Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 11, 2026

At US Media Signals, we ask readers to trust us with their time and attention. We take the responsibility of handling personal information just as seriously. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights and choices available to you.

This policy applies to the US Media Signals website at usmediasignals.com and to related communications, including emails and newsletters (together, our “Services”). References to “US Media Signals,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the operator of this website. By using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Please read this policy together with our Cookies Policy, which explains in detail how we use cookies and similar technologies.

Our Privacy Principles in Brief

Here is the short version before the details. We collect only the information we reasonably need to run our publication, communicate with you, and support the advertising that sustains our work. We do not sell personal information in exchange for money. We clearly explain when third parties, such as advertising partners, collect information on our website, and we give you tools to opt out. We protect the information we hold with reasonable safeguards, and we respect your right to access, correct, or delete it in accordance with applicable law.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

We collect information you choose to share with us in the following situations.

When you contact us. If you email us at marketing@usmediasignals.com, we receive your name, email address, the contents of your message, and any attachments you include.

When you subscribe to updates. If you sign up for a newsletter or email alerts, we collect your email address and any preferences you provide.

When you leave a comment. If comments are enabled and you post one, we may collect your name, email address, the content of your comment, and technical details such as your IP address and browser type, which help us detect spam. Your comment and the name you provide will be publicly visible.

When you pitch, contribute, or partner with us. Guest writers, advertisers, and business partners may share their names, professional backgrounds, company details, business contact information, and the billing details needed to manage advertising or sponsored content arrangements. Payments are typically handled through secure third-party payment providers.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, server logs, and similar technologies. This may include your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, referring website, pages you view, links you click, the date and time of your visit, time spent on pages, and your approximate location based on your IP address. We do not collect precise geolocation data from your device.

Information From Third Parties

We may receive information from services we use, such as analytics providers that report on how visitors use our website and advertising partners that report on ad performance. If you interact with US Media Signals on social media platforms, we may receive information those platforms make available, based on your settings with them.

Sensitive Information

Apart from payment details for business arrangements, which are typically processed by third-party payment providers, we do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, health information, precise geolocation, or information about racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. Please do not send us this type of information by email or in comments.

How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to operate, maintain, and secure our website and to make sure our content displays properly on your device. We use it to respond to your questions, news tips, correction requests, and business inquiries, and to send newsletters or updates you have requested.

We also use information to review and manage guest contributions, sponsored content, advertising campaigns, and partnerships. Usage data helps us understand how readers engage with our website so we can improve our coverage, design, and performance. With the help of our partners, we use information to deliver advertising, limit repetitive ads, measure ad performance, and, where permitted, show ads that are more relevant to your interests.

Finally, we use information to detect and prevent spam, fraud, abuse, and security incidents; to comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests; and to protect the rights, property, and safety of US Media Signals, our readers, and others.

Legal Bases for Processing

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process personal information only when we have a valid legal basis. These bases include your consent, such as when you accept non-essential cookies or subscribe to our newsletter; our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving our publication and communicating with readers and partners, where those interests are not overridden by your rights; the performance of a contract, such as an advertising or sponsorship agreement; and compliance with our legal obligations.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We and our partners use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to operate our website, analyze traffic, remember preferences, and deliver advertising. You can manage your preferences through our cookie consent tool, where available, and through your browser settings. For a full explanation of the cookies we use and how to control them, please read our Cookies Policy.

Advertising

US Media Signals is supported by advertising. We work with third-party advertising partners, which may include Google, to display ads on our website. These partners may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your visits to our website and other websites in order to deliver ads, measure their effectiveness, and personalize the ads you see.

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to US Media Signals and other websites. Google’s advertising cookies allow Google and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to our site and/or other sites across the internet.

You can opt out of personalized advertising from Google by visiting Google Ads Settings at https://adssettings.google.com. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting https://www.aboutads.info or https://optout.networkadvertising.org. To learn how Google uses information from websites that use its services, visit https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Analytics

We may use analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to understand how visitors interact with our website. These services use cookies to collect information such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, and how you arrived at our site. You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

How We Share Your Information

We share personal information only in the circumstances described below.

Service providers. We work with companies that help us operate our Services, including website hosting, content management, email delivery, analytics, security, and spam-prevention providers. They may access personal information only as needed to perform services on our behalf.

Advertising partners. As described above, advertising partners may collect information through cookies and similar technologies on our website to deliver and measure ads.

Legal requirements and protection. We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that doing so is required by law, subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of US Media Signals, our readers, or others, or to investigate fraud or security issues.

