Subscribe to Death

Privacy Policy

Subscribe to Death
Website: https://subscribetodeath.com
Last updated: 30 October 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Subscribe to Death.

Subscribe to Death is an independent, UK-based satirical consumer-awareness website exploring the increasingly ridiculous world of subscriptions, recurring payments, corporate bureaucracy and products that apparently require permission to continue working.

We take your privacy seriously. Unlike some subscription services, we’re not interested in collecting more information about you than we actually need.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and your rights under UK data protection law.

By using our website, you can find out how your information is handled. Where we need your consent for particular activities, we will ask for it separately.

2. Who operates this website?

Subscribe to Death is an independent, UK-based satirical consumer-awareness website operated by James B Wood.

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, James B Wood is the data controller responsible for personal information collected through this website.

Website: https://subscribetodeath.com
Privacy enquiries: privacy@subscribetodeath.com

If you have questions about how your personal information is handled, wish to exercise your data protection rights, or would like information removed, please contact us using the email address above.

3. What personal information do we collect?

We collect limited information depending on how you interact with the website.

3.1 Information you provide voluntarily

If you contact us or submit a subscription experience, we may collect:

  • Your name or chosen pseudonym.
  • Your email address, if provided.
  • Details of your subscription experience.
  • Names of companies or services mentioned in your submission.
  • Any other information you voluntarily provide.
  • Your preferences and permissions regarding publication of your story.
  • Correspondence between you and the website operator.

You are not required to provide a name or email address simply to browse the website.

3.2 Technical and website information

When you visit Subscribe to Death, our hosting and website security systems may process technical information including:

  • Your IP address.
  • Browser type and version.
  • Device and operating system information.
  • Pages requested and access times.
  • Technical error and security logs.
  • Information necessary to detect spam, malicious activity or attempts to compromise the website.

This information is used to maintain the website’s functionality, security and reliability.

3.3 Google Analytics 4

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a website analytics service provided by Google, to understand how visitors use Subscribe to Death.

Depending on your consent preferences and our analytics configuration, Google Analytics may collect:

  • Pages viewed and time spent on the website.
  • How visitors arrive at the website, including referring websites.
  • Approximate geographical location, such as country or region.
  • Device type, operating system and browser.
  • Interactions with website content, including certain clicks and navigation events.
  • Cookie-based or other pseudonymous identifiers used to distinguish visitors and sessions.

Google Analytics processes IP addresses during data collection but does not log or store individual IP addresses in GA4.

We use Google Analytics to understand overall website activity and improve our content and usability.

We do not intentionally provide Google Analytics with visitor names, email addresses, the contents of private submissions or other directly identifying form information.

3.4 Information we do not request

We do not intentionally request:

  • Payment card details.
  • Bank account numbers.
  • Subscription account passwords.
  • National Insurance numbers.
  • Copies of identity documents.
  • Sensitive medical information.
  • Other unnecessary sensitive personal information.

Please avoid including this information in story submissions or contact messages.

If unnecessary sensitive information is submitted, we may remove or delete it.

4. How do we use your information?

We process personal information for the following purposes.

4.1 Receiving and reviewing subscription stories

We use the information you submit to:

  • Read and assess your experience.
  • Determine whether it is suitable for publication.
  • Contact you for clarification, where contact details are provided.
  • Check relevant details where appropriate.
  • Prepare an edited or anonymised version for publication if permission has been given.

Submitting a story does not automatically mean it will be published.

4.2 Communicating with you

If you provide an email address, we may contact you about your submission, respond to an enquiry or request clarification.

We will not automatically add your email address to a marketing or newsletter mailing list.

4.3 Publishing approved stories

Where you have separately given permission, we may publish an edited or anonymised version of your submission.

Approved material may appear on Subscribe to Death and, where your permission specifically covers this, associated social media accounts.

We will take reasonable steps to remove identifying information, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed where particular circumstances could identify someone.

4.4 Operating and protecting the website

We may process technical information to:

  • Keep the website functioning.
  • Diagnose errors.
  • Prevent spam and malicious activity.
  • Investigate security incidents.
  • Maintain website performance and reliability.

4.5 Understanding website usage

We use Google Analytics 4 to:

  • Understand which pages and articles are most popular.
  • Measure overall visitor numbers and engagement.
  • Understand how visitors find the website.
  • Identify content that could be improved.
  • Assess how easily visitors navigate the website.

We do not use Google Analytics for advertising personalisation, remarketing or building advertising audiences.

We do not use Google AdSense.

