Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy applies to stalinsarmyofapes.com and all related subdomains, email correspondence, newsletter dispatches, and any direct communications you initiate with the author. By using this website or providing us with personal information, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for visitors from the European Union, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents, and applicable data protection laws of the State of Israel.

Data we collect

We collect personal data in the following categories. Most categories are voluntary — meaning we only have them because you actively gave them to us.

What we do NOT collect

• We do not collect payment information on this site. Book purchases are handled entirely by Amazon.
• We do not collect special category data (race, religion, political opinions, health, sexual orientation, etc.).
• We do not collect data from children under 16.
• We do not run third-party advertising trackers, fingerprinting scripts, or session replay tools.

How we use it

We use the data we collect for these specific purposes — and only these purposes:

• Newsletter delivery — to send you the dispatches you signed up for, including book updates, excerpts, and event announcements.
• Responding to inquiries — when you write to us about press, rights, agent representation, academic review, or general questions, we use your contact details to reply.
• Site improvement — anonymous analytics help us understand which sections of the site readers find useful, so we can improve them.
• Security — server logs are used to detect abuse, spam, and attempts at unauthorized access.
• Legal compliance — to comply with applicable law, court orders, or to protect our legal rights.

Legal basis for processing

Under GDPR, we process your personal data on one of the following legal bases:

• Consent — for newsletter subscription and analytics cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interest — for security logging, fraud prevention, and basic site operation.
• Contract — when you request review copies, press materials, or other deliverables, we process the data needed to fulfill that request.
• Legal obligation — where required by applicable law.

Sharing & disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only with the following categories of recipients, and only to the extent necessary for them to perform their service:

• Form processors — submissions are handled via FormSubmit, which forwards your message to our email.
• Email service provider — newsletter delivery is handled by a reputable third-party email service (e.g., Mailchimp, Substack, or similar).
• Hosting provider — our server logs are processed by our web hosting company.
• Analytics provider — only if you accept analytics cookies, anonymized usage data is processed by a privacy-respecting analytics service.
• Legal authorities — only when required by court order or applicable law.

All third-party processors we use are bound by data-processing agreements requiring them to handle your data securely and in compliance with applicable law.

Cookies & tracking

This site uses cookies and similar storage technologies. For full details, see our separate Cookie Policy. In summary:

• Essential cookies — always active. Used to remember your cookie preferences and basic site operation.
• Analytics cookies — optional. Only set if you click Accept all on the cookie banner.
• Third-party embeds — when you play the embedded book trailer (Vimeo) or click an Amazon link, those services may set their own cookies governed by their respective privacy policies.

Your rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — request deletion of your personal data.
• Right to restrict processing — ask us to limit how we use your data.
• Right to data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting prior lawful processing.
• Right to lodge a complaint — with your local data protection authority.

For California residents (CCPA)

California residents have the additional right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. You may also request, twice per 12-month period, the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.

Data retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above:

• Newsletter subscribers — until you unsubscribe. Unsubscribe anytime via the link at the bottom of any newsletter, or by emailing us.
• Inquiries and correspondence — kept for up to 24 months, then archived or deleted.
• Server logs — automatically rotated and deleted within 90 days, unless flagged for security investigation.
• Analytics data — anonymized and retained for up to 26 months.

Security

We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against accidental loss, unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure. These include encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), access controls, regular security updates, and strict limits on who within our team can access personal data.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we do our best to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

International transfers

The author is based in Israel. Some of our service providers (hosting, email, analytics) may be located in the United States, the European Union, or other jurisdictions. When we transfer personal data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place — including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, or processors operating in countries with adequacy decisions.

Israel has been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection (Decision 2011/61/EU).

Children's privacy

This website is not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

Note: Stalin's Army of Apes is a literary thriller intended for adult readers. It contains mature themes including violence, historical atrocities, and complex moral content. Parental discretion is advised.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify you by:

• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.
• Posting a prominent notice on the homepage for at least 30 days.
• Where appropriate, sending an email notification to newsletter subscribers.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or to exercise any of your rights, you can reach us through the channels below: