Last updated: 9 September 2026

Internet Ready News ("we", "us", "our") operates a digital news platform available as a mobile application and website (together, the "Service"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the rights you have over your data. It applies to all users of the Service, whether you browse anonymously or have a registered account.

1. Who we are

Internet Ready News is the data controller responsible for your personal data. If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your data, you can contact us at info@internetreadynews.com.

2. Personal data we collect

2.1 Data you provide directly

  • Account information: When you register, we collect your email address and full name. You may also choose to set a username and upload a profile picture.
  • News story submissions: If you submit a story through our "Submit a Story" feature, you may provide a headline, description, full details, category, location, source link, contact name, contact email, and file attachments (images, videos or documents). You may choose to submit anonymously, in which case your contact details are not stored.
  • Comments: If you comment on an article, we store your display name and the text of your comment.
  • Support enquiries: If you contact us through the in-app help form, we collect your name, email address, subject, the category of your enquiry, your message, and any file attachment you choose to upload.
  • Consent preferences: When you opt in or out of news updates, marketing emails, or push notifications, we record your choices and the date they were made.

2.2 Data collected automatically

  • Usage and session data: If you are signed in, we track your active session, the pages you view, the articles you open, how long you remain active, and your device type (mobile, tablet or desktop). This is used for internal analytics visible to our editorial and admin teams.
  • Article view counts: Each time you open an article we increment a view counter and, if signed in, record that you viewed it.
  • Login history: When you log in, we record the date and time, your device type, and your approximate IP address (from the request's forwarded-for header).
  • Engagement metrics: We maintain counters on your profile such as the number of articles viewed, videos watched, comments posted, items saved, and logins.
  • Device information: We derive your device type from your browser's user-agent string. We do not collect a unique device identifier or install tracking software on your device.

2.3 Data collected when you donate

If you make a donation (one-off or monthly), we process the donation through Stripe. We store the donor name, donor email, donation amount, currency, donation type (one-off or monthly), payment status, and — for monthly subscriptions — the subscription status and billing period. You may choose to donate anonymously. Stripe handles your card or payment instrument details directly; Internet Ready News never sees or stores your full card number, CVC, or full bank account details.Stripe may collect your billing address as part of the checkout process.

3. Lawful basis for processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:

  • Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): For marketing emails, news update emails, push notifications, and anonymous story submissions. You can withdraw consent at any time.
  • Contract (Article 6(1)(b)): To provide your account, display content you request, process comments and saved items, and complete donations you initiate.
  • Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): For internal analytics, understanding how the Service is used, improving editorial decisions, and maintaining the security of accounts.
  • Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): Where we are required to retain records to comply with applicable law.

4. How we use your data

  • To create and manage your account and authenticate you.
  • To display news articles, videos and personalised content.
  • To record and display comments you post.
  • To remember articles you have saved and categories you follow.
  • To process donations and manage recurring subscriptions.
  • To review and potentially publish news stories you submit.
  • To respond to support enquiries.
  • To send news updates or marketing emails where you have opted in.
  • To produce internal analytics about readership and engagement.
  • To maintain the security and integrity of the Service.

5. Third-party services and processors

We use the following third-party services that may process your personal data on our behalf:

  • Base44 — Our hosting, database, authentication and backend-function provider. Base44 stores your account credentials, profile data, and all content you generate within the Service. Base44 acts as a processor under our instructions.
  • Stripe — Processes donation payments. Stripe receives your payment instrument details, billing address, and transaction metadata. Stripe is a separate data controller for payment data and processes it under its own privacy policy.
  • Google — Provides Google Sign-In for account registration and login (if you choose that option), and serves the web fonts (Inter and Lora) used across the Service. Google processes data under its own privacy policy.
  • YouTube — Some articles embed YouTube videos. If you play a video, YouTube may set cookies and collect viewing data subject to YouTube's own privacy policy.

We do not use third-party advertising networks, cross-app tracking SDKs, or analytics services such as Google Analytics or Firebase. Our analytics are first-party and stored within our own database.

6. Cookies and local storage

The Service does not use advertising or tracking cookies. We use the browser's local storage and session storage for the following:

  • Authentication token: Keeps you signed in between visits.
  • Theme preference: Remembers whether you prefer light or dark mode.
  • Session identifier: A randomly generated ID used to associate page views and article views with your browsing session.
  • Pop-up ad frequency: Remembers when an in-app pop-up was last shown so it is not repeated too often.
  • Article view de-duplication: Prevents the same article view from being counted twice in one session.

You can clear local storage at any time through your browser or device settings. Doing so will sign you out and reset your preferences.

7. Data retention

  • Account data: Retained for as long as your account is active. You can delete your account at any time (see section 9).
  • Comments: Retained for the lifetime of the article. If you delete your account, your comments are anonymised (the author name is replaced with "Deleted User") but the comment text remains so discussion threads stay intact.
  • Session and analytics data: Retained for administrative and editorial use. Sessions are marked inactive after 2 minutes without a heartbeat.
  • Donation records: Retained for accounting and tax purposes for the period required by applicable law.
  • News submissions: Retained while under editorial review and for a reasonable period thereafter.
  • Support requests: Retained until the enquiry is resolved and for a reasonable period thereafter.

8. Data sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the third-party processors listed in section 5, and where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property or safety of Internet Ready News, our readers, or others.

9. Your rights and account deletion

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

  • Be informed about how your data is used (this policy).
  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erase your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
  • Restrict or object to certain processing.
  • Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting processing already carried out).
  • Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

You can exercise these rights directly within the app: use "Request data export" or "Request data deletion" in Account Settings, or use the self-service "Delete Account" feature on your Profile page. You can also email us at info@internetreadynews.com.

When you delete your account, we anonymise your profile, mark it as deleted, remove your saved items, and anonymise your comments. Some records (such as donation history and category follows) may remain for accounting or technical reasons but are disassociated from your identity.

10. Children's privacy

The Service is a general-audience news platform and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

11. International data transfers

Your data is processed by Base44 and Stripe, which may store or process data outside the UK. Where this occurs, appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK's adequacy regulations) are in place to ensure your data is protected to UK standards.

12. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including encrypted transmission (HTTPS), authentication tokens, and role-based access controls so that only authorised administrators can access user data. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, through a notification within the app.

14. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at info@internetreadynews.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.