Privacy Policy

Version 2026-10-26 (draft). Last updated October 26, 2026.

The Subplot (subplotsports.com) is operated by Lontra Industries Inc., a Canadian corporation ("The Subplot", "we", "us"). This policy explains what personal information we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to the website, our accounts, our email newsletter and our social media pages.

Who is responsible

Our Privacy Officer is responsible for how we handle personal information. You can reach the Privacy Officer at privacy@subplotsports.com.

What we collect

When you create an account:

• first name and last name (kept private unless you choose to show them)
• display name (public)
• email address
• password (we never see it: it is stored as a one-way hash by our sign-in provider)
• date of birth, to confirm you are 18 or older
• country and province or state
• the teams you choose to follow (optional)
• your answers to the agreements you accept, with the date and version

When you use the site:

• stories, fan posts, comments, recs and photos you post, which are public
• your favourite teams and writer profile, if you fill them in
• messages you send us

When you are paid as a contributor (only once you ask for a payout):

• your legal name and the email address or PayPal account we pay
• tax information the law requires, such as a Social Insurance Number when a tax slip is needed. We ask for it only when the law requires it, and keep it apart from your account.

Automatically:

• technical data such as IP address, browser, device type, pages viewed and the time of your visit, kept in server and security logs
• cookies and similar technologies (see "Cookies and ads" below)

We do not collect more than we need, and we do not sell personal information.

Why we use it

• to create and secure your account, and to confirm your email address
• to show your profile, posts and favourite teams
• to review posts against our community rules and keep the site safe from spam and abuse
• to pay contributors their share of ad revenue and meet our tax obligations
• to send the newsletter, only if you asked for it
• to understand which stories people read, using counts rather than profiles where we can
• to show ads that pay for the site
• to answer you and to meet our legal obligations

Consent

We ask for your consent when you create an account, sign up for the newsletter, or choose cookie settings. You can withdraw consent at any time, though some features may then stop working (for example, you cannot keep an account without an email address). Newsletter consent and account consent are separate: you can have an account without the newsletter.

Who we share it with

We share personal information only with service providers that help us run The Subplot, and only what they need:

Some providers store data outside Canada. Information stored in another country is subject to that country's laws, and authorities there may be able to access it. We choose providers that protect information to a standard comparable to Canadian law.

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

Public information

Your display name, profile, favourite teams and everything you post are public and may be indexed by search engines. Do not post anything you want to keep private.

Cookies and ads

• Needed cookies keep you signed in and protect the site from abuse. The site does not work without them.
• Visitor counts: Cloudflare Web Analytics counts visits without cookies and without tracking you across sites.
• Analytics (only with your OK): Google Analytics shows us how readers find and use the site: which stories they read, how far, and where they leave. Microsoft Clarity shows where people click and scroll, and replays visits with typed text and personal details hidden, so we can fix what is confusing. Both set cookies, so they run only if you choose "Analytics" in the cookie settings. We do not use them to identify you, and we do not combine them with your account details.
• Ads: once ads run, Google and its partners use cookies to show ads and measure them, and may personalize ads based on your visits to this and other sites. You choose whether to allow personalized ads in our cookie settings. Visitors in Quebec, the European Union and the United Kingdom are asked before any ad cookies are set. You can also manage Google ads at adssettings.google.com and learn more at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
• Newsletter: our emails record whether they were opened and which links were clicked, so we know what readers want. You can turn off images in your email app to stop this.

How long we keep it

• Account information: while your account is open, then deleted within 30 days of closing it (backups are overwritten within a further 30 days).
• Posts: until you delete them or close your account. Published stories by contributors may stay up as set out in the Contributor Agreement.
• Payment and tax records: 6 years, as Canadian tax law requires.
• Security logs: up to 90 days.

Your rights

You can ask to:

• see the personal information we hold about you and how we used it
• correct it
• delete it, or close your account
• get a copy of the information you gave us in a common format
• withdraw consent

Email privacy@subplotsports.com. We answer within 30 days. Most profile details can also be changed or deleted from your account settings.

If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca). Quebec residents can also contact the Commission d'accès à l'information (cai.gouv.qc.ca). Residents of the European Union, the United Kingdom or some US states may have further rights under their local laws, and can use the same email.

Children

You must be 18 or older to create an account. The site is not meant for anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If we learn an account belongs to someone under 18, we close it and delete its information.

Security

We protect information with encryption in transit, hashed passwords, limited staff access, and providers with strong security practices. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify you and the Privacy Commissioner as the law requires, and we keep a record of every breach.

Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will tell account holders by email or on the site before the change takes effect. The version date at the top always shows the current version.

Contact

Privacy Officer, The Subplot: privacy@subplotsports.com