1. Who this covers
This Privacy Policy explains how Sovereo Intelligence Research ("Sovereo," "we," "us") handles information when you use sovereo.com and our Services. By using the Services you agree to this policy.
2. What we collect
- Newsletter signups. If you subscribe to the free daily SITREP, we collect your email address through our email provider (Resend) so we can send it to you. This is a single opt-in: submitting your email adds you to the list, and every email includes a one-click unsubscribe link.
- Purchases. When you buy a Country Report, payment and your purchase details are collected and processed by Payhip, our merchant of record. Payhip handles your payment information and any applicable tax; we do not see or store full card details.
- Messages you send. If you email us or use a contact link, we receive the email address and the content of your message.
- The Diagnostic. The Relocation Diagnostic runs in your browser and is built so that it does not require, and we do not retain, your name, net worth, or other identifying information. Your answers produce a result on your device.
- Basic site analytics. We may use a privacy-first, cookieless analytics measure to understand aggregate traffic. It does not build a profile of you or track you across other sites.
3. How we use it
We use the limited information we hold to deliver the SITREP and the products you request, to respond to your messages, to keep the Services secure, and to understand in aggregate how the site is used so we can improve it. We do not use your information for automated decisions that affect you.
4. Legal bases
Where the GDPR or similar laws apply, we rely on your consent for the newsletter (which you can withdraw at any time), on performance of a contract to deliver products you purchase, and on our legitimate interests in securing and improving the Services.
5. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information. We share only what is necessary with the service providers that run parts of Sovereo on our behalf, each under their own privacy terms: Payhip (payments and downloads), Resend (newsletter delivery), Cloudflare (hosting and content delivery), Substack (the Brief, if you subscribe there), and our analytics provider. We may disclose information if required by law.
6. Cookies
The core Sovereo site does not rely on advertising or tracking cookies. Third parties you interact with, such as Payhip at checkout or Substack for the Brief, may set their own cookies on their own pages, governed by their policies.
7. Retention
We keep newsletter and contact information for as long as you remain subscribed or until you ask us to delete it. Purchase records are retained by Payhip as needed for tax and accounting. We do not keep information longer than we need it.
8. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to data portability. You can unsubscribe from the SITREP at any time using the link in any email. To exercise any right, email sovereo@proton.me and we will respond as required by law.
9. International transfers and children
Our providers may process data in countries other than yours; where required, appropriate safeguards apply. The Services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.
10. Automated and AI-assisted content
Some of what we publish, including the daily SITREP, the Brief, and parts of our written research, is produced with the assistance of AI tools under human editorial oversight. The Sovereo Index scores are computed from cited public datasets using a fixed, documented methodology, not generated by an opaque model. We do not use AI to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you, and the Relocation Diagnostic is scored on your own device.
11. Third-party news and links
The Sovereo Atlas displays headlines and links drawn from public news feeds and open-data sources, including publishers' RSS feeds and the GDELT Project. Those headlines and the articles they link to remain the property of their respective publishers; we show the title, the source, and a link, and clicking through takes you to the publisher's own site, governed by their terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party content. If you are a publisher and would like a link removed, contact sovereo@proton.me.
12. Changes and contact
We may update this policy from time to time, with a revised "last updated" date. Questions or requests can be sent to sovereo@proton.me. See also our Terms of Service.