Privacy
Privacy Policy
Effective 10 October 2026
This policy explains what personal data aifuturehumanity.com (the “site”) collects, why, who receives it and the choices and rights you have. It is written to meet the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the privacy laws of US states such as California, and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).
Who is responsible for your data
The site and the AI & the Future of Humanity series are run by Dr. Rich Melheim. Dr. Rich is the controller of your personal data under the GDPR and the Data Fiduciary under the DPDP Act.
For any privacy question, request or complaint, email privacy@aifuturehumanity.com. This address is also our grievance contact under the DPDP Act.
What we collect and why
| Activity | Data | Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signing up for email updates | Email address, first name (optional), the lists you chose, the date you opted in and the version of the consent wording you accepted | To confirm your subscription and send episode alerts and, if you chose them, Symposium 2030 updates | Your consent |
| Site analytics, only if you accept | Pages viewed, videos and links clicked, approximate location (country and city), device and browser type, referring site, and an identifier stored in a cookie | To count visits and understand which conversations people watch, so we can improve the series | Your consent |
| Delivering the site | IP address, browser details and the pages requested, recorded briefly by our hosting provider; signup requests are also briefly rate-limited using a one-way hash of your IP address and email | To deliver pages, keep the site secure and prevent abuse | Our legitimate interest in running a secure site; necessary to provide the service you request |
| Video previews and players | Your IP address and browser details are received by YouTube when episode thumbnails load, and when you press play on a video | To show video previews and play videos on the site | Our legitimate interest in presenting the series; playback starts only when you choose |
| Emailing us | Your email address and anything you include in your message | To reply and to handle privacy requests | Necessary to respond to you; our legal obligations for rights requests |
We do not ask for sensitive data, we do not build advertising profiles, and we do not make automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects.
Cookies and your choice
Google Analytics runs only after you select Accept analytics in the cookie banner. If you reject it, or your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, no analytics cookies are set and no analytics data is sent. You can change your choice at any time with , also found in the footer of every page. Withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it. Our Cookie Policy lists every cookie and similar technology we use.
Who receives your data
We share personal data only with service providers that process it for us under contract and our instructions:
- Brevo (Sendinblue SAS, France): email list management and sending.
- Vercel Inc. (United States): website and signup-service hosting.
- Google (Google Ireland Ltd and Google LLC): Google Analytics, only with your consent, and YouTube, which hosts the episode videos and thumbnails. When you play a video, YouTube also processes data under the Google Privacy Policy.
- Crobstacle: our web development partner, which maintains the site and may access data only to provide that service.
We may also disclose data where the law requires it or to protect the rights and safety of others. We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural or targeted advertising.
International transfers
Our providers may process data in the United States and other countries outside your own. Where data from the EEA, UK or Switzerland is transferred, we rely on the provider’s certification under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (and its UK and Swiss extensions) or on Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission. Transfers of data from India are made only to countries not restricted by the Government of India under the DPDP Act.
How long we keep it
- Email subscriptions: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your data. We keep a minimal record of your opt-out so we never email you again by mistake. Until you confirm, your details are not added to any list: they exist only in the confirmation link we email you, which expires after 24 hours (Brevo keeps a record of that email being sent).
- Analytics: Google Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months, and the analytics cookies expire after about 13 months.
- Your cookie choice: 12 months, after which we ask again.
- Hosting logs: for the short periods set by Vercel for security and operations.
- Privacy correspondence: as long as needed to handle your request and demonstrate that we did.
Your rights
Everyone
Wherever you live, you can ask to access, correct or delete your personal data, and withdraw consent at any time (use the unsubscribe link in any email, or Cookie settings for analytics). Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that took place before.
EEA, UK and Switzerland
You also have the right to restrict or object to processing, to data portability, and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office).
United States
Depending on your state (including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas and others), you have the right to know what personal information we collect, use and disclose; to access, correct and delete it; to opt out of its sale, sharing for targeted advertising, or profiling (we do none of these); and not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights. We treat a Global Privacy Control signal as a valid opt-out. You may use an authorised agent, and if we decline a request you can appeal by replying to our decision; we will respond to the appeal within the period the law requires. California residents: we have not sold or shared personal information in the past 12 months.
India
Under the DPDP Act you have the right to obtain a summary of your personal data and how it is processed, and the identities of those it has been shared with; to have it corrected, completed, updated or erased; to have your grievances addressed by us; and to nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity. If you are not satisfied with our response to a grievance, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
How to make a request
Email privacy@aifuturehumanity.com. We may need to confirm your identity before acting. We aim to respond within 30 days, and always within the time the law that applies to you allows (one month under the GDPR, extendable in complex cases; 45 days under US state laws). Requests are free of charge.
Children
The site is not directed at children, and our email updates are for adults only: signing up requires you to confirm that you are 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us their data, email us and we will delete it.
Security
We use HTTPS throughout, limit who can access personal data, keep secret keys out of the public site, and confirm every signup by email before adding anyone to a list. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your data and will notify you and the authorities of a personal data breach where the law requires.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when our practices change and revise the effective date above. If a change affects how we use data you have already given us, we will ask for your consent again where required.
Contact
Dr. Rich Melheim, AI & the Future of Humanity · privacy@aifuturehumanity.com