Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 25, 2026.

This Privacy Policy explains how PodcastCharts.net collects, uses, discloses, and protects information when you visit or interact with our website.

PodcastCharts.net is an editorial website that reviews, discusses, ranks, and reports on podcasts, podcast episodes, podcast platforms, creators, entertainment topics, and related media. We do not currently require visitors to create accounts, log in, subscribe, or become members. However, we may collect certain information automatically through website hosting, analytics, advertising technologies, cookies, embedded media players, affiliate links, and similar technologies.

1. Who We Are

PodcastCharts.net is owned and operated by:

Instant Media Access
Billo ILY S-237
Birger Jarlsgatan 37
114 45 STOCKHOLM
Sweden

Email: info@podcastcharts.org

For purposes of applicable privacy laws, Instant Media Access is the operator of PodcastCharts.net and may be considered the controller of personal information collected through this website.

2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through PodcastCharts.net and related pages, content, and services that link to this policy.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites, podcast platforms, embedded players, advertisers, affiliate partners, social media platforms, or other external services that we do not own or control. When you interact with third-party links, advertisements, embeds, podcast players, or external platforms, their own privacy policies and terms may apply.

3. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of information.

A. Information collected automatically

When you visit PodcastCharts.net, certain technical and usage information may be collected automatically, including:

  • IP address or approximate location information
  • browser type and version
  • device type, operating system, and screen size
  • referring website or source
  • pages viewed
  • links clicked
  • time spent on pages
  • date and time of visit
  • cookie identifiers and similar online identifiers
  • interactions with advertisements, embedded media, or affiliate links
  • general site performance and diagnostic data

This information may be collected by our hosting provider, security tools, WordPress plugins, Google Analytics, Google Site Kit, Google AdSense, consent management tools, embedded media providers, affiliate networks, and similar service providers.

B. Information you provide voluntarily

We may collect personal information if you voluntarily contact us, including:

  • name
  • email address
  • message content
  • business or media inquiry details
  • correction requests
  • copyright or takedown requests
  • privacy requests

We do not currently offer user accounts, paid memberships, newsletter subscriptions, or public user profiles. If we add such features in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy as needed.

C. Information from cookies and similar technologies

We and our partners may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, scripts, software development kits, and similar technologies to operate the website, remember your privacy choices, measure traffic, improve content, serve advertisements, measure ad performance, prevent abuse, and support embedded media.

For more information, please see our Cookie Policy and Cookie Settings page or consent preference tool.

4. How We Use Information

We may use collected information for the following purposes:

  • to operate, maintain, and secure PodcastCharts.net
  • to display articles, podcast reviews, rankings, embeds, and website features
  • to analyze website traffic and audience behavior
  • to understand which articles, topics, podcasts, and pages are popular
  • to improve website design, performance, navigation, and content strategy
  • to show advertisements through services such as Google AdSense
  • to personalize ads where permitted by law and your consent choices
  • to measure advertising performance
  • to track affiliate referrals and commissions
  • to respond to messages, requests, complaints, or legal inquiries
  • to process copyright, correction, privacy, or takedown requests
  • to prevent spam, fraud, security threats, scraping, and misuse
  • to comply with legal obligations
  • to enforce our Terms of Use and other policies

5. Google Analytics and Google Site Kit

We use, or may use, Google Analytics through Google Site Kit or similar tools to understand how visitors use PodcastCharts.net.

Google Analytics may collect information such as pages visited, session duration, referring websites, approximate location, device type, browser type, and interactions with website content. This helps us understand traffic trends and improve the website.

Google may process this information according to Google’s own privacy policies and data processing terms. We do not use Google Analytics to identify individual visitors by name.

Where required by law, Google Analytics may be controlled by your consent choices through our cookie banner or consent management platform.

You can learn more about how Google uses information from websites and apps that use Google services by visiting Google’s privacy and advertising information pages.

6. Google AdSense and Advertising

We use, or plan to use, Google AdSense and may use other advertising networks or advertising partners.

Advertising partners, including Google, may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads, measure ad performance, prevent fraud, limit how often you see an ad, and personalize ads based on your visits to PodcastCharts.net and other websites, where permitted by law and your consent choices.

Google’s use of advertising cookies allows Google and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to this website and/or other websites on the Internet.

Depending on your location and consent choices, you may receive:

  • contextual ads based on the page content
  • non-personalized ads
  • personalized ads based on activity, interests, or other signals
  • limited ads where consent is not granted or where required by law

You can manage your ad and cookie preferences through our Cookie Settings tool. You may also be able to manage Google advertising preferences through Google’s own ad settings.

7. Consent Management and Cookie Choices

PodcastCharts.net uses, or may use, a consent management platform, cookie banner, or WordPress consent tools, including tools compatible with the WordPress Consent API and Google Consent Mode.

Depending on your location, our consent banner may ask whether you consent to:

  • analytics cookies
  • advertising cookies
  • personalized advertising
  • content measurement
  • audience research
  • service development
  • storing or accessing information on your device
  • third-party embedded media technologies

You can accept, reject, or manage certain categories of cookies and tracking technologies. Where required, non-essential cookies and similar technologies will only be used after you have given consent.

You can change or withdraw your choices at any time by using the Cookie Settings or Manage Privacy Preferences link in our website footer.

Please note that strictly necessary cookies may still be used because they are required for the website to function, remember your privacy choices, maintain security, or provide requested services.

8. Embedded Media and Podcast Players

PodcastCharts.net may embed or link to podcast episodes, videos, audio players, trailers, clips, playlists, or other media from third-party platforms, including but not limited to:

  • YouTube
  • Spotify
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Amazon Music
  • other podcast platforms
  • social media platforms
  • video, audio, or streaming services

Embedded content from these platforms may behave as if you visited the third-party platform directly. These providers may collect information about your device, browser, IP address, interactions with the player, content viewed or played, and other usage information. They may also use cookies, local storage, pixels, or similar technologies.

We do not control how these third-party platforms collect or use your information. Your interactions with embedded players are governed by the privacy policies and terms of the relevant third-party services.

Where required by law, embedded media players may be blocked, delayed, or replaced with placeholders until you provide consent.

9. Affiliate Links and Third-Party Vendors

PodcastCharts.net may contain affiliate links to third-party vendors, services, products, media platforms, streaming services, software providers, ticketing platforms, retailers, subscription services, and other commercial websites.

If you click an affiliate link, the third-party vendor or affiliate network may use cookies, tracking links, pixels, or similar technologies to recognize that you came from PodcastCharts.net. If you make a purchase, sign up, subscribe, or complete another qualifying action, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Affiliate tracking may involve the collection of information such as:

  • click time
  • referring page
  • destination page
  • device or browser information
  • order or conversion confirmation
  • affiliate ID or tracking ID
  • approximate location or country
  • transaction amount or commission category, where applicable

We do not control the privacy practices of affiliate partners, vendors, or networks. Please review their privacy policies before making purchases or providing personal information.

10. Contact Forms and Email Communications

If you contact us by email or through a website form, we may use the information you provide to respond to your inquiry, handle requests, process corrections, respond to legal or privacy matters, or maintain business records.

We do not sell contact-form messages or email inquiries.

If you send us sensitive information voluntarily, please understand that we may not need it to respond. Please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive personal information.

11. Legal Bases for Processing for EU/EEA, UK, and Swiss Visitors

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or another region with similar privacy laws, our legal bases for processing personal information may include:

Consent

We may rely on consent for analytics cookies, advertising cookies, personalized advertising, certain embedded media technologies, and similar tracking where required by law.

Legitimate interests

We may process limited information for legitimate interests such as operating the website, securing the site, preventing abuse, understanding basic audience trends, improving content, and responding to inquiries, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Contract or pre-contractual steps

If you contact us about a business relationship, advertising opportunity, correction request, affiliate inquiry, or similar matter, we may process information to respond to your request.

