Newshound

1. Who we are

Newshound ("NewHound", "we", "us", "our") operates AI-powered local newsletters at newshound.news and related community sites. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

2. Information we collect

We collect information you provide directly:

Email address — when you subscribe to a newsletter or create an account. Required to deliver your newsletter and account-related communications.
Name — optional, used to personalize communications.
Phone number — when you opt in to SMS alerts. Stored in E.164 format and used exclusively to send you local news alerts and notifications you requested.
Zip code and location — to personalize your feed and "near me" content.
Interests and preferences — topic selections, saved alerts, commute routes, and interaction signals (clicks, dismissals) used to rank your feed.
Feedback and idea submissions — content you submit through our feedback form, including any name and email you choose to include.

We also collect limited technical data automatically: IP addresses (hashed for rate limiting), browser type, and page interaction events used to operate and improve the Service.

3. How we use your information

Delivering newsletters, alerts, and notifications you subscribed to
Personalizing your news feed based on your interests and location
Sending SMS alerts to your phone number when you have opted in
Responding to feedback and idea submissions
Improving our AI models and content curation (using aggregated, de-identified data)
Preventing abuse and enforcing our Terms of Service

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your data for targeted advertising by third parties.

4. SMS alerts and phone numbers

When you opt in to SMS alerts by providing your phone number:

Your phone number is used only to deliver local news alerts and community notifications you requested.
We will never share your phone number with third parties for marketing purposes or sell it to data brokers.
SMS messages are sent via Twilio, our messaging provider. Twilio's privacy policy applies to transmission of your messages.
To opt out at any time, reply STOP to any SMS message, or remove your phone number from your profile settings page.
You can re-opt-in by adding your phone number again in your profile settings.
Message and data rates may apply based on your carrier plan.

5. Third-party services

We use the following third-party providers to operate our Service. Each has its own privacy policy governing their handling of data:

Turso — database hosting (your data at rest)
Twilio — SMS message delivery
Resend — email delivery
Vercel — web hosting and edge network
Anthropic — AI content curation (content metadata only; no PII sent)

6. Data retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. You can request deletion of your data by contacting us at hello@newshound.news. Unsubscribing from the newsletter does not automatically delete your account data — please contact us directly if you want full deletion.

7. Cookies and tracking

We use a signed cookie to recognize returning readers and personalize your feed. This cookie contains only an opaque subscriber identifier — no name, email, or PII. It is not used for cross-site tracking. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

8. Your rights

You can access, update, or delete your information at any time through your profile settings. To unsubscribe from all communications, click the unsubscribe link in any email or contact us directly. California residents and EU/EEA residents may have additional rights — contact us for details.

9. Children's privacy

Our Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify subscribers of material changes via email. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the most recent update.

11. Contact us

Questions or requests about your data? Email us at hello@newshound.news.