Effective from 1 June 2025
Last updated on 1 June 2025

This Privacy Policy sets out how Jessica, actually (“we”, “us”, or “our”), a digital publication and podcast created and operated by Jessica Mills, collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal data provided by individuals (“you” or “your”) when interacting with our newsletter, podcast, website, community features, submission forms, and any affiliated services or platforms, including but not limited to those hosted via Substack and other third-party providers.

We are committed to handling your personal data in accordance with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018, and all other applicable data protection and privacy laws in force in the United Kingdom.

By accessing, subscribing to, or otherwise engaging with Jessica, actually, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy.

1. Data Controller

For the purposes of applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the data controller responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing your personal data in connection with Jessica, actually is:

Jessica Mills
Email: jessikalouize6@gmail.com

2. What Data We Collect

We may collect, use, store, and process the following categories of personal data about you, depending on your level of interaction with Jessica, actually:

• Identity Data – including your name, username, and pronouns, where such information is voluntarily provided.

• Contact Data – including your email address and subscription information obtained via Substack or other sign-up methods.

• Content Data – including any information you choose to submit to us, such as written comments, form responses, voice notes, questions, stories, or other user-generated content submitted via Substack, Google Forms, email, or similar platforms.

• Technical Data – including your IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, device identifiers, and interaction or usage data as collected through Substack or third-party analytics tools.

• Marketing and Communications Data – including your preferences in receiving email newsletters, marketing messages, or community updates from us.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under the age of 16. If we become aware that such data has been submitted without appropriate consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data from and about you through the following methods:

• Direct Interactions – You may provide personal data directly to us by subscribing to the newsletter, submitting content (including through comment sections, forms, or voice notes), corresponding with us by email, or otherwise engaging with the Publication and its community features.

• Automated Technologies or Interactions – When you access or interact with the Publication, certain technical data may be collected automatically through cookies, log files, or similar technologies. This may include information about your device, browsing actions, and usage patterns, and may be collected by Substack or other third-party service providers on our behalf.

• Third-Party Platforms – We may receive personal data about you from third-party platforms through which you access or engage with Jessica, actually, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Forms, TikTok, Instagram, and similar services, in accordance with their respective privacy policies.

Please note that Jessica, actually is hosted on the Substack platform, which operates independently and may collect and process personal data as a data controller. We do not control, and are not responsible for, Substack’s own data practices. We recommend reviewing Substack’s Privacy Policy directly for further information.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data only where permitted by law and for the following purposes:

• To deliver content and services – including the distribution of newsletters, updates, and podcast episodes via email or other channels;

• To operate, maintain, and improve the Publication – including user experience, functionality, and content development;

• To manage communications – including responding to enquiries, messages, and content submissions;

• To publish user-submitted content – including in articles, podcast episodes, newsletters, social media posts, or other derivative works, with or without attribution, in accordance with the licence terms set out in our Terms of Service;

• To administer polls, surveys, or community engagement activities – including collection and analysis of feedback or anonymised responses;

• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations – including data protection, tax, intellectual property, or other applicable laws.

User-submitted content may be edited and republished across various media formats at our discretion and in accordance with our editorial and legal policies, as detailed in the Terms of Service.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so, as required under the UK GDPR. The legal bases we rely upon include:

• Consent – Where you have given clear and informed consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose, such as subscribing to the newsletter, submitting content, or opting into marketing communications. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.

• Contractual Necessity – Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps at your request prior to entering into such a contract. This includes providing you with access to the Jessica, actually newsletter, podcast episodes, and other requested content.

• Legitimate Interests – Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests in operating, maintaining, and developing the Publication, provided that such interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms. This includes ensuring editorial quality, platform functionality, and user engagement.

• Legal Obligation – Where we are required to process your personal data to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, such as tax law, data protection compliance, or the enforcement of our legal rights.

6. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or otherwise disclose your personal data to third parties for commercial purposes.

However, we may share your data with selected third-party service providers where necessary for the operation of the Jessica, actually publication. These providers may act as data processors or, in some instances, independent data controllers. They include, but are not limited to:

• Substack – for newsletter distribution, subscription management, and website hosting;

• Google Forms – for the collection of user-submitted content via forms;

• Podcast platforms – including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and similar services that distribute audio content;

• Email communication services – for administrative updates, support, and direct correspondence;

• Analytics and performance tracking tools – to understand audience engagement and improve the Publication.

Each of these third-party services is responsible for its own data processing activities and operates under its own terms of use and privacy policies. We do not control how such services collect or process your personal data and we encourage you to review their respective privacy notices when engaging with them.

Where we engage any third party to process personal data on our behalf, appropriate contractual and technical safeguards will be implemented in accordance with UK data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We will retain your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting obligations.

The specific retention period will vary depending on the nature of the data and the context in which it was provided, but we will not retain your personal information for longer than is necessary in light of those purposes.

Where you have provided consent for the processing of your data (for example, by subscribing to the newsletter), we will retain your information until you withdraw that consent or request deletion.

You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data at any time. Requests should be submitted to the contact address provided in Section 1 of this Privacy Policy. Upon receipt of such a request, we will take reasonable steps to delete your data unless we are legally required or permitted to retain it.

8. Your Data Protection Rights

Under applicable data protection law in the United Kingdom, including the UK GDPR, you have the following rights in respect of your personal data:

• Right of Access – You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to obtain information about how it is processed.

• Right to Rectification – You have the right to request the correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

• Right to Erasure – In certain circumstances, you may request the deletion of your personal data, also known as the “right to be forgotten”.

• Right to Restrict Processing – You have the right to request the restriction or suppression of your personal data where appropriate.

• Right to Data Portability – You may request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

• Right to Object – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as the lawful basis.

• Right to Withdraw Consent – Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent prior to its withdrawal.

To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us at:

Email: jessikalouize6@gmail.com

We may need to request additional information from you to confirm your identity before fulfilling certain requests. We aim to respond to all legitimate requests within one month.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures are designed to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, taking into account the nature of the data and the context in which it is processed.

However, please be aware that the transmission of information via the internet is not entirely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data during transit. Any transmission of personal data is at your own risk.

Where you submit sensitive personal information (such as personal stories or emotional disclosures), we will handle such content with heightened care and, where reasonably appropriate, anonymise or pseudonymise it prior to publication or internal use.

10. Cookies and Tracking

The Jessica, actually website is hosted via Substack, which, along with other third-party services, may use cookies, beacons, pixels, and similar tracking technologies to collect technical data regarding your browsing activity, such as IP address, device type, browser version, and user engagement metrics.

We do not use proprietary cookies or tracking technologies independently of those used by our hosting or service platforms.

You can control the use of cookies through your individual browser settings. For further information, please refer to the cookie policies of Substack and any other third-party platform you interact with via the Publication.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available at Jessica, actually’s Substack, with the effective date shown at the top.

If we make significant changes, we will notify subscribers via email or by prominent notice on the website.

12. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact:

Jessica Mills
Email: Jessikalouize6@gmail.com