Privacy Policy

Overview

This policy explains what information is and is not collected when you visit. The short version: we run no user accounts, and we never sell data.

Information we do not collect

We do not ask you to register or log in. We do not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers or any other personal details.

Information stored in your browser

Your theme choice (light or dark) is saved in your browser local storage so the site remembers it next time.

To keep article view counts meaningful, a marker is kept in session storage so that opening the same story repeatedly within one browser session is not double-counted. Session storage is cleared automatically when you close your browser.

In addition, our analytics tools store random identifiers in cookies or local storage so that the pages viewed during one visit can be grouped into an anonymous session. These identifiers do not reveal who you are, and you can clear them at any time in your browser settings.

Aggregated statistics

We count how many times each story is opened. These are anonymous totals only: no IP addresses, device identifiers or user profiles are stored with them.

Our content delivery provider (Cloudflare) processes standard technical request data, such as IP addresses, to deliver pages and protect the site against abuse, as any web server does. This data is not used to build profiles about you.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used, for example which stories are read and where visitors come from. It is provided by Google; its data processing is described in the Google Privacy Policy.

We also use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use the site, through heatmaps and anonymized session recordings. Recordings mask input fields and are not linked to names or contact details.

Clarity is provided by Microsoft; its data processing is described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement. If you prefer not to be tracked, you can block the googletagmanager.com and clarity.ms scripts with any content-blocking browser extension or by disabling JavaScript for them.

Your rights and how long data is kept

We open no accounts and we do not ask who you are, so in most cases there is no personal record about you here to look up, correct or delete. What does exist is anonymous view totals, the technical request data our content delivery provider processes, and the analytics identifiers described above.

If you live in a jurisdiction that grants data protection rights — access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, objection and portability under the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation, or comparable rights elsewhere — you can exercise them by writing to legal@hotnews.pub, and you may complain to your supervisory authority. Handling a request costs you nothing, and we act on the requests we are able to act on.

Retention: browser storage lasts for the session or until you clear it. Analytics identifiers are kept for the retention period configured in the analytics tools, a period we do not extend. Request data processed to deliver and protect the site is kept no longer than that requires. Published stories, and the records we hold about the sources behind them, form the archive of this site and are kept indefinitely.

Children

HotNews is a general-audience news publication and is not directed at children under 13.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site evolves. The date shown on this page always reflects the current version.

Contact

Questions about privacy can be sent to legal@hotnews.pub.