Privacy Policy
A plain explanation of what happens to your data when you use this site.
Last updated: April 2026
This privacy policy explains what personal information I collect from visitors to learnspokenarabic.com, why I collect it, and what I do with it. It is deliberately short because my data practices are simple.
What I Collect
When you subscribe to the newsletter, I collect your email address. That is all. I do not ask for your name, your location, your age, or any other information.
When you email me directly, I receive whatever you choose to write — your email address, your name if you include it, and the content of your message. I do not collect anything beyond what you explicitly send.
When you browse the site, my analytics tool records anonymous information about which pages are visited and roughly where in the world visitors come from. It does not identify individuals, use tracking cookies, or build profiles of readers. I use Plausible specifically because they are privacy-first analytics tools that do not track you across the web.
My website host may record basic technical information — IP addresses, browser types — for security and reliability purposes. This is standard for any website you visit.
Why I Collect It
I collect your email address so that I can send you The Spoken Arabic Newsletter — the weekly dispatch you subscribed to. That is the only reason.
I receive emails sent to me so that I can read and respond to what you've written. That is the only reason.
I look at anonymous analytics occasionally to understand which articles resonate with readers and which topics are worth developing further. I do not use this data to target advertising, because this site has no advertising.
What I Don't Do
I do not sell your data to anyone. Not to advertisers, not to data brokers, not to any other party. Ever.
I do not share your email address with third parties, except with the minimum infrastructure required to send you the newsletter.
I do not use tracking cookies to build profiles of readers or target advertising.
I do not engage in affiliate tracking beyond the standard cookies used by Amazon, StoryLearning, and italki when you click an affiliate link from this site. If you make a purchase through one of these links, the merchant records the referral. I do not see what you purchased, what you paid, or any other details of your activity.
How Long I Keep Your Data
Email subscribers: As long as you remain subscribed. Every newsletter I send includes a one-click unsubscribe link. If you unsubscribe, your email is removed from my active list within a few days.
Emails sent to me: As long as I need to respond to them, and sometimes archived for reference if the conversation was substantive. You can request deletion at any time.
Analytics data: Aggregated, not tied to individuals, retained according to Plausible's standard retention periods.
Your Rights
If you are a reader anywhere in the world, you have the right to:
- Know what data I have about you (which for most visitors is: just an email address, if you're subscribed)
- Request that I correct or delete your data
- Unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time
- Contact me directly with any privacy question
To exercise any of these rights, simply email me. I will respond personally and as quickly as I can.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13, and I do not knowingly collect data from children. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that their child has subscribed to the newsletter, please contact me and I will remove the account.
International Readers
Because this site is hosted in Germany, it operates under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which gives readers strong privacy rights regardless of where they live. I extend these rights to all readers of this site, not just European ones.
Changes
If I ever change how I handle data, I will update this page and note the date of the change at the top. For any change that meaningfully affects newsletter subscribers, I will also send an email notification.
Contact
For any privacy-related question or request, you may email me directly.
— A.C. Maas