Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data Disaster Debrief collects when you use this website, why we collect it, and what rights you have over it. We are based in the United Kingdom and follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Disaster Debrief is an independent podcast run by an individual based in the UK. For data protection purposes, the “data controller” is:

Luke Thompson, trading as Disaster Debrief Email: podcast@disasterdebrief.com

If you have any questions about this policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at the address above.

2. What we collect and why

When you contact us

If you email us or use the contact form, we collect your name, email address, and whatever you include in your message.

• Why: to reply to you and deal with your query.
• Legal basis: our legitimate interest in responding to people who get in touch.
• How long we keep it: 12 months after our last exchange, unless we need it longer (for example, if you send us a correction or a story we go on to use).

When you join the newsletter

If you sign up, we collect your email address and, if you choose to give it, your name.

• Why: to send you episode updates and occasional news about the podcast.
• Legal basis: your consent. You can withdraw it at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us.
• How long we keep it: until you unsubscribe. We remove unsubscribed addresses from our active list promptly and may keep a suppression record so we do not email you again by mistake.

Our newsletter is sent through Mailchimp, which processes your data on our behalf. The provider may record whether emails are opened or links clicked.

When you browse the site

We use analytics to understand how the site is used: which pages are popular, roughly where visitors come from, what devices they use, and how they found us. This relies on cookies and similar technology, which you can accept or decline via our cookie banner. See our Cookie Policy for details.

• Why: to understand our audience and improve the site.
• Legal basis: your consent (for analytics cookies).
• How long we keep it: analytics reports are kept in aggregate form. Individual-level data is retained by the analytics provider for 2 months before automatic deletion.

We also automatically receive standard technical information such as your IP address and browser type through our web host’s server logs. This is necessary to deliver the site securely and is kept for a short period as set by our hosting provider.

3. Third-party services on this site

Some parts of this site are provided by other companies. When you interact with these, that company may set its own cookies and collect its own data under its own privacy policy:

• Podcast players — episodes are embedded from services such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Pressing play may share information with that service.
• Social media — share buttons and embedded posts from platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Bluesky may allow those platforms to recognise you if you are logged in.
• Advertising and affiliate links — we may display adverts or include links to products and services. If you buy something through an affiliate link, the retailer may pay us a small commission and may tell us that a purchase was made, but we do not receive your personal details. Advertising partners may use cookies to measure or personalise adverts; you can decline these in the cookie banner.

We do not control these services. We recommend reading their privacy policies:

• Google (Analytics, YouTube, Ads): https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Spotify: https://www.spotify.com/legal/privacy-policy/
• Apple: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/

4. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with:

• service providers who help us run the site and podcast (web hosting, newsletter platform, analytics, contact form handling), who act on our instructions;
• law enforcement or regulators where we are legally required to;
• a successor if the podcast is ever transferred to someone else, in which case you would be told.

Some of our providers are based outside the UK, mainly in the United States. Where that happens, transfers are covered by the UK’s data bridge, adequacy regulations, or standard contractual clauses approved for UK use.

5. How we keep your data safe

We use reputable providers, keep access to your data limited to what is needed, and use secure connections (HTTPS). No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what you share with us.

6. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• correct it if it is inaccurate or incomplete;
• have it erased in certain circumstances;
• restrict or object to how we use it;
• receive a copy in a portable format;
• withdraw consent at any time where we rely on it (for example, the newsletter or analytics cookies).

To exercise any of these rights, email podcast@disasterdebrief.com. We aim to respond within one month. We will not charge you unless a request is clearly excessive.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Website: https://ico.org.uk Helpline: 0303 123 1113

We would appreciate the chance to resolve your concern first, so please contact us before going to the ICO if you can.

7. Children

This site and podcast are not aimed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed. If the changes are significant, we will highlight them on the site or, if you are a newsletter subscriber, let you know by email.