Legal obligation

We may process information when necessary to comply with legal obligations, tax requirements, copyright notices, regulatory requests, or valid legal processes.

12. How We Share Information

We may share information with the following categories of recipients:

Service providers

We may share information with companies that help us operate and improve the website, such as hosting providers, security providers, analytics providers, WordPress plugins, consent management tools, email providers, technical support providers, and website performance tools.

Advertising partners

We may share or allow access to certain information with advertising partners, including Google AdSense and similar ad networks, to serve, measure, and improve advertisements.

Analytics providers

We may allow analytics providers, including Google Analytics, to collect and process usage data so we can understand how visitors use the site.

Embedded media providers

When you interact with embedded media, third-party platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or similar services may collect information directly from your browser or device.

Affiliate partners

When you click an affiliate link, affiliate networks or vendors may receive information needed to track referrals, sales, commissions, and conversions.

Legal and safety purposes

We may disclose information if we believe it is necessary to comply with applicable law, legal process, government request, court order, law enforcement request, enforce our policies, protect our rights, prevent fraud, protect users, or address security issues.

Business transfers

If PodcastCharts.net or Instant Media Access is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale, reorganization, transfer of assets, or similar business transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

13. Sale or Sharing of Personal Information

PodcastCharts.net does not sell personal information in the traditional sense of exchanging visitor information for money.

However, some U.S. privacy laws define “sale,” “sharing,” or “targeted advertising” broadly. Under those laws, the use of advertising cookies, analytics technologies, affiliate tracking, or third-party ad services may be considered a “sale,” “sharing,” or processing for targeted advertising.

Where applicable, you may opt out of such activities by using our Your Privacy Choices, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Cookie Settings, or Manage Privacy Preferences links.

We also aim to respect legally required opt-out preference signals, such as Global Privacy Control, where required by applicable law and supported by our tools.

14. U.S. State Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and whether applicable legal thresholds are met, you may have certain privacy rights under U.S. state privacy laws, including the laws of California and other states.

These rights may include the right to:

  • know what categories of personal information we collect
  • know the purposes for which we collect and use personal information
  • know what categories of third parties receive personal information
  • access personal information we hold about you
  • request correction of inaccurate personal information
  • request deletion of personal information
  • opt out of sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or certain profiling
  • limit certain uses of sensitive personal information, where applicable
  • not be discriminated against for exercising privacy rights
  • appeal a denied privacy request, where applicable

To exercise privacy rights, contact us at:

info@podcastcharts.org

Please include your name, email address, location, and the privacy right you wish to exercise. We may need to verify your request before responding.

If you are using an authorized agent, we may request proof of authorization and verification of your identity.

15. California Privacy Notice

This section applies to California residents where the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, applies.

Categories of personal information we may collect

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

  • identifiers, such as IP address, cookie ID, device ID, email address if you contact us, or similar online identifiers
  • internet or electronic network activity, such as pages viewed, links clicked, referring pages, interactions with ads, and interactions with embedded media
  • geolocation information, such as approximate location derived from IP address
  • commercial information, such as affiliate referral activity or ad interaction data
  • inferences, such as content interests based on browsing activity on our site
  • communications information, such as messages you send to us

Sources of personal information

We may collect personal information from:

  • your browser or device
  • your interactions with PodcastCharts.net
  • cookies and similar technologies
  • analytics providers
  • advertising partners
  • affiliate networks
  • embedded media providers
  • messages you send to us

Purposes for collection

We may collect and use personal information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including site operation, analytics, advertising, affiliate tracking, security, communication, legal compliance, and website improvement.

Categories of third parties

We may disclose or make personal information available to:

  • hosting and security providers
  • analytics providers
  • advertising networks
  • consent management providers
  • embedded media platforms
  • affiliate networks
  • technical service providers
  • legal or regulatory authorities where required

Sale or sharing

We do not sell personal information for money. However, our use of advertising technologies, analytics tools, affiliate tracking, and third-party cookies may be considered “selling” or “sharing” under California law.

California residents may opt out through our Your Privacy Choices or Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link.

