Privacy Policy

INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT

We may collect information you choose to provide, such as:

• Audio or video responses you submit.
• An alias, nickname, or other label you provide.
• An email address, if you choose to provide one.
• The category or prompt connected to your submission.
• Information included within your submission, including your voice, image, words, and any details you choose to share.

We may also receive limited technical information when you use this website or third-party services connected to it, such as device, browser, IP address, approximate location, timestamps, cookies, and usage information. That information may be collected by our website host, analytics providers, or submission-service providers under their own policies.

HOW WE USE INFORMATION

We may use information to:

• Operate and improve The Hotline Podcast website and submission experience.
• Receive, review, organize, and evaluate submissions.
• Contact you about a submission if you choose to provide an email address.
• Edit, produce, publish, promote, archive, distribute, or otherwise use submissions as described in the Submission FAQ and applicable submission terms.
• Protect the security, integrity, and safety of the website, show, contributors, and audience.
• Comply with legal obligations, respond to legal requests, and address credible threats, suspected abuse, or safety concerns.

WHEN WE MAY SHARE INFORMATION

We may share information with service providers that help operate the website and collect submissions. Depending on how you interact with The Hotline Podcast, these may include our website host, audio/video response provider, upload-form provider, podcast hosting or distribution services, website analytics providers, and member-supported publishing platforms. We may also disclose information when we believe it is necessary to protect people, investigate or respond to credible threats or abuse, comply with law or legal process, enforce our terms, or protect the rights, property, or safety of The Hotline Podcast and others. If your submission is selected for use, we may publish or share it as described in the Submission FAQ and applicable submission terms.

OPTIONAL EMAIL ADDRESSES

If you choose to provide an email address with a submission, we may use it to contact you about that submission. Your email address will not be published as part of your submission. Providing an email address for submission follow-up does not automatically enroll you in marketing messages. If we add optional show-news or promotional emails in the future, we will ask separately for permission and provide an unsubscribe option.

ALIASES AND ANONYMITY

You may use an alias or nickname, but do not assume a submission is fully anonymous. Your voice, image, location, workplace, relationships, or story details may identify you or someone else. Do not submit information about yourself or others that you do not want shared.

DATA RETENTION

We may retain submissions and related information for as long as reasonably necessary for production, review, recordkeeping, security, legal, business, and archive purposes. Submission records and content may be retained even if a submission is not published.

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

This website links to or uses third-party services for recording responses, uploading longer responses, hosting, distribution, analytics, and other functions. Those services may collect and process information under their own privacy policies and terms. We encourage you to review the policies of any third-party service you use.

CHILDREN

The Hotline Podcast is not intended for people under 18. Do not submit content or personal information if you are under 18.

SECURITY

We use reasonable measures to help protect information, but no method of online transmission, storage, or processing is completely secure. Please do not submit sensitive personal, financial, medical, legal, or emergency information.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the date below. Your continued use of this website or submission services after an update means the updated policy applies to future use.

QUESTIONS

We do not currently provide a public support channel through this website. Do not use the Hotline for emergencies, threats, urgent safety concerns, or sensitive personal information.

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