Privacy Policy
DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW. Updated 10/24/2026 to match decisions through that date. Bracketed items are still open.
[LEGAL ENTITY NAME] operating as The Postcard Distillery Effective date: [DATE] | Version: [1.0]
1. Scope
This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and what rights you have. It covers our website, the Service, and the affiliate program.
Two different roles, and the difference matters:
- Our own customers and affiliates. We decide how and why we use this data. We are the controller.
- Consumer records in mailing lists. When we procure or process a mailing list to mail on a business customer's behalf, we handle consumer personal information at that customer's direction. Our handling of that data is described in Section 8 and in the Data Processing Addendum.
2. What we collect
You give us:
- Account: name, business name, address, phone, email, website, business category, license number where applicable. You sign in with a one-time code we email you; we do not store passwords.
- Payment: billing address and card. Card numbers go directly to our payment processor. We do not store them.
- Content: logos, images, copy, offers
- Lists: any mailing list you upload
- Affiliate: legal name, address, taxpayer identification number, payout details
- Referral: the partner code from the link you arrived on, stored in a cookie for up to one year and saved to your account when you sign up
- Support: whatever you send us
We collect automatically:
- Device and browser information, IP address, pages viewed, time and duration of visits
- Cookies and similar technologies - see Section 9
We collect from others:
- Mailing list data from licensed data providers
- Publicly available information from your website, when you direct us to collect it
- Your Instagram photos, only if you choose Connect Instagram. You sign in on Instagram, not on our site, and we never see or store your Instagram password. You approve read-only access to your own posts (Meta's instagram_business_basic permission). We use it only to show you your photos so you can pick ones for your postcard, and we copy only the photos you pick into your job's files. We store an encrypted access token, never use it to post, comment or message, and delete it when you disconnect, when you remove our app in your Instagram settings, or when you ask. See our data deletion page.
- Payment and identity verification from our processor
- Call and scan events from our call tracking and QR providers. Each card has its own QR code, so a scan is tied to the card and the address it was mailed to, not to the person who scanned it.
- Mail tracking events from the United States Postal Service
- Form submissions on the landing pages we host for our customers. We collect these on our customer's behalf and deliver them to that customer.
3. Why we use it
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Provide the Service | Quote, design, produce, mail, report |
| Accounts | Create and maintain your account and job history |
| Payment | Process payments, prevent fraud, handle disputes |
| Communication | Proofs, approvals, receipts, status, support |
| Reporting | Weekly QR scan and call reports for 60 days, scans shown by mailed address |
| Tracking | Show each job's progress through USPS processing |
| Renewals | Call tracking renewal reminders |
| Affiliates | Attribution, commission, payout, tax reporting |
| Improvement | Analyze use to improve the Service |
| Marketing | Tell you about our services. You can opt out at any time. |
| Legal | Comply with law, enforce our terms, protect our rights |
4. Who we share it with
Service providers, limited to what they need: payment processing, print and mail vendors, data providers, call tracking, QR tracking, email delivery, hosting and storage, analytics, accounting and tax filing.
Your print and mail vendor receives your mail piece and your mailing list, because that is how the mail gets printed and mailed.
Referral partners (affiliates) receive the business name, attribution date, job count, and their own commission, and an email when the business they referred creates an account, signs in, or places an order. Affiliates never receive your spend, your creative, your audience, or your results.
Text messages. We send text messages only to people who opted in, and only about their own orders, referrals, call tracking renewals or support conversations. We do not sell, rent or share mobile phone numbers or text message opt-in data and consent with any third party or affiliate for their marketing purposes. Mobile information is shared only with the providers that deliver our messages. Reply STOP to any text to opt out, or HELP for help. See the Text Message Terms.
Support. Questions sent to us by chat, text or email are answered first by an automated assistant (an AI model provided by Anthropic) that can see your account's order details to answer you. It hands the conversation to Ben or Deana, people on our team, when it can't help or when you ask for a person. Support conversations are kept with your account.
Call recordings. Calls to a customer's tracking number are recorded, after an announcement to the caller, and the recording is available to that customer.
Our customers receive the scan and lead data collected through their own mailings and landing pages.
Legal and safety: we disclose where required by law, valid legal process, or to protect our rights or someone's safety.
Business transfer: in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, your information may transfer. We will notify you.
