PetroTalk Site Policies: Privacy, Terms, and Community Guidelines

Last updated: July 27, 2026

Welcome to petrotalk.org. This page outlines the rules, terms of use, and privacy practices that govern our main website and the PetroTalk Community (https://petrotalk.org/community). By accessing our platforms, you agree to the policies outlined below.

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal Data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

• Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service, including the PetroTalk Community.
• Affiliate means an entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with a party, where “control” means ownership of 50% or more of the shares, equity interest or other securities entitled to vote for election of directors or other managing authority.
• Company (referred to as either “the Company”, “We”, “Us” or “Our” in this Agreement) refers to SCI Global LLC, operator of PetroTalk.
• Cookies are small files placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
• Country refers to: United States of America.
• Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.
• Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
• Service refers to the Website (petrotalk.org) and the PetroTalk Community (petrotalk.org/community), collectively.
• Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.
• Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
• You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data. While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You — for example, Your name and email address when You submit a “Be a Guest” request or contact form, or when You create a Community profile.

Usage Data. Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service, and may include Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (IP address), browser type and version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers, and other diagnostic data.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies. We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on Our Service and store certain information. Except for cookies that are strictly necessary for the Service to function, all Cookies described below are only set after You provide consent through Our cookie banner. You can accept, reject, or customize Your choices at any time using the “Cookie Preferences” link in the site footer.

Cookie Table

Name	Provider	Purpose	Category	Duration
scc_cookie_consent	petrotalk.org (first party)	Records Your cookie consent choices	Necessary	1 year
wp_consent_statistics, wp_consent_marketing, wp_consent_preferences	petrotalk.org (first party)	Stores Your consent state per category (WP Consent API)	Necessary	Session / 1 year
_ga, _ga_<container-id>	Google (Google Analytics 4)	Distinguishes unique visitors and sessions for site analytics	Analytics	Up to 2 years
Google Tag conversion parameters	Google (Google Ads)	Measures ad campaign effectiveness (conversion attribution)	Advertising	Up to 90 days
PetroTalk Community session cookies	petrotalk.org / community platform provider	Keeps You signed in to the Community and remembers your session	Necessary	Session

We do not control cookies set directly by third parties (e.g., Google); please refer to their privacy policy for details: Google Privacy Policy.

Third-Party Tools We Use

• Google Tag Manager — a tag-management system used to deploy the tools listed below in a consent-gated manner.
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) — website analytics (traffic, page views, engagement). This tag is configured to require Your analytics consent before it loads or sends any data.
• Google Ads — advertising conversion tracking for campaigns We run.
• Spotify / YouTube — episode embeds and links on this site are hosted by Spotify and YouTube respectively; playing them is subject to those providers’ own privacy policies.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain our Service, including the Community, and to monitor the usage of our Service.
• To manage Your Community Account and profile.
• To contact You by email or other electronic communication regarding Your requests, submissions, or informative communications related to the Service.
• To provide You with news, special offers and general information about the podcast, events, or community, unless You have opted out.
• To manage and respond to Your requests (including “Be a Guest” and contact requests).
• For business transfers, as described below.
• For other purposes such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, and evaluating and improving Our Service and Your experience — carried out through the analytics tools described above.

Legal Basis for Processing (EEA/UK/Switzerland Visitors)

Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies to You, We process Your Personal Data on one or more of the following legal bases:

• Consent — for non-essential cookies and similar technologies (analytics, advertising), which We only set after You opt in through Our cookie banner, and which You may withdraw at any time.
• Legitimate interests — for essential Website/Community functionality and fraud prevention, balanced against Your rights.
• Contract — where processing is necessary to respond to a request You made (e.g., a “Be a Guest” submission) or administer Your Community account.
• Legal obligation — where We must retain or disclose data to comply with the law.

Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

• With Service Providers, including the third-party tools listed above, to monitor and analyze use of Our Service and to contact You.
• For business transfers, in connection with a merger, sale, financing, or acquisition.
• With Affiliates, who will be required to honor this Privacy Policy.
• With other Community members, as described in “Community and Public Forums” below.
• With Your consent, for any other disclosed purpose.

We do not sell Your Personal Data for money. The use of advertising cookies (such as Google Ads) may constitute a “share” of Personal Data under the CCPA/CPRA, and You have the right to opt out of it (see “Your U.S. State Privacy Rights” below).

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce Our agreements. Usage Data collected by analytics tools is generally retained per the retention windows of the relevant tool (see the Cookie Table above), except where longer retention is required by law.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information may be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located outside of Your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction, where Our third-party service providers operate. The Company takes reasonable steps to ensure Your data is treated securely.

Delete Your Personal Data

You have the right to delete or request that We assist in deleting the Personal Data that We have collected about You, including Your Community profile and posts. Contact Us to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information You have provided.

Your Privacy Rights

GDPR Rights (EEA / UK / Switzerland)

If You are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, You have the right to:

• Access the Personal Data We hold about You.
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data.
• Erase Your Personal Data (“right to be forgotten”), subject to legal exceptions.
• Restrict or object to processing of Your Personal Data.
• Data portability — receive Your Personal Data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
• Lodge a complaint with Your local data protection supervisory authority.

To exercise any of these rights, email Us at petrotalk@sciww.com.

Your U.S. State Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA and similar state laws)

If You are a California resident, or a resident of another U.S. state with a comprehensive privacy law, You have the right to:

• Know what Personal Information We collect, use, disclose, and share, and for what purposes.
• Delete Personal Information We have collected from You, subject to certain exceptions.
• Correct inaccurate Personal Information.
• Opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of Your Personal Information. Our use of advertising cookies (e.g., Google Ads) for cross-context behavioral advertising may constitute “sharing” under the CPRA. You can exercise this right at any time using the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” / “Your Privacy Choices” link in the site footer, or by rejecting the “Marketing” cookie category in Our cookie banner.
• Limit the use of Sensitive Personal Information, to the extent We process any (We do not intentionally collect Sensitive Personal Information through this Website).
• Non-discrimination — We will not discriminate against You for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise these rights, email Us at petrotalk@sciww.com, or use the cookie preference / “Your Privacy Choices” link in the footer.

Community and Public Forums

Our Service offers a community forum and interactive network features located at the PetroTalk Community section (petrotalk.org/community). Please be aware that any information You provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others who access them.

• Public Profiles and Content. When You create a community profile, participate in discussions, upload media, or post comments, Your profile information (such as Your username and profile picture) and the content You share will be publicly visible to other users of the Community.
• User Interactions. Any interactions, such as “likes,” replies, group memberships, and direct mentions within the community forums, are visible and accessible as part of the public or group-specific feed.
• Responsibility for Shared Data. We are not responsible for the personal information You choose to submit in these public forums. We strongly advise You to exercise caution and avoid sharing sensitive personal information (such as financial details, home addresses, or personal phone numbers) in the community.
• Content Removal. To request the removal of Your personal information from our community forum, please contact Us. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information entirely, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13, and We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us so We can remove that information.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites not operated by Us (including Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram). We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit; We have no control over and assume no responsibility for third-party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last updated” date above.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your privacy or our site rules, please reach out to us at: petrotalk@sciww.com