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Privacy Policy

Effective

500xengineer.com is run by Elon Zito under the name 500x Engineer ("we", "us"). This policy covers this website and the 500x Engineer YouTube comment-reply tool. Questions or requests go to simsketch@gmail.com.

The short version

  • This site has no accounts and no login. The contact form opens an email in your own mail app; the site itself receives and stores nothing from it.
  • It runs no analytics script and sets no cookies of its own.
  • A few features are provided by other companies (Substack, YouTube, Meta, Skool, Vercel). They handle your data under their own policies, linked below.
  • We never sell your data.

What this site collects

Server logs. The site is hosted on Vercel. Like any web host, Vercel processes standard request data (IP address, browser and device details, the page requested, the referring page and the time) to deliver the site and protect it from abuse. See Vercel's privacy policy.

Email you send us. If you email us, directly or through the contact form at /contact, we keep the message and your address so we can reply. The form only fills in an email in your own mail app; nothing you type is sent to or stored by this website.

That's all this site collects on its own.

Third-party services on this site

Substack (newsletter signup). The daily email signup on the homepage and blog is Substack's own embedded form. The email address you type goes straight to Substack, which runs the newsletter. Loading the form also lets Substack receive standard request data and set its own cookies. See Substack's privacy policy. You can unsubscribe from any email.

YouTube (video embeds). Blog posts embed YouTube Shorts using YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com). When you play a video, YouTube may collect data and set cookies under the Google Privacy Policy.

Meta Pixel (on the /skool link only). "Join" links pass through a short page at 500xengineer.com/skool before forwarding you to Skool. That page loads the Meta Pixel and records one page-view event, including the link's campaign tags (for example, which page or button you clicked), so we can measure which channels bring people to the community. Meta may receive your IP address, browser details and the page address, and may set its own cookie. See Meta's privacy policy. You can manage ad preferences in your Meta account settings or block the pixel with a content blocker. No other page on this site loads it.

Skool (the community). The 500x Engineer community, memberships and payments run on Skool. When you join, your profile, posts and payment details are handled by Skool under its terms and privacy policy. As community admins, we can see what Skool shows admins, such as your member profile and activity in the group.

Links to other sites. The site links to our social profiles, Elon's other products and other websites. Those sites have their own policies.

The YouTube comment-reply tool

Some 500x Engineer videos say "comment a keyword and I'll send you the link." A small tool called 500x Comments posts those replies.

  • It uses YouTube API Services. The tool runs on our own computer, signed in only as the 500x Engineer YouTube channel. Viewers never sign in to it or grant it any access.
  • What it does. It reads public comments on the 500x Engineer channel's own videos, looks for the requested keyword, and posts one public reply from the channel with the promised link.
  • What it stores. Locally on our computer only: the IDs of the comment threads it has replied to, the public YouTube channel ID of each commenter it replied to (so nobody gets the same reply twice), reply counts and timestamps. Its local log records each reply with the commenter's public display name and the reply text.
  • What it never does. It never builds profiles, never sells or shares this data, and never uses it for advertising.
  • Google's terms. By using YouTube, you are bound by the YouTube Terms of Service. Google's handling of your data is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.
  • Revoking access. Anyone who has granted an app access to a Google account can remove that access at any time in Google's security settings. Viewers who comment never grant this tool access, so there is nothing for them to revoke. To have your comment records removed from the tool, email us.

Keeping and deleting data

We keep emails for as long as the conversation is useful, and comment-reply records only to avoid duplicate replies. To have anything we hold about you deleted, email simsketch@gmail.com and we'll delete it. For data held by Substack, YouTube, Meta, Skool or Vercel, use their tools or contact them directly; we'll help where we can.

Children

This site and the community are meant for adults and are not directed at children under 13. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you think a child has sent us information, email us and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we'll update this page and the effective date at the top. If a change matters, we'll also mention it in the community.

Contact

Elon Zito, 500x Engineer: simsketch@gmail.com