Business transfers. If US Media Signals is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or similar transaction, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy or a successor policy with comparable protections.

Public content. Comments you post on our website are visible to the public, along with the name you provide.

With your consent. We may share information for other purposes when you have given us permission.

We may also share aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you.

News Tips and Source Confidentiality

If you send us a news tip and ask that your identity be kept confidential, we will not voluntarily disclose your identity without your permission. We may be legally required to disclose information in response to valid legal process, and we will evaluate any such request carefully. Because standard email is not a fully secure channel, please use your own judgment about what you share.

Sale and Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell personal information in exchange for money. However, certain US state privacy laws define terms such as “sale,” “sharing,” and “targeted advertising” broadly. Under those definitions, allowing advertising partners to collect information through cookies on our website for personalized advertising may be considered a sale or sharing of personal information, or processing for targeted advertising.

You can opt out of these activities at any time by adjusting your preferences in our cookie consent tool where available, enabling Global Privacy Control in a supported browser, using the industry opt-out tools listed above, or emailing us at marketing@usmediasignals.com with the subject line “Do Not Sell or Share.” We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age.

Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track

Where required by applicable law, we treat a recognized Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a valid request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information and targeted advertising for the browser or device that sends it. Because there is no consistent industry standard for Do Not Track (DNT) signals, our website does not currently respond to them.

How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law. In general, we keep email correspondence as long as needed to respond and maintain appropriate records, newsletter data until you unsubscribe, published comments until they are removed, and partner and advertising records as long as needed to fulfill agreements and meet accounting, tax, and legal obligations. Analytics and advertising data is retained according to the settings and policies of the relevant providers. When information is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it.

How We Protect Your Information

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These include encrypted connections, access controls, and working with reputable service providers. Still, no website, internet transmission, or storage system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a data breach affects your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by law.

Your Privacy Rights

Your rights depend on where you live and which laws apply. We handle all privacy requests in accordance with applicable law.

Rights for US Residents

A growing number of US states have comprehensive consumer privacy laws. Depending on your state of residence, you may have the right to confirm whether we process your personal information and to access it; to correct inaccurate information; to delete personal information we have collected from or about you; to receive a portable copy of your information; and to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, targeted advertising, and certain types of profiling. You also have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights.

Rights for Visitors in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland

If you are located in these regions, you may have the right to access your personal information, correct it, request its deletion, restrict or object to its processing, and receive it in a portable format. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting processing that occurred before withdrawal. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

How to Submit a Request

To exercise your rights, email us at marketing@usmediasignals.com with the subject line “Privacy Request.” Please include your name, the email address associated with your interactions with us, your state or country of residence, and the right you wish to exercise.

To protect your information, we may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request, usually by matching details you provide with information we already hold. We use information provided for verification only for that purpose. Where permitted by law, you may designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, and we may ask for proof of authorization and verification of your identity. We will respond within the time frames required by applicable law and let you know if we need additional time.

Appealing a Decision

If we decline to take action on your request, you may appeal by replying to our decision or emailing us with the subject line “Privacy Request Appeal.” We will review your appeal and respond in writing within the time required by law. If your appeal is denied, you may contact the attorney general of your state.

Additional Information for California Residents

This section supplements the rest of this Privacy Policy and applies to California residents under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act.

In the past 12 months, we may have collected the following categories of personal information:

We collect this information directly from you, automatically from your device, and from third parties as described above, for the purposes listed in “How We Use Your Information.” Identifiers, internet activity, approximate geolocation, and inferences may be shared with advertising partners for personalized advertising, and you may opt out as described in “Sale and Sharing of Personal Information.” We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes that would require offering a right to limit its use.

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 allows California residents to request information about the disclosure of personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

Children’s Privacy

Our Services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will promptly delete it.

Email Communications

If you subscribe to our emails, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link included in every message or by contacting us directly. Even after unsubscribing, you may still receive replies to messages you have sent us.

Third-Party Websites and Embedded Content

Our articles may contain links to other websites and embedded content such as videos or social media posts. Embedded content behaves as if you had visited the source website, and those platforms may collect information about you. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites or platforms, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

International Data Transfers

US Media Signals is intended primarily for audiences in the United States. Our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries whose data protection laws may differ from those where you live. Where required, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, or legal requirements. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page, and for significant changes we may provide additional notice on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about how your information is handled, please contact us.

Email: marketing@usmediasignals.com

For privacy requests, please use the subject line “Privacy Request” so we can respond as quickly as possible.