Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Halftone News collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information. We are committed to transparency and operate in compliance with applicable privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the CAN-SPAM Act.
1. Information We Collect
Account Information
- ◆Email address
- ◆Username
- ◆Password (stored in encrypted, hashed form — never in plaintext)
- ◆Optional: profile avatar
Submission Data
When you submit an article link, we log the submitted URL, your account ID, submission timestamp, and moderation outcome.
Communication Preferences
We store your email alert preferences: selected categories, frequency (instant, daily, weekly, monthly, or none), and newsletter subscription status.
Subscription & Billing
If you subscribe to our ad-free plan, billing is handled entirely by our third-party payment processor. We receive and store only a customer reference ID — we never access or store your full credit card details.
Usage & Analytics
We collect anonymized usage data to understand how readers engage with our content. This includes page views, session duration, scroll depth, and click events. Analytics are privacy-by-default and are only enabled after you grant explicit consent through our cookie consent banner.
Automatically Collected Data
When you visit Halftone News, our servers automatically log your IP address, browser type and version, device type, referring URL, and pages visited with timestamps. This data is used for security monitoring and performance analysis only.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- ◆Authenticate your account and maintain your session.
- ◆Send category-based email alerts and newsletters according to your preferences.
- ◆Credit your username on articles you have contributed.
- ◆Process and manage your subscription.
- ◆Detect and prevent abuse, spam, and policy violations.
- ◆Improve the platform through aggregated, anonymized analytics.
- ◆Comply with applicable legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your data for automated profiling or targeted advertising beyond standard on-site ad delivery.
4. Advertising
Free users see advertising provided by third-party ad networks. These networks may use cookies and device identifiers to deliver and measure ads. We require all advertising partners to comply with applicable privacy regulations.
Subscribers (paid plan) see no advertising. The subscriber gate applies to all ad units site-wide.
5. Email Communications
All marketing and alert emails from Halftone News:
- ◆Include a one-click unsubscribe link.
- ◆Include our physical mailing address in the footer.
- ◆Are sent only to users who have explicitly subscribed or opted in.
- ◆Use a double opt-in process for newsletter-only subscribers (no account required).
You can update your category preferences or email frequency at any time in your account settings, or click Manage Preferences in any email we send you.
6. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account data | Until account deletion requested |
| Article submission logs | 24 months |
| Email logs | 12 months |
| Analytics events | 12 months (anonymized after 30 days) |
| Payment records | As required by financial regulations |
You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data at any time. See Section 8 for your rights.
8. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
California residents have additional rights under the CCPA, including the right to know what categories of data we collect and the right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights.
EU/EEA residents may lodge a complaint with their local data protection authority if they believe their rights under the GDPR have been violated.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@halftone.news.
9. Children's Privacy
Halftone News is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that a child under 13 has created an account, we will delete it promptly.
10. Security
We implement industry-standard security measures, including:
- ◆Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) across the entire site.
- ◆Hashed, salted password storage — plaintext passwords are never stored.
- ◆Role-based access controls on all database operations.
- ◆Regular security monitoring of our platform and pipeline logs.
No system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the platform evolves. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users at least 14 days before they take effect. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the most recent version.
12. Contact
Also see
Review our full Terms of Service for platform usage rules.