5. Our lawful basis for processing personal information

Under UK GDPR, personal information must be processed using an appropriate lawful basis.

We rely on the following bases, depending on the activity.

5.1 Legitimate interests

We may rely on legitimate interests when processing information to:

  • Receive and assess story submissions.
  • Respond to enquiries.
  • Operate and maintain the website.
  • Protect the website from misuse.
  • Maintain appropriate editorial records.
  • Handle concerns about submitted or published content.

Our legitimate interests are operating an editorial consumer-awareness website, communicating with contributors, maintaining website security and managing responsible publication.

We consider these interests against the rights and freedoms of individuals whose information we process.

5.2 Consent

We rely on consent where appropriate, including:

  • Permission to publish contributed stories.
  • Optional publication of excerpts on associated social media accounts.
  • Use of Google Analytics cookies and related processing of personal data where consent is required.
  • Any future optional marketing communications requiring consent.

You may withdraw consent at any time.

Withdrawal of consent does not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn.

5.3 Legal obligations

We may process or retain information where necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations.

5.4 Other lawful bases

Where another lawful basis is appropriate for a specific activity, we will identify it and provide the relevant privacy information before carrying out that activity.

6. Story submissions and publication

Subscribe to Death invites members of the public to share real experiences involving subscription services, recurring charges, cancellation difficulties and related consumer issues.

We review submissions before publication.

We may:

  • Edit material for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.
  • Remove unnecessary personal information.
  • Request clarification or supporting information.
  • Decline to publish material.
  • Remove previously published material where appropriate.

We will not knowingly alter a contribution in a way that materially misrepresents the contributor’s experience.

Publication permission

You can submit a story without agreeing to its publication.

If you separately opt in to publication, you give permission for your submitted material to be edited and published in accordance with the permission provided.

You retain ownership of the copyright in your original submission.

Submitting a story does not automatically authorise us to include it in a novel, audiobook or other commercial publication.

Any such use would require separate permission or agreement where legally necessary.

Withdrawal of publication permission

You can contact us to withdraw your publication permission.

We will assess and act on withdrawal requests in accordance with applicable law, including removing material under our control where required.

We may not be able to remove copies already independently published, quoted or shared by third parties.

7. How long do we keep your information?

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

Our intended retention periods are:

Unpublished story submissions

Up to 12 months following submission or the last relevant correspondence, unless continued retention is reasonably necessary.

General enquiries

Up to 12 months after the enquiry has been resolved.

Published stories

For as long as the material remains published, subject to withdrawal requests, legal requirements and editorial considerations.

Associated permission records may be retained for an appropriate period where necessary to demonstrate that publication was authorised or to address disputes.

Technical and security logs

Technical and security logs are retained by our hosting provider, Hostinger, and any relevant website security services in accordance with their applicable retention policies.

We retain any technical or security information under our direct control only for as long as reasonably necessary to maintain website functionality, investigate security incidents, prevent misuse and resolve technical problems.

Information that is no longer required is deleted or anonymised in accordance with our retention procedures

Google Analytics data

Google Analytics retains applicable user-level and event-level data according to the retention settings configured for our GA4 property.

Our configured retention period is:

Google Analytics 4 retains applicable user-level and event-level data for up to 14 months, according to our configured data retention settings. Certain aggregated statistical reports may remain available for longer.

Certain aggregated reporting information may remain available for longer.

We periodically review our retention practices and securely delete or anonymise information that is no longer required.

Retention periods may be extended where reasonably necessary to comply with legal obligations or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

8. Who do we share personal information with?

We do not sell your personal information.

We may use the following organisations and services to operate Subscribe to Death.

8.1 Hostinger

Our website is hosted by Hostinger.

Hostinger may process technical information and website data as necessary to provide hosting, storage, security and related services.

Hostinger’s privacy information is available at:

https://www.hostinger.com/privacy-policy

8.2 WordPress and website plugins

Our website uses WordPress and associated plugins.

Depending on their functionality, plugins may process or store information necessary for:

  • Website operation.
  • Form submissions.
  • Security and spam prevention.
  • Performance and technical maintenance.
  • Cookie preference management.

Where a plugin uses an external service to process personal information, we will assess that service and provide appropriate information about its use.

Form provider: Forminator

Upon activation or when certain features are configured, this plugin may add cookies to the user’s browser, store personal information in your database, or integrate with 3rd-party applications. You may need to disclose this information to your site visitors. For details, see Our Plugins in our privacy policy documentation.

