ChildFreePhD Privacy Policy
Effective date: July 10, 2026
Last updated: July 10, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how HappyGoLucky Studios LLC ("HappyGoLucky Studios," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects information in connection with the ChildFreePhD website at childfreephd.com and the ChildFreePhD email newsletter, also referred to as The Child-Free Weekly (together, the "Service").
ChildFreePhD is a free email newsletter. The website exists mainly to let you sign up and to share information about the newsletter. By using the Service, you agree to this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service or subscribe.
1. Quick summary
This summary is for convenience only. The full Policy below controls.
- The newsletter is free. To subscribe, we ask only for your email address.
- We use a double opt in process, which means you confirm your subscription by clicking a link in a confirmation email.
- We use your email address to send you the newsletter and related messages. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email.
- We use a third party email service provider to store subscriber information and send emails.
- We use Cloudflare Turnstile on our signup form to block bots, and Google Analytics and Plausible to understand how the site is used.
- We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share your email address with sponsors.
2. Who we are and how to contact us
The Service is operated by:
HappyGoLucky Studios LLC
A Wyoming limited liability company
1111B S Governors Ave # 26294
Dover, DE 19904
Privacy contact: hello@childfreephd.com
For privacy questions, requests, or complaints, email us at the address above.
For residents of the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, and similar regions, HappyGoLucky Studios LLC is the "controller" of the personal data described in this Policy, except where a third party (such as Cloudflare) acts as an independent controller of the data it collects.
3. Scope
This Policy applies to the ChildFreePhD website and newsletter. It does not apply to:
- Our other brand websites and products, each of which has its own privacy policy.
- Third party websites or services we link to, which are governed by their own policies.
4. Information we collect
4.1 Information you provide
- Your email address, which you give us when you subscribe. This is the only information the signup form asks for.
- Voluntary communications. If you email us at hello@childfreephd.com, we receive your email address and the contents of your message.
4.2 Information collected automatically
When you use the website or open our emails, we and our providers automatically collect limited technical information, which may include:
- Log and device data, such as IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring pages, and timestamps.
- Usage data, such as pages viewed and general interaction with the website.
- Email engagement data, such as whether an email was opened or a link was clicked, collected through our email service provider to help us understand and improve the newsletter.
4.3 Cookies and analytics
We use cookies and similar technologies for two purposes: (1) strictly necessary technologies to operate the website and keep it secure, and (2) analytics technologies to understand how the website is used.
- Google Analytics, provided by Google, uses cookies and collects information such as your IP address, device and browser data, and your interactions with the website, and shares this information with Google. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt out Browser Add on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
- Plausible Analytics is a privacy focused, cookieless tool that measures aggregate usage without cookies and without tracking you across other websites.
The main cookies and similar technologies we use are:
| Provider | Purpose | Type | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Security and bot detection (Turnstile) on the signup form | Strictly necessary | Session to about 30 minutes |
| ChildFreePhD | Basic site and session handling | Strictly necessary | Session |
| Google Analytics | Measure and analyze website usage | Analytics (non essential) | Up to about 24 months |
| Plausible | Aggregate usage measurement, cookieless | None (no cookies set) | Not applicable |
Where required by law (for example in the EEA and the UK), we ask for your consent before setting non essential analytics cookies such as Google Analytics, and you can accept, decline, or change your choice at any time through the cookie controls on the website or your browser settings.
5. Cloudflare Turnstile
We use Cloudflare Turnstile, a bot detection and security service provided by Cloudflare, Inc. ("Cloudflare"), on our signup form to protect against automated abuse and to tell human users apart from bots.
When Turnstile runs, Cloudflare collects and processes certain technical signals from your browser and device, which may include your IP address, information about your browser and operating system (such as User Agent and TLS or browser fingerprint characteristics), interaction patterns, and a site identifier (sitekey). Turnstile may also set strictly necessary cookies or store minimal data on your device for bot detection.
For the purpose of providing bot protection to us, Cloudflare generally acts as our data processor. Cloudflare also processes some of these signals as an independent data controller to improve its own bot detection technology. Cloudflare's processing of Turnstile signals is described in the Cloudflare Turnstile Privacy Addendum at https://www.cloudflare.com/turnstile-privacy-policy/ and in Cloudflare's main Privacy Policy at https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.
For questions about Cloudflare's processing of Turnstile data as a controller, you can contact Cloudflare's Data Protection Officer at dpo@cloudflare.com. For requests relating to Turnstile data processed on our behalf, contact us at hello@childfreephd.com.
6. Your subscription and email choices
Consent and double opt in. When you enter your email address, we send a confirmation email and add you to the newsletter only after you confirm. This confirms that you want to receive the newsletter.
