Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The Vibed is a digital publication operated by Ascendz Digital Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 17079053). In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to Ascendz Digital Limited.

We are the data controller for personal data collected through this website. If you have any questions about how we handle your data, please contact us at hello@thevibed.co.

2. What data we collect and why

Newsletter subscriptions

When you sign up to our newsletter we collect your email address. We use this to send you The Vibed Weekly and occasional editorial updates. The legal basis is your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send you.

Pitch submissions

When you submit a pitch via our pitch form we collect your name, email address, pitch type, headline, description and any optional link you provide. We use this solely to evaluate and respond to your pitch. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in processing editorial submissions.

Usage data and analytics

We may collect anonymised data about how visitors use our website (pages visited, time on page, referral source) for the purpose of improving our content and user experience. Where analytics tools are used, we take steps to ensure data is anonymised or aggregated before processing. No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics without your consent.

Cookies

Our website may use cookies that are strictly necessary for the site to function (for example, authentication session cookies for admin users). We do not currently use advertising or tracking cookies. If this changes we will update this policy and seek your consent where required.

3. How we store and protect your data

Your data is stored securely using Supabase (hosted on AWS infrastructure in the EU). We apply industry-standard security measures including row-level access controls and encrypted connections. We retain newsletter subscriber data for as long as you remain subscribed, and pitch submission data for up to 24 months. You may request deletion at any time (see section 6).

4. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the following third-party service providers, and only to the extent necessary to operate our services:

• Supabase: database and authentication hosting
• Kit.com (ConvertKit): email newsletter delivery for subscribers
• Resend: transactional email for internal notifications
• Vercel: website hosting and infrastructure

Each of these providers is contractually obligated to handle your data in compliance with applicable data protection law.

5. International transfers

Some of our service providers are based outside the UK or process data on servers outside the UK. Where this is the case, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions) to protect your data in line with UK GDPR requirements.

6. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Access: request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure: ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: ask us to limit how we use your data
• Portability: request your data in a portable, machine-readable format
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@thevibed.co. We will respond within one month.

7. Right to complain

If you believe we have not handled your data lawfully, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection:

ico.org.uk / 0303 123 1113

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.