Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Refined Journal (“we”, “our”, or “us”) is an independent literary and intellectual publication exploring literature, philosophy, history, culture, and human nature.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, interact with our content, or contact us.

We aim to handle personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), where applicable.

2. Who Is Responsible for Your Data?

For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, the data controller is:

Where required by law, additional information about the individual or legal entity responsible for Refined Journal will be provided here.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, you can contact us using the email address above.

3. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with Refined Journal, we may collect the following categories of information.

Information you provide directly

When you subscribe to our newsletter, contact us, or otherwise communicate with us, we may collect your email address, name if provided, and any information you voluntarily include in your messages.

Newsletter and engagement information

When we send you emails, we may collect information about delivery, opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and other interactions with our newsletter, depending on the features and settings available through our email service provider.

Technical and usage information

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, depending on the website configuration and technologies in use. This may include your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referral information, and interactions with the website.

Support payments and transactions

If you choose to financially support Refined Journal, payment-related information may be processed by the relevant third-party payment provider. We do not intentionally collect or store full payment card details ourselves. The information processed depends on the payment method and provider.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To deliver our newsletter, essays, and other content you have requested.
• To manage subscriptions and process unsubscribe requests.
• To understand how readers engage with our emails and website, and to improve our content.
• To respond to messages, questions, and requests.
• To administer voluntary contributions or other transactions, where applicable.
• To maintain the security and proper functioning of our website and services.
• To comply with legal obligations and protect our legitimate rights.

We do not use your email address for unrelated marketing without an appropriate legal basis.

5. Legal Bases for Processing

Where the GDPR applies, we process personal information on one or more of the following legal bases:

• Consent: for sending newsletters where consent is required, and for optional cookies or similar technologies where applicable.
• Legitimate interests: to maintain and improve our publication, understand engagement with our content, secure our services, and respond to relevant communications, provided these interests do not override your rights.
• Contract or requested services: where processing is necessary to provide a service or complete a transaction you have requested.
• Legal obligation: where we must retain or disclose information to comply with applicable law.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6. Newsletter and Email Communications

Refined Journal uses beehiiv to manage newsletter subscriptions and deliver email publications.

When you subscribe, your information is processed through beehiiv so that we can manage your subscription and send you the content you requested. Depending on the features we use, beehiiv may also process technical and engagement information to support email delivery, analytics, security, and service operation.

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our emails. You may also contact us directly to request assistance.

Unsubscribing stops future newsletter emails, subject to any limited communications or records that we may lawfully retain for administrative, security, or legal purposes.

For more information about how beehiiv processes information, please consult its Privacy Policy.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website or the services integrated with it may use cookies and similar technologies to support essential functionality, understand website usage, measure engagement, or provide other features.

The technologies in use depend on our website configuration and the services we enable. Where required by law, we will request your consent before using non-essential cookies or similar technologies.

You may be able to manage cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through our website’s cookie preferences. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

8. Sharing of Personal Information

We do not disclose personal information indiscriminately. We may share information where necessary with:

• Service providers, including beehiiv, which supports newsletter management and delivery.
• Payment providers, where you choose to make a contribution or complete a transaction.
• Technical and analytics providers, where such services are used on our website.
• Professional advisers or public authorities, where disclosure is necessary to comply with law, protect our rights, or address legal claims.

These providers may process information in accordance with their own privacy policies and contractual obligations.

We do not sell personal information in exchange for money. Any other disclosures or uses of personal information will be handled in accordance with applicable law.

9. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers may process or store personal information outside your country of residence, including outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

Where personal information protected by the GDPR is transferred to a country that does not provide an adequate level of protection, we will rely on an applicable legal transfer mechanism and any required safeguards.

For information about beehiiv’s own data handling and international transfers, please consult its Privacy Policy.

10. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including providing our newsletter, maintaining subscription records, resolving requests, protecting our services, and meeting legal obligations.

If you unsubscribe, your email address may remain in limited records where necessary to respect your unsubscribe preference, prevent unwanted communications, or comply with legal obligations.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is processed.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and the applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of your personal information.
• Request restriction of certain processing activities.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Receive certain information in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
• Lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority.

To exercise these rights, contact us at michal.trzcinski111@gmail.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

If you are in the European Union, you may also lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority responsible for your country of residence, workplace, or the location of the alleged infringement.

12. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Third-Party Websites

Our website and publications may contain links to third-party websites, booksellers, payment services, or other external resources.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of websites that we do not operate. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

14. Children’s Privacy

Refined Journal is intended for a general audience interested in literature, philosophy, history, and culture. Our newsletter is not specifically directed at children.

Where applicable law requires parental consent or imposes additional restrictions on the processing of children’s personal information, we will comply with those requirements.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal obligations.

The date at the top of this page indicates when the Policy was last updated. We encourage you to review it periodically.

16. Contact

For questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, contact: