Privacy Policy

Welcome to HumanCrisisNews (“we,” “our,” or “us”). HumanCrisisNews is a fully independent digital humanitarian news platform accessible at humancrisisnews.com. Founded in early 2026, this platform was established with the purpose of delivering fact-based, thoroughly verified reporting on international humanitarian crises to English-speaking readers across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

This Privacy Policy is a formal, legally structured document that describes in specific and transparent terms the types of information we collect from visitors to our website, the purposes for which that information is used, the conditions under which it may be shared with third parties, and the rights available to you under applicable data protection legislation. Reading this policy carefully before using our website is strongly encouraged. By accessing and using humancrisisnews.com, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the terms set out in this Privacy Policy. If any part of this policy is unacceptable to you, please discontinue use of the website.

This Privacy Policy governs all interactions with humancrisisnews.com, including visits to any page on the platform, use of any contact or newsletter functionality, and any correspondence directed to us by email. It applies equally to all users regardless of geographic location, though we note that certain sections address rights specific to users in the European Union, United Kingdom, California (USA), and other jurisdictions with dedicated data protection frameworks.

HumanCrisisNews collects two distinct categories of information: information you provide to us directly through deliberate action, and information that is gathered automatically as a standard function of website operation. Both categories are described in full below. We collect only what is reasonably necessary to operate the platform, serve our readers, and comply with our legal obligations.

• Contact Enquiries: When you reach out to us using our contact form or by direct email, we collect the name, email address, and message content you provide. This information is retained solely for the purpose of responding to your enquiry and is not used for any other purpose without your explicit consent.
• Newsletter Subscription: Readers who voluntarily subscribe to our email newsletter provide their email address. Subscription is entirely opt-in, and you may withdraw your subscription at any time without consequence. We do not use subscriber email addresses for any purpose other than delivering newsletter communications you have requested.
• Direct Email Correspondence: Any emails you send to our editorial address are received and stored for the purpose of addressing your communication. The email address from which you write and the content of your message are retained in accordance with our data retention schedule described in Section 11.
• Editorial Contributions: Individuals submitting news tips, corrections, or guest article proposals provide contact details and submission content. This information is used exclusively to evaluate and respond to the submission concerned.

• Server Log Files: Our web server automatically records certain technical information each time a page is requested. This includes the requesting device’s IP address, browser type and version, operating system, the page visited, the page from which the visitor arrived (referrer URL), the date and time of the request, and the volume of data transferred. This information is used for security monitoring, technical troubleshooting, and aggregate traffic analysis.
• Cookies: HumanCrisisNews uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to support essential website functions, analyze visitor behavior in aggregate, and enable the delivery of advertising through Google AdSense. Full details of the cookies we use, their purposes, and your options for controlling them are provided in Section 06 of this policy.
• Website Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized, aggregated information about how visitors interact with our website. This data includes pages viewed, time spent on each page, the geographic region of the visitor (country and city level only), the device category and browser used, and the source through which the visitor arrived. This information cannot be used to personally identify you and is used only to improve the quality and structure of our content.
• Advertising Interaction Data: Google AdSense, our advertising partner, may collect data relating to your browsing behavior — both on our website and on other websites you have visited — for the purpose of displaying advertisements relevant to your demonstrated interests. This data is processed by Google in accordance with Google’s own privacy policy and advertising data practices.
• Device and Session Information: Information about the device you use to access our website — including screen resolution, device category (desktop, mobile, tablet), and session duration — may be collected automatically as part of standard analytics and advertising operations.

HumanCrisisNews processes the information it collects strictly for the purposes listed below. We do not use personal data for purposes beyond those described in this policy without first obtaining your explicit consent. Every use of collected information is governed by the principle of data minimization — we use only what is necessary, for only as long as it is needed.