Unsubscribing. Every newsletter email includes a one click unsubscribe link. You can unsubscribe at any time, and you may also email us at hello@childfreephd.com to be removed. We honor opt out requests promptly.
Suppression list. If you unsubscribe, we may keep a minimal record of your email address (for example on a suppression list) so that we can honor your choice and avoid emailing you again.
Commercial email practices. Our emails identify us as the sender, include our physical mailing address, and provide a clear way to opt out, consistent with the US CAN-SPAM Act and similar laws.
7. How we use information
We use the information described above to:
- Send you the newsletter and related messages, including the confirmation email.
- Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the website and newsletter.
- Measure engagement and general usage so we can improve our content.
- Respond to your messages and requests.
- Prevent fraud, abuse, and automated misuse.
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce our rights.
8. Legal bases for processing (EEA and UK users)
If you are in the EEA or the UK, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:
- Consent: to send you the newsletter, based on the subscription you confirm. You may withdraw consent at any time by unsubscribing.
- Legitimate interests: to secure the Service, prevent abuse, measure engagement, and improve the newsletter, balanced against your rights and interests.
- Legal obligation: where we must process data to comply with applicable law.
9. How we disclose information
We do not sell your personal information. We disclose information only as described here:
- Email service provider. We use a third party email service provider to store subscriber information and to send our emails. It processes this information on our behalf to operate the newsletter, and we can provide its identity on request.
- Other service providers. We share information with the hosting, content delivery, security, and analytics providers described in this Policy, who process it on our behalf.
- Legal and safety. We may disclose information if required by law, legal process, or governmental request, or where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of HappyGoLucky Studios, our subscribers, or the public.
- Business transfers. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.
10. Sponsors and advertising
The newsletter may include sponsor placements or advertising. Sponsors pay to place a message in the newsletter. We do not share your email address or other subscriber information with sponsors. Sponsors receive advertising space, not our subscriber list. If you click a sponsor link, the destination site's own privacy policy governs any information it collects.
11. Data retention
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law.
- Subscriber email address. Kept while you are subscribed. If you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it, we remove it within a reasonable period, except for a minimal suppression record used to honor your opt out.
- Email engagement data. Kept for a limited period to help us understand and improve the newsletter.
- Analytics data. Google Analytics data is retained according to our configured retention setting, generally up to 14 months. Plausible measures usage in aggregate and does not retain data that identifies you.
- Security and server logs. Kept for a short period, generally up to 30 days, then deleted or de identified.
- Correspondence. Kept for as long as needed to handle your request and for our records, generally up to 24 months.
12. Data security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information, including encryption in transit, bot protection through Cloudflare Turnstile, and access controls. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
If we become aware of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by applicable law.
13. Your rights and choices
Your rights depend on where you live. In all cases, you can contact us at hello@childfreephd.com to make a request, and we will respond as required by applicable law. The simplest way to stop receiving the newsletter is the unsubscribe link in any email.
13.1 EEA and UK residents (GDPR and UK GDPR)
Subject to conditions and exceptions, you may have the right to access, correct, erase, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal data, to data portability, to withdraw consent, and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. If we are required under Article 27 of the GDPR or UK GDPR to appoint a representative in the EEA or the UK, we will identify that representative here.
13.2 California residents (CCPA and CPRA)
Subject to conditions and exceptions, you may have the right to know and access, delete, and correct your personal information, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell your personal information. Certain analytics tools such as Google Analytics can be considered a "sale" or "share" under California law. Where that applies, you can opt out by declining analytics cookies in our cookie controls or by enabling a Global Privacy Control signal (see Section 14). We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
13.3 Other US states
If you live in a state with a comparable privacy law (for example Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, Oregon, or Montana), you may exercise comparable rights by contacting us. If we deny your request, you may appeal by emailing hello@childfreephd.com with "Appeal" in the subject line.
13.4 Verifying requests
Because we generally hold only your email address, we may need to verify that a request comes from you, for example by confirming control of that email address.
14. Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track
Where required by applicable law, we treat a valid Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, including any analytics processing that qualifies as a sale or share under California law. Because there is no common industry standard for "Do Not Track" browser signals, we do not currently respond to them in a uniform way, but we limit tracking as described in this Policy.
15. International data transfers
We and our providers may process and store information in the United States and in other countries. These countries may have different data protection laws than your own. Where we transfer personal data out of the EEA or the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards required by law, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or a valid transfer mechanism used by our providers.
16. Children's privacy
The Service is intended for adults and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18, and the Service is not intended for anyone under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has subscribed or provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.
17. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice through the Service. Your continued use of the Service after an update means you accept the revised Policy.
18. Contact us
If you have any questions, requests, or complaints about this Policy, contact us at:
ChildFreePhD
1111B S Governors Ave # 26294
Dover, DE 19904
Email: hello@childfreephd.com