Last updated October 11, 2026

This policy covers the The Dumb Zone website at dumbzone.app and The Dumb Zone mobile apps (together, the “app”). The Dumb Zone (“we”, “us”) runs the app. DataDay Studio builds and hosts it for us and handles your information only to run it. Questions go to support@dumbzone.app.

The short version

• You can listen and browse without an account.
• If you sign in, we keep your email, your listening progress and what you do in the app so it works across devices.
• We do not sell your information, and we do not run third-party advertising or tracking scripts.
• You can ask us to delete your account and its data at any time.

What we collect

Your account

When you sign in with Google we receive your name, email address and Google account ID. We create a profile with a display name and a randomly generated avatar. Your display name only appears on the public leaderboard or a shared profile page if you turn that on in Account settings; otherwise you show up as “Listener”.

Premium memberships

Premium episodes unlock through a paid membership you already hold elsewhere. If you link Substack, we check your email against the subscriber list the show exports from Substack, and we email you a six-digit code to prove the address is yours (codes are stored only in hashed form and expire after 10 minutes). If you link Patreon, we receive your Patreon user ID, email and membership status from Patreon. We keep a record of which membership gives you premium and whether it is active. We never see or store payment card details.

Listening and activity

While you are signed in we record where you are in each episode, how long you listened and on which day, your up-next queue, event RSVPs, comments you post, game picks, and your notification settings. This powers resume playback, your stats, the leaderboard and the features you use. If you allow notifications in the mobile app, we store a push token for your device.

Visits and approximate location

Our own analytics record the pages you open, the referring site, your browser, operating system and device type, and an approximate city, region and country. Approximate location comes from your IP address through our hosting provider; we never ask your device for GPS location. When you click or contact a show sponsor we record that event with your approximate ZIP code and coordinates and a one-way hash of your IP address and browser, so the show can give sponsors honest, aggregate reporting. Sponsors see totals, not who you are.

Things you send us

Emails to support and anything you choose to include in them.

Cookies and local storage

We use cookies to keep you signed in and to protect sign-in flows. Your browser also stores a few preferences, such as playback speed and theme, on your own device. We do not use advertising cookies. Episode videos and live chat are embedded from YouTube, and YouTube may set its own cookies under Google's privacy policy when you play them.

How we use it

• To run the app: sign-in, playback, premium access, comments, events, the leaderboard and games.
• To send what you asked for: sign-in codes and, if you opt in, notifications.
• To understand what listeners use and to report sponsor results in aggregate.
• To keep the app secure, prevent abuse and enforce our Terms of Use.
• To meet legal obligations.

Who else handles it

We share information only with services that run the app for us, under their own security and privacy terms:

• Supabase (database and sign-in) and Vercel (website hosting).
• Backblaze (storage for audio and images).
• Google (Google sign-in) and YouTube (video, comments and live chat embeds).
• Patreon and Substack (only if you link a membership).
• Resend (sending sign-in code emails) and Expo (delivering mobile push notifications).
• DataDay Studio, which builds and operates the app for us.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect people's safety, or as part of a sale or transfer of the show, in which case this policy continues to apply to it.

How long we keep it

We keep account and listening data while your account exists. Sign-in codes expire after 10 minutes. Analytics and sponsor records are kept for reporting and may be kept in aggregate after your account is deleted. When you delete your account, your profile, listening data, comments and settings are deleted immediately, and our analytics records lose your name and email. Anything we must keep for legal or security reasons is the only exception.

Your choices and rights

• Turn the leaderboard and public profile on or off in Account settings.
• Turn notifications off in your device settings or in the app.
• Delete your account yourself under Account in the app or on the website. It takes effect immediately.
• Ask for a copy of your data or a correction, or ask us to delete an account you can no longer sign in to, by emailing support@dumbzone.app from the address on your account. We respond within 30 days.

Depending on where you live (for example California, or the EU and UK), you may have additional rights to access, correct, delete or port your information and to object to certain uses. Email us to use any of them; we will not treat you differently for doing so.

Security

Data is encrypted in transit, access is limited by role, and secrets such as sign-in codes are stored hashed. No system is perfectly secure, so please tell us at support@dumbzone.app if you notice anything wrong.

Children

The app is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has given us information, email us and we will delete it.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date above, and for significant changes we will let signed-in listeners know in the app.

Contact

The Dumb Zone, support@dumbzone.app. See also the Support page.