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Privacy policy

Effective Date: 16 February 2026

What We Collect (Mostly: Nothing)

NewsDefused doesn't collect your personal information. No registration. No email capture. No contact forms asking for your details. You read, you leave, we never knew you were here.

Specifically, We Don't Collect:

  • Names
  • Email addresses (unless you're a paid supporter)
  • Phone numbers
  • Physical addresses
  • Payment information (unless you're a paid supporter, processed by Stripe)
  • Account credentials (except for paid supporters)

Browse freely. Read what you want. No personal data required.

Exception: If you choose to sign up as a paid supporter (a monthly micro-payment for the same content, just supporting the work), Ghost (our publishing platform) collects the email and payment information necessary to process that subscription. We'll explain that separately below.

What Google Collects (Through Advertising)

We run Google AdSense to keep the lights on. That means Google collects certain information to show you ads—not from us, but through their own systems embedded in our pages.

What Google May Collect:

  • Your browser type and settings
  • Your approximate location (city/region level)
  • Pages you visit on our site
  • Your browsing history across other sites (if you're logged into Google services)
  • Device information and IP address

What This Enables:

  • Ads somewhat related to your interests rather than completely random
  • Google's ability to measure whether ads work
  • Our ability to generate revenue without charging you

Important: Google doesn't share your personally identifiable information with us. They serve ads, collect data about ad performance, and pay us. We never see who you are.

Learn More: Google's complete explanation of how they use data: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services

Cookies and Tracking

We don't set cookies. Google does.

What Are Cookies? Small text files stored in your browser that remember information between visits. Think of them as website Post-it notes that stick to your browser instead of your monitor.

How Google Uses Them:

  • Recognizing you've visited before (not you specifically—your browser)
  • Showing ads based on your browsing patterns
  • Measuring ad performance
  • Preventing ad fraud

Your Control: You control cookie settings. Actually control them—not the fake control where clicking "Reject All" still accepts some.

Manage Google Ad Cookies:

Browser-Level Control: Most browsers let you block all cookies or delete existing ones. This breaks some websites but gives you maximum privacy. Your choice.

Our articles link to sources, companies, and other websites. Clicking those links takes you somewhere we don't control.

What This Means:

  • We're not responsible for their content
  • We're not responsible for their privacy practices
  • We're not responsible for their security
  • We're not endorsing them (even if the article is positive)

If you're concerned about privacy, check their policies before sharing information on external sites. We can't protect you there.

Analytics and Performance

We use basic analytics to understand what people read and how the site performs. This helps us know what's working and what isn't.

What We Track:

  • Page views and visitor counts (aggregated, not individual)
  • Traffic sources (how you found us)
  • Device types and browser versions (for technical optimization)
  • Which articles get read

What We Don't Track:

  • Individual user journeys across sessions
  • Personal reading habits tied to identities
  • Detailed behavioral profiles

This is standard website analytics. If you block analytics scripts, the site still works fine.

Data Security

We don't collect your personal data, which means we can't lose it in a breach, sell it to third parties, or accidentally expose it.

What We Do:

  • Use standard HTTPS encryption for the website
  • Work with reputable hosting providers
  • Keep software and systems updated
  • Follow basic security hygiene

What We Don't Do:

  • Store user databases (don't exist)
  • Handle payment information (don't accept payments)
  • Maintain user accounts (no login system)

The less data we have, the less can go wrong. This is intentional.

Children's Privacy

We don't knowingly collect information from anyone, including children under 13. If we don't collect data from adults, we're certainly not collecting it from children.

That said, internet content isn't age-gated by default. Parents and guardians should supervise children's internet use according to their own judgment.

International Visitors

NewsDefused is operated from Europe. If you're visiting from outside Europe, you should know:

Your Data and Google: Google operates globally and may transfer data across borders according to their own policies. We don't control this because we don't handle the data—they do.

Your Rights: Privacy laws vary by jurisdiction. EU visitors have GDPR rights. California residents have CCPA rights. Since we don't collect personal data, most rights about access, deletion, and correction are moot—there's nothing to access, delete, or correct.

If You Have Concerns: Use browser privacy controls, VPNs, and ad blockers according to your comfort level and local laws.

Changes to This Policy

We'll update this Privacy Policy if our practices change or if laws require it.

When We Update:

  • We'll post the new version on this page
  • We'll update the effective date at the top
  • We'll make changes reasonably obvious (not buried in legal language)

We Won't:

  • Email you about changes (we don't have your email)
  • Notify you through pop-ups (annoying)
  • Change fundamental principles without clear explanation

Checking for Changes: Occasional review of this page is sufficient. If we suddenly start collecting personal data (we won't), it will be obvious and clearly stated.

Your Choices

You have options for protecting your privacy:

Browser-Level:

  • Enable "Do Not Track" (though many sites ignore it)
  • Use private/incognito mode
  • Block third-party cookies
  • Install privacy-focused browser extensions

Network-Level:

  • Use a VPN for IP address masking
  • Use privacy-focused DNS services
  • Configure firewall rules (if you're technical)

Ad-Level:

  • Opt out of personalized ads through Google settings
  • Use ad blockers (though this removes our revenue)
  • Disable cookies entirely (may break some functionality)

The Trade-Off: Maximum privacy means more generic ads (or no ads if you block them). That's fine. We'd rather you read with ad blockers than not read at all. Our business model problem, not yours.

What We Actually Care About

Transparency: We tell you what's happening rather than hiding behind legal language.

Minimal Collection: We run a news site, not a data harvesting operation. Less is more.

Your Control: You decide your privacy level through browser and account settings, not through our permission.

No Dark Patterns: No pre-checked boxes, buried opt-outs, or deliberately confusing interfaces.

Questions or Concerns

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy:

Email: privacy@newsdefused.com

Response Time: We'll respond to legitimate privacy inquiries within one week.

What We Can Help With:

  • Clarification of our practices
  • Questions about Google's data use (though they answer those better)
  • Concerns about the site's privacy approach

What We Can't Help With:

  • Questions about data we don't collect
  • Third-party website privacy practices
  • Legal advice about privacy laws
  • Technical support for browser privacy settings

This Privacy Policy complies with applicable data protection laws, including GDPR and CCPA, primarily by not collecting the personal data those laws are designed to protect.

Our Position: We're compliant largely by not doing things rather than by doing them correctly. This is intentional architecture, not convenient accident.

Summary: We don't collect your personal information. Google collects some information for advertising. You control your privacy through browser and account settings. Questions? Email privacy@newsdefused.com.

This Privacy Policy is part of NewsDefused's operational framework. See also: Contact, Terms of Service, Editorial Standards