Transparency & Trust
Privacy Policy
How Online Safety News collects, processes, and protects information when you visit our publication.
Online Safety News operates on a strict data minimization model. We do not sell personal information, we do not run behavioral advertising networks, and we do not track you across other websites.
1. Who We Are & Our Commitment
Online Safety News ("we," "our," or "us") is an independent digital journalism organization dedicated to reporting on online safety, digital harm, youth protection, platform accountability, and technology regulation.
Because we cover privacy, safety, and surveillance critically, we hold our own technology stack to the highest privacy standards. We collect only what is strictly necessary to deliver fast, secure journalism and maintain public trust.
2. Data Collection Inventory
The table below outlines every category of data we collect, its source, purpose, and legal basis:
| Data Category | Specific Elements | Purpose & Mechanism | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical & Telemetry | Anonymized page views, country/region, device category, referrer. | Vercel Web Analytics (cookieless, aggregate). Used to measure readership trends without user profiles. | Aggregate rolling 12 months. |
| Newsletter Subscriptions | Email address, timestamp of opt-in, confirmation status. | Delivered via Buttondown with confirmed double opt-in. Used only to send editorial briefings. | Until unsubscribed (immediate suppression). |
| Local Preferences | Theme choice (auto/light/sepia/dark; auto mode adapts locally via device clock), reader text size. | HTML5 localStorage on your device only. Never transmitted to our servers. | Until cleared by visitor in browser. |
| Direct Correspondence | Email address, sender name, message contents. | Direct email sent to newsroom for inquiries, story tips, or correction requests. | Retained as necessary for journalistic integrity & legal compliance. |
Anonymized page views, country/region, device category, referrer.
Vercel Web Analytics (cookieless, aggregate). Used to measure readership trends without user profiles.
Email address, timestamp of opt-in, confirmation status.
Delivered via Buttondown with confirmed double opt-in. Used only to send editorial briefings.
Theme choice (auto/light/sepia/dark; auto mode adapts locally via device clock), reader text size.
HTML5 localStorage on your device only. Never transmitted to our servers.
Email address, sender name, message contents.
Direct email sent to newsroom for inquiries, story tips, or correction requests.
3. Third-Party Sub-Processors
We engage a minimal set of trusted third-party infrastructure providers to host and deliver our publication:
- Vercel Inc. (USA / Global CDN): Provides application hosting, edge routing, cookieless analytics, and performance measurement.
- Sanity AS (Norway / EU): Stores editorial CMS records (articles, author bylines, knowledge taxonomy, public legislation data).
- Buttondown LLC (USA): Manages email newsletter subscriptions with double opt-in and automated single-click unsubscribe links.
4. California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), California residents have specific rights regarding personal information:
- Right to Know & Access: You may request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected.
- Right to Deletion: You may request the deletion of personal information we maintain, subject to journalistic and legal exemptions.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale / Sharing: We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
- Global Privacy Control (GPC): Our website detects and automatically honors the GPC signal transmitted by your browser. If GPC is detected, all non-essential telemetry is disabled.
5. UK & European Privacy Rights (GDPR / PECR)
For visitors in the UK and European Economic Area (EEA), we use explicit consent before loading optional Vercel Web Analytics or Speed Insights. If regional detection is unavailable, we use the same opt-in default. Essential delivery and security processing remain separate from optional telemetry.
You have the right to access, rectify, port, or erase personal data we hold, or object to specific processing. You can manage or withdraw cookie and storage consent at any time via the Cookie Settings link in our footer.
6. Children's Online Privacy (COPPA Statement)
While Online Safety News reports extensively on youth online safety and child protection policies, our publication is intended for a general audience of adults, educators, researchers, parents, and policymakers.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that a child under 13 has provided personal information to us (e.g., via email), please contact us at privacy@onlinesafetynews.com and we will delete such data promptly.
7. Contact Us & Privacy Requests
To exercise your privacy rights, request data deletion, or ask questions regarding our privacy practices, contact our Data Protection lead:
Email: privacy@onlinesafetynews.com
Response Time: We acknowledge and respond to verified privacy requests within 30 days without charge.
Mailing Address: Online Safety News, Editorial Trust Desk, 100 Pine Street, Suite 1250, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA