Last updated: July 1, 2025
Who we are
Our website address is: https://between-the-lines.ca.
Between the Lines is a Canadian publication created by Leni Spooner, hosted on WordPress and integrated with Substack for email subscriptions and Stripe for paid memberships.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.
If you use Gravatar, an anonymized string created from your email address may be sent to their service to check if you have a profile image. You can read their privacy policy here: https://automattic.com/privacy/.
Media
If you upload images to the website, please avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors may be able to extract location information from publicly posted images.
Cookies
If you leave a comment, you may opt in to saving your name, email, and website in cookies. These are for convenience only and expire after one year.
If you log in or edit content (admin users only), the site may use temporary cookies to maintain your session preferences. These cookies do not store personal data beyond your login session unless “Remember Me” is selected.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. YouTube videos, X/Twitter posts, Substack embeds, etc.). This content behaves as if you visited those external sites directly.
Those sites may collect data about you, use cookies, and track your interactions—especially if you’re logged into those platforms. Please review their respective privacy policies for details.
Email subscriptions via Substack
If you choose to subscribe to Between the Lines, your name and email address will be collected by Substack and governed by their privacy policy: https://substack.com/privacy.
Substack may use tracking technologies (such as email open rates and click-through tracking) to help us understand how subscribers engage with our content. You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.
Payments and donations via Stripe
For paid subscriptions or donations, we use Stripe to securely process payments. Your billing details are encrypted and handled directly by Stripe. We do not store your credit card information on our servers.
Stripe’s privacy policy is available at: https://stripe.com/privacy
Analytics and usage tracking
We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized traffic data, including which pages are visited, how users arrive on the site, and general usage patterns. This helps us improve content and user experience.
Google Analytics may set cookies or track user behavior through your browser. You can learn more and opt out here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
We do not use personalized advertising or remarketing cookies.
Who we share your data with
We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing. However, if you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely to recognize and approve follow-ups automatically.
Registered users (if any) may see, edit, or delete their profile data at any time (except usernames). Site admins can view and edit this information.
Your rights over your data
If you have an account or have left comments, you can request a copy of your personal data or ask us to erase it—except for data we are required to keep for legal, administrative, or security reasons.
To request your data or ask questions, contact us at:
📧 privacy@between-the-lines.ca
Where your data is sent
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service (e.g., Akismet).
International visitors
While this site is based in Canada and primarily follows PIPEDA standards, we aim to respect international privacy rights including GDPR. EU users may contact us with specific data access or erasure requests.
Terms of Use
By accessing or using this website, you agree to the following terms:
- All content on Between the Lines is for informational and educational purposes only.
- You may share content with attribution, but reproduction or commercial use without permission is not allowed.
- Comments must remain respectful and on-topic. We reserve the right to moderate or remove comments at our discretion.
- This site is provided “as is.” We make no guarantees about availability, accuracy, or third-party content.
Use of this site and subscription to the newsletter constitutes acceptance of these terms.