• To respond directly and promptly to enquiries submitted through our contact form or email correspondence, and to maintain a record of those communications for follow-up purposes within the retention period specified in Section 11
• To deliver email newsletter communications to readers who have actively subscribed and provided explicit consent to receive them, and to process unsubscription requests without delay
• To analyze anonymized, aggregated website traffic data through Google Analytics in order to understand how our content is used, which topics generate reader interest, and how the platform’s structure and navigation can be improved
• To display advertising on our website through Google AdSense, which may use your browsing data to serve advertisements relevant to your interests as a means of supporting the operational costs of the platform
• To identify, investigate, and address security threats, spam submissions, unauthorized access attempts, and other potential risks to the integrity of our website and the safety of our readers’ data
• To fulfill any legal or regulatory obligations applicable to us under the laws of relevant jurisdictions, including requirements to retain records, respond to official requests, or report certain categories of data incidents
• To evaluate and respond to advertising partnership enquiries and to administer any direct advertising arrangements with qualified commercial partners

HumanCrisisNews displays third-party advertisements on its pages through Google AdSense, a digital advertising service operated by Google LLC. Advertising revenue generated through Google AdSense contributes to the operational costs of maintaining HumanCrisisNews as a free-to-access, independent news platform. The presence of advertising has no influence on our editorial decisions, story selection, or factual reporting.

Google AdSense operates by placing cookies and web beacons on your device that allow Google to recognize your browser across different websites and to build an interest profile based on your browsing history. This profile is then used to select and display advertisements that Google’s systems determine to be relevant to your interests. Google manages this process entirely — HumanCrisisNews does not have access to, or control over, the specific interest data Google collects about individual users for advertising purposes.

• Google AdSense places cookies on your device to recognize your browser when you visit different websites within Google’s advertising network, allowing it to build a profile of your browsing interests over time
• Based on that interest profile, Google selects and delivers advertisements on our pages that it considers relevant to you — this is known as interest-based or personalized advertising
• Google may collect your device’s IP address, browser type, device category, and identifiers associated with your Google account if you are signed in, as part of its advertising data processing
• Google uses DoubleClick cookies and related advertising identifiers to measure the performance of advertisements served through its network, including whether you clicked on an advertisement displayed on our website

You have the right to opt out of interest-based, personalized advertising served through Google AdSense. You can manage your advertising preferences and opt out of personalized ads by visiting Google’s Ads Settings page. You may also opt out of third-party advertising networks more broadly through the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out platform. Opting out of personalized advertising does not prevent advertisements from appearing on our website — it means that the advertisements you see will not be selected based on your personal browsing history.

Google Analytics is a web analytics service operated by Google LLC that we use to understand, in aggregate and anonymized terms, how visitors interact with our website. The data collected through Google Analytics helps us identify which content areas are most valuable to readers, how visitors navigate between pages, and where improvements to the website’s structure and usability would be most beneficial. No personally identifiable information is collected through Google Analytics in connection with our use of the service.

Google Analytics achieves this by placing analytics cookies on your device that record information about your session on our website. That data is transmitted to Google’s servers, where it is processed and made available to us in the form of aggregated, anonymized reports. We review these reports regularly to guide editorial and structural decisions about the platform. Google Analytics data is stored on Google’s infrastructure under Google’s data retention and security standards.

• The pages visited during a session on our website and the sequence in which they were viewed, along with the time spent on each individual page
• The geographic location of the visitor at country and city level — no more granular location data is collected
• The device category (desktop, mobile, or tablet), browser type and version, and operating system of the device used to access our website
• The source through which the visitor arrived at our website — including search engines, direct entry, social media referrals, or links from other websites
• Whether the visiting session represents a new visitor or a returning visitor, measured at the browser level using a persistent cookie

If you prefer not to have your website activity included in our Google Analytics data, you may install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, which is available free of charge from Google. Once installed, this add-on prevents Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits to any website that uses the service.

HumanCrisisNews uses cookies as part of its standard website operation. Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device when you visit it. They are widely used across the internet to enable websites to function correctly, to remember user preferences, to analyze traffic patterns, and — in the case of advertising cookies — to deliver more relevant commercial messages. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this section. You may withdraw this consent at any time by adjusting your browser settings, as explained below.

All major web browsers provide settings that allow you to view, restrict, delete, or block cookies placed on your device. The specific options available differ between browsers, but the following guidance applies to the most widely used browsers. Please be aware that restricting certain categories of cookies — particularly essential cookies — may prevent parts of our website from functioning as intended.

• Google Chrome: Open Settings, navigate to Privacy and Security, then select Cookies and Other Site Data to view and manage cookie preferences including the option to block third-party cookies
• Mozilla Firefox: Open Options, navigate to Privacy and Security, and locate the Cookies and Site Data section where you can choose your preferred cookie handling settings
• Apple Safari: Open Preferences, navigate to the Privacy tab, and select Manage Website Data to review and remove cookies stored on your device by individual websites
• Microsoft Edge: Open Settings, navigate to Cookies and Site Permissions, and configure cookie preferences including blocking specific types of cookies from third-party sources

HumanCrisisNews articles and pages regularly contain hyperlinks to external websites operated by third parties, including primary source organizations such as the United Nations, UNICEF, WHO, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reuters, and the Associated Press. These links are provided to enable readers to access original documentation supporting our reporting. Each of these external websites is governed by its own independent privacy policy, and HumanCrisisNews has no control over, and accepts no responsibility for, the data practices of any external website to which we link.

In addition to external hyperlinks, our website integrates the following third-party technical services in order to operate effectively and generate the revenue needed to sustain independent publishing:

• Google AdSense — Programmatic advertising delivery platform operated by Google LLC, headquartered in the United States. AdSense may set cookies and collect browsing data for the purpose of serving targeted advertisements on our pages.
• Google Analytics — Web analytics service operated by Google LLC. Analytics collects anonymized, aggregated data about visitor behavior on our website to support editorial and structural decision-making.
• Google Fonts — A typography delivery service operated by Google LLC that loads typefaces used in our website design. Loading Google Fonts may result in your IP address being transmitted to Google’s servers.
• Font Awesome — An icon delivery service operated by Fonticons Inc. used to render interface icons throughout our website. Like Google Fonts, loading these resources may involve transmission of your IP address to the service provider’s servers.
• WordPress — The content management system platform on which our website is built and operated. WordPress itself does not collect visitor data unless specific plugins enabling data collection are installed and activated.

If you are located in the United Kingdom or a member state of the European Union, you are protected by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and, in the UK specifically, by the UK GDPR as retained in domestic law. These regulations give you a comprehensive set of enforceable rights in relation to your personal data. HumanCrisisNews is committed to honoring these rights fully and without unnecessary delay. All requests to exercise your data rights should be submitted to info@humancrisisnews.com.

To exercise any of the rights described above, submit your request in writing to info@humancrisisnews.com with “GDPR Rights Request” in the subject line and a clear description of the right you wish to exercise and the data it concerns. We will acknowledge your request within 72 hours and fulfill it within 30 days. If we are unable to fulfill your request within that period, we will notify you of the reason for the delay and provide an updated timeline.

If you are a resident of the state of California in the United States, you are afforded additional privacy protections under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These rights apply to personal information collected about you in the course of your use of humancrisisnews.com and are enforceable by California residents regardless of where our platform is operated from.

• Right to Know: You have the right to request disclosure of the specific categories and pieces of personal information we have collected about you over the preceding 12 months, the purposes for which it was collected, the categories of third parties with whom it was shared, and whether it was sold or disclosed for a business purpose.
• Right to Delete: Subject to certain exceptions required by law, you have the right to request that HumanCrisisNews delete personal information we have collected from you and, where applicable, direct our service providers to delete that information as well.
• Right to Opt Out of Sale: You have the right to direct a business that sells personal information to third parties to stop doing so. HumanCrisisNews does not sell personal information to any third party. If this practice were ever to change in the future, we would update this policy in advance and provide a clear, prominently placed opt-out mechanism before any such sale occurred.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: HumanCrisisNews will not discriminate against you in any way for exercising any of your CCPA rights — including by denying you access to our content, charging you different prices, providing a lower quality of service, or suggesting that you will receive any penalty for exercising your rights under California law.

To submit a CCPA rights request, email info@humancrisisnews.com with “CCPA Rights Request” clearly stated in the subject line, along with your full name and a description of the specific right you wish to exercise. We will respond within 45 days of receiving a verifiable consumer request, as required by law.

HumanCrisisNews is a news and analysis platform intended for a general adult audience. Our content addresses complex international humanitarian situations including armed conflict, displacement, food insecurity, and human rights violations. This content is not appropriate for, and is not directed at, children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly solicit, collect, process, or retain personal information from any individual under the age of 13 under any circumstances.

In full compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) as enforced by the Federal Trade Commission of the United States, HumanCrisisNews does not knowingly permit children under 13 to submit personal information through our contact form, newsletter subscription, or any other mechanism on our website. If we have reasonable grounds to believe that a submission of personal information was made by a child under 13, that information will be deleted from our records promptly and without retention.

