Privacy Policy

Effective date: 15 July 2026

GroundLens ("GroundLens," "we," "us," or "our") is an independent journalism nonprofit. This policy explains what personal information we collect through groundlens.org, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using this site, you agree to the practices described here.

Information We Collect

We collect information you choose to give us directly:

• Contact form: your name, email address, subject, and message, so we can respond to enquiries, tips, and story ideas.
• Newsletter subscription: your email address, so we can send you new stories and updates. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• Donations: your name and email address, and the donation amount. Payment card and bank details are collected and processed directly by our payment processors, Stripe and PayPal — GroundLens never receives or stores your full card number.

We also automatically receive limited technical information common to all websites, such as browser type, device type, and general location inferred from IP address, collected by our hosting provider, Cloudflare, for security and performance purposes.

How We Use Your Information

• To respond to messages sent through our contact form
• To deliver the newsletter to subscribers and let them unsubscribe
• To process and acknowledge donations, and issue tax-deduction records where applicable
• To maintain the security, integrity, and performance of our website
• To understand, in aggregate, how our reporting is read, so we can improve it

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Third-Party Service Providers

We rely on a small number of trusted providers to operate the site, each of which processes limited personal data on our behalf under their own privacy policies:

• Cloudflare — website hosting, security, and email routing
• Stripe and PayPal — secure payment processing for donations

Cookies

GroundLens does not use advertising or tracking cookies. Our hosting provider may set minimal, strictly necessary cookies required for basic site security and functionality. If we add analytics or advertising tools in the future, we will update this policy accordingly.

Data Retention

We retain contact form messages and donor records for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to your enquiry, maintain accurate financial and tax records, and comply with legal obligations. Newsletter subscriber emails are kept until you unsubscribe.

Your Rights and Choices

You may ask us to access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you, or unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time. To make a request, email us at [email protected].

Children's Privacy

GroundLens is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 13.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices. The "Effective date" above indicates when it was last revised. Continued use of the site after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

Questions about this policy or your personal information can be sent to [email protected] or through our Contact page.