Effective Date: 18.03.2026
The Stoa Way (“we”, “us”, or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit https://thestoaway.com/.
1. Information We Collect
- Personal Information: When you voluntarily subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your name and email address. This data is stored and managed by our third-party email marketing provider — we do not store it on our own servers or devices.
- Usage Data: We use Google Analytics to collect automatically generated information, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and browsing behavior on our site. This data is processed and stored by Google — we do not download or store it locally.
2. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
| Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Sending newsletters and marketing emails | Your explicit consent (opt-in at signup) |
| Website analytics via Google Analytics | Legitimate interest in understanding site usage and improving user experience |
| Accessibility widget preferences (cookies) | Legitimate interest in providing accessible functionality |
You may withdraw your consent at any time (see “Your Rights” below).
3. How We Use Your Information
- To send you newsletters, updates, and marketing materials regarding philosophy, personal development, and future products (courses/books).
- To analyze website traffic and optimize the user experience via Google Analytics.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies to enable Google Analytics and to remember your accessibility widget preferences.
- Analytics cookies: Set by Google Analytics to collect anonymous usage data.
- Functional cookies: Used to store your accessibility preferences (e.g., high contrast mode, text size).
You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. Note: A cookie consent mechanism is provided on the site for compliance with applicable regulations.
5. Sharing Your Data
We do not sell your personal data. We only share data with trusted third-party service providers solely for the purpose of operating our website and delivering the services you requested:
- Google Analytics (Google LLC, USA) — website analytics
- Email marketing platform (USA-based) — newsletter delivery
These providers act as data processors on our behalf and are contractually obligated to protect your data.
6. International Data Transfers
Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States by our service providers (Google Analytics and our email marketing platform). These transfers are necessary for providing our services. Where required, appropriate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) to ensure your data is protected in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
7. Data Retention
- Newsletter subscribers: Your name and email are retained for as long as you remain subscribed. Upon unsubscribing, your data will be deleted from our email marketing platform within 30 days.
- Analytics data: Retained by Google in accordance with Google’s own data retention policies (default: 14 months).
- Accessibility cookies: Stored locally in your browser and persist until you clear your cookies.
8. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including using HTTPS encryption across the entire site, restricting access to data to authorized service providers only, and not storing personal data on our own servers.
9. Children’s Privacy
This website is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at contact@thestoaway.com, and we will promptly delete such information.
10. Your Rights
Depending on your location (such as the EU under GDPR, or California under CCPA), you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Request the correction or deletion of your personal data.
- Restrict or object to the processing of your personal data.
- Request data portability (receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format).
- Opt-out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails.
- Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at: contact@thestoaway.com. We will respond within 30 days.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Effective Date.” Your continued use of the site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
12. Contact Us
For any privacy-related questions, please contact us at: contact@thestoaway.com