We do not sell your personal information. [Confirm this statement against the statutory definitions of "sell" and "share" in each applicable state law - the definitions are broader than the ordinary meaning and can capture ad tech on the website.]
5. How long we keep it
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account information | Life of the account plus [PERIOD] |
| Jobs, creative, audiences | Life of the account plus [PERIOD], so you can reorder |
| Approval records | [PERIOD] - these are our record of your authorization |
| Payment records | As required by tax and accounting law, at least 7 years |
| Affiliate tax records | As required by IRS rules, at least 4 years after filing |
| Mailing lists we sourced | [PERIOD] - governed by our data provider's license terms |
| Mailing lists you uploaded | [PERIOD] or until you delete them |
| Instagram connection (encrypted token) | Until you disconnect, remove our app in Instagram, or ask us to delete it. Photos you chose stay with your job. |
| Customer lists you upload for follow-up mailings | Kept in your account for reorders and used only for your own mailings, until you delete them. Never sold, rented or shared. |
| Call recordings | [PERIOD] |
| Call and scan event data | [PERIOD] |
| Website analytics | [PERIOD] |
This schedule must match what the list provider's data license actually permits. Confirm before publishing.
6. Security
We use encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and regular review. Card data never touches our systems - it goes directly to our PCI-compliant processor.
No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal information we will notify you as required by law.
7. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to: know what we collect and why; access a copy; correct inaccuracies; delete; opt out of sale, sharing, or targeted advertising; limit use of sensitive personal information; appeal a denial; and not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
To exercise a right: email [PRIVACY EMAIL] or write to us at the address below. We will verify your identity before responding. We respond within the period required by applicable law, generally 45 days, extendable where permitted.
An authorized agent may submit a request with proof of authorization.
If we deny your request you may appeal by replying to our response. If your appeal is denied you may contact your state attorney general.
8. Mailing list data
This section is important and most privacy policies get it wrong by leaving it out.
Lists we procure. We license consumer data from third-party providers to build audiences for our business customers. That data is used only for the mailing it was licensed for. If you are a consumer who received mail we produced, we did not obtain your information from you and we have no direct relationship with you. We will still honor rights requests - contact us at [PRIVACY EMAIL] and we will tell you which provider the data came from so you can request suppression at the source, which is the only way to stop future mail from every mailer.
Lists our customers supply. When a business customer uploads a list, we process it at their direction. We are the processor; they are the controller. Rights requests about data on a customer-supplied list should go to that business. If you contact us, we will forward your request to the customer and tell you we have done so.
Opting out of mail from us. Email [PRIVACY EMAIL] with your name and mailing address and we will add you to our internal suppression list, which we apply to every job we produce. To reduce direct mail generally, use DMAchoice.org, operated by the Association of National Advertisers.
9. Cookies
We use strictly necessary cookies for the site to function (including your sign-in session and, if you arrived through a referral link, the partner code), functional cookies to remember preferences, analytics cookies to understand use, and [advertising cookies]. You can control cookies in your browser and through [our cookie banner / preference center]. Disabling some cookies will break parts of the Service.
Global Privacy Control. We [honor / do not honor] GPC browser signals as an opt-out of sale and sharing. [Several states require honoring GPC. Confirm with counsel and then make this sentence accurate.]
10. Children
The Service is for businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn we have, we will delete it.
11. California
If you are a California resident, in the prior twelve months we collected the categories of personal information described in Section 2, for the purposes in Section 3, from the sources in Section 2, and disclosed them to the parties in Section 4. We [do not sell or share] personal information as those terms are defined by the CCPA. You have the rights in Section 7.
Notice of financial incentive: [Required if any discount, referral credit, or affiliate commission is tied to providing personal information. Counsel to determine whether the affiliate program triggers this.]
12. Other states
Residents of Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws have the rights described in Section 7. Twenty states have such laws in effect and more take effect on a rolling schedule. We apply these rights to all users regardless of residence, which is simpler than maintaining twenty variations.
13. Changes
We may update this policy. Material changes will be posted with a new effective date and notified to account holders.
14. Contact
[LEGAL ENTITY NAME] 1659 W State Hwy 46, Ste 115 #446, New Braunfels, TX 78132 Privacy: [PRIVACY EMAIL] Phone: [PHONE]