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Privacy

Last updated: February 2026

Trope Theory is a free educational resource for romance writers. This page explains what data we collect, why, and how it's handled.

Who we are

Trope Theory is published using Ghost, an open-source publishing platform. Our site is hosted by Ghost (Ghost.org Foundation Ltd) on their managed hosting service, Ghost(Pro). Ghost acts as our data processor; we act as the data controller.

What we collect

If you browse the site

We use Ghost's built-in web analytics, which are cookie-free and fully first-party. These analytics collect anonymised, aggregated data such as page views and referral sources. No personal data is collected from casual visitors, and no cookies are set.

IP addresses and other metadata are anonymised and encrypted. This data is processed by Tinybird on Ghost's behalf and stored in EU data centres.

If you subscribe (free or paid)

When you sign up as a member, we collect your email address and, optionally, your name. This information is used to:

  • Send you newsletters and post notifications you've opted into
  • Manage your membership and account access

Ghost uses passwordless authentication. That means you sign in via a secure magic link or one-time code sent to your email. A session cookie is set when you log in to keep you signed in as you browse the site. This is an essential, first-party cookie required for the site to function.

If you leave a tip

Tipping is processed by Stripe. We do not store your payment details. Stripe's privacy policy applies to payment data: https://stripe.com/privacy

Third-party services

We do not use any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking services. We do not embed third-party widgets that set cookies or track visitors.

The only third-party services involved are:

  • Ghost(Pro) for hosting and email delivery
  • Stripe for payment processing (tips only)
  • Tinybird for anonymous analytics processing on Ghost's behalf

Cookies

Ghost does not set any non-essential cookies. The only cookies that may be set are:

  • Session cookie — set when you log in as a member, required to maintain your session

No cookie consent banner is required because only strictly necessary cookies are used. For more detail, see our Cookie Policy.

Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Request correction or deletion of your data
  • Withdraw consent and unsubscribe at any time
  • Request a copy of your data in a portable format

You can manage your subscription preferences or delete your account at any time through your account settings. To make a data request, contact us at the email address below.

Data retention

We retain your membership data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your personal data is removed. Anonymised analytics data is retained indefinitely as it cannot be linked to any individual.

Contact

If you have questions about this policy or your data, you can reach Greta Clarke at:

greta (at) tropetheory (dot) com

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated via the site or email.

For reference, Ghost's own privacy policy is available at: https://ghost.org/privacy/