surphmespicy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 4, 2026

At SurphCo ("we," "us," or "our"), we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal data of our visitors and comic/mail club subscribers. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, process, and protect your information when you visit our website, subscribe to our mail club, or interact with our social media channels.

SurphCo is operated as a Sole Proprietorship in the State of Utah, formally registered under a U.S. Employer Identification Number.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, as well as data automatically gathered by our site systems:

Account and Subscription Data: When you join our comic/mail club, we collect your name, email address, and shipping address to fulfill your physical and digital subscription rewards, which are stored with either Fourthwall or Hostinger International Ltd.

Third-Party Privacy Policies: By subscribing to our comic/mail club, you also agree to comply with Fourthwall's standard privacy policy, available at fourthwall.com/legal/privacy-policy. You also agree to comply with Hostinger's privacy policy, available at hostinger.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Comment Data: If you leave a comment on our comic releases, we collect the text you write, alongside your username.

Automated Data: We collect standard technical information, including your IP address, browser type, device information, and cookies when you navigate our site.

2. How We Share Data with Third Parties

We do not sell your personal information. We share your data with essential third-party service providers to run our business:

Fourthwall: Fourthwall acts as our Merchant of Record and handles our payment processing, checkout security, tax collection, and shipping logistics. Your checkout and account details are securely shared with them to fulfill your orders. Some email communication may come through Fourthwall.

Hostinger International Ltd: Hostinger acts as our email database — for access to the comic, to keep you informed of the latest events, and to answer any questions you may have.

Social Media Tracking (Meta/Instagram Pixel): We use advertising tracking scripts to measure the performance of our social media marketing campaigns. These tools track behavior on our website to ensure our ads are shown to relevant audiences.

3. COPPA & Teen Privacy Compliance

Our services are strictly targeted to individuals who are at least 13 years old. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately so we can permanently delete it.

4. Your Rights and Data Erasure

You have the right to opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of our newsletters. You may also contact us through our storefront to request a summary of the data we hold about you or to request the complete deletion of your subscriber data.

5. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain subscription and account data for the duration of your membership plus 90 days following account deletion, to process final orders, refunds, and chargebacks. Payment records and tax documentation are retained for 7 years per federal tax law and accounting best practices. Comment data is retained until you request deletion; comments can be removed individually or your entire account and associated comments can be purged upon request. Automatically collected analytics data (IP addresses, device information) is anonymized after 90 days and cannot be linked to individual users.

6. Data Security and Breach Notification

We use Fourthwall and Stripe, and encrypt all payment data in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher and store sensitive backups encrypted at rest. While no system is perfectly secure, we follow industry-standard security practices and regularly review our procedures. If a data breach occurs affecting personal information, we will notify affected users and applicable regulators within 30 days as required by law.

7. State-Specific Data Rights

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA): You have the right to know, delete, and opt out of the 'sale or sharing' of personal information. We do not sell data, but we do share website analytics via Meta Pixel. To exercise your rights or opt out of targeted advertising, email us at surphco@gmail.com.

Utah Residents (UCPA): You have the right to access, delete, and opt out of targeted advertising. To exercise these rights, contact us at surphco@gmail.com.

Virginia, Colorado, and Connecticut Residents: Similar consumer rights apply. For details on how to exercise your rights, contact us.

You may also reach us by postal mail at: Surphmespicy, P.O. Box 8, Washington, UT 84780.

8. Third-Party Data Processing: Email Communications and Platform Usage

We collect and use your email address to keep you updated, market our projects, and answer your inquiries. We use our two primary platforms for distinct purposes:

1. General Marketing, Updates, and Customer Support (Hostinger)

We use Hostinger to host our domain email and manage our direct outward communications.

  • What We Do: We will send you regular marketing emails, community updates, and promotional content through this infrastructure. We also use Hostinger to answer your general inquiries and provide customer support.
  • Opt-Out: You can opt out of our marketing and update emails at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of our newsletters.
  • Review the Hostinger Privacy Policy for more details.

2. E-Commerce and Subscription Transactional Emails (Fourthwall)

We use Fourthwall strictly to manage our shop checkout, process payments, and run our mail club.

  • What We Do: Fourthwall automatically handles all transactional emails related to your purchases, such as order receipts, shipping confirmations, tracking numbers, and paid membership billing updates. We also use Fourthwall's integrated system to answer your specific transaction questions and assist you with your orders.
  • Retention and Limits: Because these emails are transactional and legally required to fulfill your purchases, you cannot opt out of them while maintaining an active order or subscription.
  • Review the Fourthwall Privacy Policy for more details.

Third-Party Platforms and Service Providers

We utilize trusted third-party platforms to host our website, process transactions, manage our mail club, and interact with our community. Each of these services handles your personal data according to their own privacy frameworks.

1. Website Hosting & Infrastructure (Hostinger)

Our website infrastructure is hosted by Hostinger. When you visit our site, Hostinger automatically collects and stores standard technical data (such as your IP address, browser type, device information, and access times) in server logs to ensure site security, stability, and performance.

  • Review the Hostinger Privacy Policy for more details.

2. E-Commerce, Subscriptions, and Payments (Fourthwall)

Our store infrastructure and mail club memberships are powered by Fourthwall. Fourthwall handles our store checkout, customer data storage, and acts as the Merchant of Record.

  • Data Shared: When you purchase merchandise or join our mail club, Fourthwall collects your name, email address, physical shipping address, phone number, and payment information.
  • Data Retention: Fourthwall handles recurring subscription billing and complies with standard e-commerce regulations. While you can request account deletion, certain transaction and tax records must be retained for longer periods to meet statutory legal obligations.
  • Review the Fourthwall Privacy Policy to understand how they process and safeguard your data.

3. Social Media and Marketing (Instagram)

We interact with our community and announce website updates using Instagram (Meta Platforms, Inc.). If you click social links on our website or interact with our content on Instagram, Meta may collect data via tracking technologies, cookies, or social plugins.

  • Data Shared: Your profile interactions, likes, comments, and public engagement data.
  • Review the Meta Privacy Policy to manage your social media privacy settings.

9. Contact Information

For any privacy-related inquiries, please message us at surphco@gmail.com.

10. Children's & Teen Privacy (Users Under 13 and Minors)

Users Age 13 and Older: Individuals aged 13 to 17 may access our website and join the comic/mail club, provided they do so with the permission and billing supervision of a parent or legal guardian. We do not use personal data from minor subscribers for targeted behavioral marketing.

Children Under Age 13: Our website and comic/mail club are designed for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information—including names, emails, or physical shipping addresses—directly from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent.

If a child under 13 wishes to join our mail club, a parent or legal guardian must complete the subscription signup and provide the payment credentials on the child's behalf. Completing a paid subscription transaction serves as verifiable parental consent to collect the child's name and shipping address solely for the purpose of fulfilling and mailing club rewards. We do not sell this information or share it with third parties for promotional purposes.

Parents or guardians have the right to review, update, or request the deletion of their child's shipping information at any time by contacting us directly at surphco@gmail.com.