Depending on the features you enable, some assets used by this plugin may be loaded from external third-party services, including:

Bunny Fonts

Google reCAPTCHA

Cloudflare Turnstile

hCaptcha

Stripe

PayPal

Google Charts

8.3 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4, provided by Google, to measure website traffic and usage.

Google processes analytics information to provide reporting and measurement services.

Google’s privacy information is available at:

https://policies.google.com/privacy

Information about Google’s use of information from websites and apps using its services is available at:

https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

8.4 Legal and regulatory requirements

We may disclose information where required by law or where reasonably necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation.
  • Respond to lawful requests from authorities.
  • Investigate potentially unlawful activity.
  • Establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
  • Protect the rights and safety of individuals.

We will not otherwise share private submissions with unrelated third parties without an appropriate lawful basis.

9. International transfers of personal information

Some services used to operate the website, including Google Analytics, may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will ensure that the transfer is covered by an applicable UK adequacy arrangement, appropriate contractual safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism.

Where required, we will assess the risks associated with international transfers.

You may contact us to request further information about the safeguards applicable to your personal information.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

Subscribe to Death uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the website and understand its usage.

Cookies are small pieces of information stored on your device when you visit a website.

10.1 Essential cookies

Essential cookies may be used for:

  • Website security.
  • Maintaining necessary functionality.
  • Remembering cookie preferences.
  • Supporting essential technical operations.

Where these cookies are strictly necessary for a service you request, they may be used without consent.

10.2 Google Analytics cookies

We use Google Analytics 4 to measure website traffic and understand visitor interactions.

Google Analytics may use cookies including:

_ga

Used to distinguish visitors through a pseudonymous identifier.

ga[measurement ID]

Used to maintain session-related information associated with a Google Analytics property.

These cookies commonly have a default lifetime of up to two years, although actual expiry periods depend on configuration and browser restrictions.

10.3 Your analytics cookie choices

We use a consent-based approach to optional Google Analytics cookies.

Where consent is required, analytics cookies will not be activated until you have chosen to accept them.

You may decline analytics cookies without losing access to the website or its story submission features.

You can also control cookies through your browser settings.

10.4 Advertising cookies

Subscribe to Death does not use Google AdSense, Google Ads remarketing or Google Analytics advertising personalisation.

We do not intentionally place advertising cookies for behavioural advertising.

If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and implement any additional consent requirements before introducing those technologies.

10.5 Other cookies

WordPress, Hostinger or installed plugins may use additional cookies.

11. Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have the following rights, depending on the circumstances:

  • Access: Request a copy of personal information we hold about you.
  • Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Erasure: Request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances.
  • Restriction: Request that we limit certain processing.
  • Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Data portability: Request a copy of certain information in a portable format where applicable.
  • Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent for processing based on consent.

These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exceptions.

Your right to object: You may object at any time to processing based on our legitimate interests, by contacting us using the details below.

To exercise your rights, contact:

privacy@subscribetodeath.com

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

We aim to respond within one month, subject to applicable statutory provisions.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator.

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

You are not required to contact us before making a complaint to the ICO.

12. Children and sensitive information

Subscribe to Death is primarily intended for an adult audience.

We do not knowingly seek personal information from children through our story submission service.

Please do not include sensitive personal information about yourself or other people in submissions.

This includes health information, financial account details, identity documents or private information about third parties.

Where unnecessary sensitive information is submitted, we may remove or delete it.

If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us.

13. External websites and links

Subscribe to Death may include links to external websites, including:

  • Consumer advice organisations.
  • Government and regulatory websites.
  • Publishers and book retailers.
  • Social media platforms.
  • Other relevant editorial resources.

These websites operate under their own privacy policies.

We are not responsible for their privacy practices or the way they process information after you leave our website.

14. Security

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

These may include appropriate access controls, secure website connections, software updates and restricted administrative access.

We review security arrangements as the website develops.

However, no website or internet transmission can be guaranteed completely secure.

Please avoid sharing unnecessary confidential or sensitive information.

15. Automated decision-making

We do not use personal information submitted to Subscribe to Death to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about individuals.

Story submissions are subject to human editorial review.

Google Analytics may automatically process website interaction data to produce statistical reports, but these reports are not used by us to make legally significant decisions about individual visitors.

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in:

  • Website functionality.
  • Data collection or processing.
  • Third-party services.
  • Applicable data protection requirements.
  • Our editorial activities.

The date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last updated.

Where required, we will provide additional notice of material changes.

17. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact:

Subscribe to Death
Operated by James B Wood
Website: https://subscribetodeath.com
Email: privacy@subscribetodeath.com

Your privacy shouldn’t require a premium subscription.