Sensitive personal information

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information from visitors for the purpose of inferring characteristics. Please do not send sensitive personal information unless necessary for a specific request.

16. GDPR, UK GDPR, and Similar Privacy Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or another jurisdiction with similar laws, you may have rights to:

  • access your personal information
  • correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
  • request deletion of personal information
  • restrict processing
  • object to processing
  • withdraw consent
  • request data portability
  • lodge a complaint with a data protection authority

To exercise these rights, contact us at:

info@podcastcharts.org

If we rely on consent to process your information, you may withdraw consent at any time through our Cookie Settings or by contacting us. Withdrawal of consent does not affect processing that occurred before consent was withdrawn.

17. International Transfers

PodcastCharts.net is operated from Sweden, but our website may be accessed worldwide, including from the United States.

We may use service providers, advertising partners, analytics providers, affiliate networks, and embedded media platforms located in various countries. This means information may be processed in countries other than your country of residence.

Where required by applicable law, we rely on appropriate safeguards for international transfers, such as contractual protections, data processing agreements, adequacy decisions, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

18. Data Retention

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information, the purpose of processing, legal requirements, security needs, analytics settings, advertising requirements, affiliate program rules, and business record obligations.

Examples:

  • contact emails may be retained for as long as needed to respond and maintain business records
  • analytics data may be retained according to our analytics provider settings
  • consent records may be retained to document privacy choices
  • server logs may be retained for security, debugging, and operational purposes
  • affiliate transaction records may be retained for accounting, tax, and commission purposes

19. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect information from unauthorized access, misuse, loss, alteration, or disclosure.

However, no website, transmission, database, or internet-based service is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

20. Children’s Privacy

PodcastCharts.net is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13 years of age.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us at info@podcastcharts.org, and we will take appropriate steps to delete such information.

Some podcast episodes, articles, embeds, advertisements, or affiliate links may relate to mature topics or third-party content. Parents and guardians should supervise children’s use of the internet.

21. External Links

PodcastCharts.net may link to third-party websites, podcast platforms, retailers, social media pages, advertisers, affiliate partners, streaming services, and other external services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, accuracy, availability, or content of third-party websites or services. You should review their privacy policies before interacting with them or providing personal information.

22. Editorial Content, Public Figures, and Podcast Coverage

PodcastCharts.net publishes commentary, reviews, summaries, rankings, analysis, and editorial content about podcasts, podcast episodes, creators, guests, public figures, celebrities, media, and entertainment topics.

Information about public figures, podcast hosts, guests, and creators may be discussed as part of editorial coverage. This type of editorial content is separate from visitor data collected through website technologies.

If you believe an article contains inaccurate personal information, outdated information, or content that should be corrected, please contact us at info@podcastcharts.org.

23. AI-Assisted Content

PodcastCharts.net may use AI-assisted tools to help research, organize, draft, edit, summarize, format, or optimize content. We aim to review and edit content before publication, but errors may occur.

AI-assisted editorial work does not involve creating user accounts or collecting visitor profile information from readers. However, general website analytics and advertising technologies may still apply as described in this Privacy Policy.

24. Do Not Track

Some browsers offer “Do Not Track” signals. There is currently no universally accepted standard for how websites must respond to these signals.

Where required by applicable law, we aim to respect legally recognized opt-out preference signals, such as Global Privacy Control, if supported by our consent management tools and advertising partners.

You can also manage privacy choices through our Cookie Settings and Your Privacy Choices links.

25. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our website, technologies, services, advertising practices, legal obligations, or business operations.

When we update this Privacy Policy, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of the page. If changes are material, we may provide additional notice where appropriate.

Your continued use of PodcastCharts.net after the updated Privacy Policy is posted means you acknowledge the updated policy.

26. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, privacy rights, cookie choices, copyright matters, corrections, or other requests, you can contact us at:

Instant Media Access
Billo ILY S-237
Birger Jarlsgatan 37
114 45 STOCKHOLM
Sweden

Email: info@podcastcharts.org