Privacy Policy
Scope of this policy
This policy explains what IAQABA collects when you read iaqaba.com, why it is collected, who else sees it, and what you can do about it. It covers the website and any email we send in reply to you. It does not cover the sites we link to, which have their own policies. We publish for readers in many countries, so this policy is written in plain terms to work wherever you are, and it does not claim that the site is based in any one of the jurisdictions mentioned below.
What we collect when you read
Serving a web page produces the same server records every site produces: your IP address, the page requested, the time, the page that referred you, and the browser and device type your software reports. These records exist so the site can be served, defended against abuse and repaired when something breaks. They are kept for a short, fixed period and then deleted. They are not joined to any name or account.
We use an analytics tool to count visits and to see which stories are read, for how long and on what kind of device. It is configured to truncate IP addresses and not to build profiles of individual readers. What we see is aggregate: so many readers, so many on phones, so many from each broad region. Those numbers help us decide what to cover and how the site should perform.
What we collect when you write to us
When you email support@iaqaba.com we receive whatever you choose to send: your address, your name if you sign it, and the content of the message. Mail is kept for as long as it is useful for the purpose you sent it. A correction request stays with the correction record. A tip is kept until the story is published or dropped. Confidential messages are handled under the stricter rules on the contact page and are not stored in shared systems.
Cookies and similar technologies
We set a small number of cookies ourselves to remember preferences and to keep the visit count honest. The advertising network that fills our banner units may set cookies of its own and may use them to select advertisements based on your browsing on other sites. The cookie policy lists each category, explains what it does and describes how to refuse it. Where the law where you live requires consent for non-essential cookies, they are not set until you give it.
Advertising and the partner involved
IAQABA is funded by display advertising served through the Adsterra network. When a banner loads, that network receives technical information about the request: the page address, device type, approximate location derived from your IP address and a cookie identifier, so it can decide which unit to show and record that it was shown. It may combine that information with what it sees on other sites it serves. We do not send it your name, your email address or the content of anything you write to us.
The network’s own privacy policy governs what it does with the data it collects, and it offers its own opt-out tools. We choose it as a partner, we set what formats it may serve, and we can remove it. We cannot see or edit the profiles it holds.
Embedded content and links
Some stories embed material hosted elsewhere, such as a video player, a social media post or a map. Loading an embed sends a request to the host of that material, which can then set cookies and collect data as if you had visited its site directly. We use embeds only where they add something a still image and a description could not, and we describe them in the text so you can decide whether to load them.
Why we process data and on what basis
Server logs and security measures are processed because we have a legitimate interest in keeping the site running and safe. Analytics is processed on the same basis, using data that has been reduced so it cannot identify you. Advertising cookies are set only with your consent where consent is required. Correspondence is processed because you have asked us to do something, and where a story is involved, because journalism serves a public interest that data protection law recognises.
Your rights under GDPR and UK GDPR
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the General Data Protection Regulation or its UK equivalent gives you the right to ask what personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected, to have it deleted where we no longer need it, to restrict or object to how it is used, and to receive a copy in a portable format. You may withdraw consent for advertising cookies at any time through your browser or the consent controls on the site.
These rights have limits where journalism is concerned. We will not delete a published story or the records behind it because a person named in it asks; the corrections policy explains how accuracy complaints are handled instead. You also have the right to complain to the supervisory authority in your country.
Your rights under CCPA and CPRA
If you live in California, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act gives you the right to know what personal information is collected about you and how it is used, to request its deletion, to correct it, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. We do not sell personal information for money. The advertising network’s use of cookies may count as sharing under that law, and you can opt out through the cookie controls on the site or through your browser’s global privacy control signal, which we honour.
You will not be treated differently for exercising any of these rights. Similar rights exist under the privacy laws of several other US states, and we apply the same approach to residents of those states.
Readers everywhere else
Many countries have their own data protection laws, and we do not list them all. Whatever the law where you live, you can write to support@iaqaba.com with PRIVACY in the subject line and ask what we hold, ask for it to be corrected or deleted, or ask a question. We apply the same practical standard to every reader: we answer, we act where we can, and we explain where we cannot.
Children
The site is written for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under sixteen. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, tell us and we will delete it.
Retention, security and transfers
Server logs are held for a short, fixed period. Analytics is held in aggregate form only. Correspondence is kept for as long as the matter it concerns is live, and correction records are kept permanently as part of the site’s public accountability. Data is stored with hosting providers who maintain their own security programmes, and it may be stored or processed in countries other than the one you live in.
Changes and how to reach us
This policy will change when our practices change or the law does. The date at the top of the page shows the current version, and material changes are noted in a short line beneath it. Questions and requests go to support@iaqaba.com with PRIVACY in the subject line. Governing law and any registered details are confirmed in writing on request.
