Privacy Policy

Who this is from: The Parsery ("we", "us"), operated by LCM Projects Pty Ltd. Effective: 3 August 2026 · Last updated: 3 August 2026

The Parsery is a grammar and writing library with a free newsletter, Field Notes. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. We've written it in plain language on purpose — a site about clear English should be clear about itself. For how our content is made and our use of AI, see How We Work.

In short

• The only personal information we ask for is your email address, when you subscribe to Field Notes.
• We use it only to send you the newsletter you asked for. We don't sell it or share it for others' marketing.
• You confirm your subscription by clicking a link (double opt-in), and you can unsubscribe from any email in one click, at any time.
• We send email through Postmark and host the site on our own server. That's it.

1. What we collect

• Email address — when you subscribe to Field Notes or create a free account.
• Name — only if you choose to add it to your account (optional).
• Your messages — if you reply to a newsletter or email us, we receive your email and its contents.
• Basic technical data — like most websites, our server keeps standard logs (e.g. IP address, browser/device type, pages requested, timestamps) for security and to keep the site running.
• Cookies — a small number of functional cookies (see §7). We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
• A cohort label — when you subscribe, we record whether you signed up via an adult or a parent/young-learner page, so we can keep the newsletter relevant. It isn't sensitive information.

We do not ask for, or want, special-category data (health, etc.), and we don't build advertising profiles.

2. Why we use it, and our lawful basis

Under the Australian Privacy Act (APPs) we collect this information to provide the newsletter and run the site, and use it only for those purposes or as you'd reasonably expect. Under US law (CAN-SPAM) every marketing email carries a working unsubscribe and our postal address.

3. What we don't do

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not "share" it for cross-context behavioural advertising — including as those terms are defined under California (CCPA/CPRA) and other US state privacy laws. We don't disclose it to third parties for their own direct marketing (California's "Shine the Light" law), and we don't use it to make automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects.

4. How long we keep it

• Subscriber/account data: for as long as you're subscribed, and for a reasonable period afterwards, unless you ask us to delete it sooner (we action deletion requests — see §8).
• Server logs: kept only for a short period for security and diagnostics, then rotated/deleted.

5. Who we share it with (our service providers)

We keep your data on our own systems and use a small number of trusted providers to operate the service. They act on our behalf and may only handle your data on our instructions — "processors" under GDPR, "service providers" under US state law:

• DigitalOcean — hosts our server, where the website and subscriber list live. Region: New York, USA (NYC1).
• Postmark (a service of ActiveCampaign, LLC, United States) — delivers our emails (the subscription confirmation and the newsletter).

We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect our rights, users or the security of the service.

International transfers. Our website and subscriber list are hosted on a server in the United States (DigitalOcean, New York), and some providers (e.g. Postmark) are also US-based — so your information, including your email address, is stored and processed in the United States. As we operate from Australia, this is a cross-border disclosure; where we transfer data outside your country, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the provider's standard contractual clauses / data-processing terms).

6. Email & your choices

• Double opt-in: you only join the list after clicking the confirmation link we email you. Until you do, you're not on the list and we won't email you.
• Unsubscribe: every newsletter has a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can manage your subscription from your account at any time. Unsubscribing takes effect promptly.
• Open/click tracking: our newsletter does not track whether you open emails or click links.

7. Cookies

We use only functional cookies — for example to keep you logged in to your account and to run the subscribe/ account pop-up (Ghost's membership "Portal"), and to remember display preferences. These are necessary for those features to work. We do not use advertising, profiling, or cross-site tracking cookies. Site analytics, if any, are first-party and kept on our own server.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live (UK/EU GDPR, the Australian Privacy Act, and US state laws), you have rights over your personal information, which may include:

• Access a copy of what we hold, and export it.
• Correct anything inaccurate.
• Delete your information ("erasure").
• Withdraw consent / unsubscribe at any time (this won't affect anything done before you withdrew).
• Object to or restrict certain uses.
• Complain to a regulator.

To exercise any of these, email privacy@theparsery.com — we'll respond within the timeframe the law requires. (Our newsletter platform lets us export or delete your data on request.)

Regulators: Australia — the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), oaic.gov.au. UK — the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), ico.org.uk. EU — your local Data Protection Authority.

United States — your state privacy rights (California and other states)

The US has no single national privacy law; instead, states including California (CCPA/CPRA), Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas and others give residents privacy rights. Where these laws apply to us — and as a matter of practice for all US residents — you can:

• Know and access the categories and specific pieces of personal information we've collected about you, and why;
• Delete your personal information;
• Correct inaccurate information;
• Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information — this doesn't arise for us: we do not sell or share your personal information (including for cross-context behavioural advertising), as those terms are defined under California and other state laws;
• Limit the use of sensitive personal information — not applicable, because we don't collect it;
• Not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights — you'll get the same service, no penalty.

Categories collected (CCPA). In the last 12 months we've collected identifiers (your email address, and a name if you add one) and internet/network activity (basic server logs) — for the purposes in §2, kept per §4, and disclosed only to the service providers in §5. Never sold or shared.

How to exercise. Email privacy@theparsery.com. You may use an authorised agent; we'll verify the request against the information we hold. We treat a valid Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as an opt-out of sale/sharing where required — though, again, we don't sell or share. California residents may also ask about any disclosures for third-party direct marketing ("Shine the Light"); we make none.

9. Children and young people

The Parsery teaches learners aged 11–18, but our newsletter is intended for adults — parents, guardians and teachers. Our signup pages for young-learner material are addressed to a parent or guardian, and we ask that an adult subscribes on a young person's behalf. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from a child. If you believe a child has subscribed without a parent/guardian's involvement, contact privacy@theparsery.com and we'll delete it. (This reflects obligations under the Australian Privacy Act, the UK/EU GDPR rules on children's data, and the US COPPA.)

10. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information — encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and reputable providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to keep the data we hold safe and to limit what we collect in the first place.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll change the "Last updated" date above, and for material changes we'll give notice by a reasonable means (e.g. a note in the newsletter).

12. Contact

Questions, or want to exercise a right? Email privacy@theparsery.com, or write to us at: PO Box 268, Stanhope Gardens NSW 2768, Australia.