substack's Privacy Policy
Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
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Companies change their terms without announcing it. We capture governance documents, compare each new version with the last, and publish what changed, with the source text behind it. One email a week on what we found and what we could not reach.
The clause states: “Our CCPA Policy, the terms of which are incorporated by reference into this Privacy Policy, can be found here.”
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 277 platforms. See the full comparison.
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