HumanCrisisNews applies a strict data minimization and retention approach: personal data is retained only for the period necessary to fulfill the specific purpose for which it was collected, or for the minimum period required by applicable law. Once the applicable retention period has elapsed, personal data is securely deleted or anonymized so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable individual. The following retention periods apply to the specific categories of data we collect:

• Contact Form and Direct Email Data: Messages and associated contact details received through our contact form or editorial email address are retained for a maximum of 12 months from the date of the original submission. After this period, the data is securely deleted unless an ongoing professional relationship or legal requirement necessitates extended retention.
• Newsletter Subscriber Email Addresses: Email addresses collected for newsletter delivery purposes are retained on our active subscriber list until you unsubscribe. Upon receipt of an unsubscription request — whether submitted through the unsubscribe link in a newsletter or by direct email — the address will be removed from our active mailing list within 7 days and deleted from our records within 30 days.
• Email Correspondence Records: Records of email correspondence with readers, researchers, partners, and other professional contacts are retained for a period of up to 24 months to facilitate follow-up communications and maintain a record of professional interactions. After this period, correspondence is deleted unless it relates to a matter with ongoing legal relevance.
• Google Analytics Data: Anonymized website usage data processed by Google Analytics is subject to Google’s standard data retention settings, which we have configured to a maximum retention period of 26 months. Data is automatically purged by Google’s systems at the end of that period.
• Server Log Files: Automatically generated server log files containing IP addresses and technical access information are retained for a period of 30 days for the purpose of security monitoring and technical troubleshooting, after which they are deleted from our hosting environment.

HumanCrisisNews operates on a firm commitment not to sell, trade, rent, or transfer your personal information to any external party for their independent commercial purposes. The following describes the limited, specific circumstances under which information related to your use of our website may be shared with or accessible to third parties:

• Technical Service Providers: We use Google services — specifically Google Analytics and Google AdSense — to operate analytics and advertising functions on our website. Data is shared with Google solely to enable these services to function as described in this policy. Google processes this data under its own privacy terms and applicable international data transfer agreements. No other third-party technical service providers have access to personally identifiable user data collected by HumanCrisisNews.
• Legal Compliance and Regulatory Obligations: We may disclose personal data in response to a lawful request from a governmental authority, law enforcement agency, court order, or regulatory body with jurisdiction over our operations, where we are legally required to do so and where non-disclosure would constitute a legal violation on our part.
• Protection of Legal Rights and Safety: Where we reasonably determine it to be necessary to protect the legal rights, property, or personal safety of HumanCrisisNews, our readers, or members of the public — for example in response to a credible security threat — we may share relevant information with appropriate authorities or legal counsel.

In all circumstances not explicitly described above, your personal data remains strictly confidential and is not shared with, sold to, or accessed by any third party. We do not share personal data with commercial partners, research organizations, advertising networks (other than Google AdSense as described), or any other entity without your explicit, informed, and freely given consent.

The security of personal information entrusted to us by our readers is a responsibility we take seriously. HumanCrisisNews implements technical and organizational security measures appropriate to the nature and sensitivity of the data we hold, with the objective of protecting that data against unauthorized access, unintended disclosure, alteration, accidental loss, or destruction. The following measures are currently in place:

• TLS/SSL Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our website is protected by Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption, indicated by the padlock icon displayed in your browser’s address bar. This ensures that data you submit through our forms or view on our pages cannot be intercepted in transit by unauthorized third parties.
• Secure Hosting Environment: Our website is hosted on a server infrastructure that maintains appropriate access controls, regular system-level security patching, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Hosting provider security practices are evaluated as part of our infrastructure decisions.
• Restricted Data Access: Access to personally submitted reader data — including contact form submissions and newsletter subscriber information — is restricted to authorized editorial personnel on a strict need-to-know basis. This data is not shared with contractors, volunteers, or other individuals involved in platform operations unless access is specifically required for a documented operational purpose.
• Platform and Plugin Security Maintenance: The WordPress CMS and all active plugins are maintained with current security releases applied promptly upon availability. Outdated or unsupported software components are removed from the platform to reduce the attack surface available to potential security threats.

For journalistic and contextual purposes, articles published on HumanCrisisNews may incorporate embedded content originating from third-party platforms. This may include embedded video content from YouTube or other video hosting services, social media posts from platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook, and interactive maps or data visualizations hosted by third-party services.

It is important to understand that embedded content from external platforms behaves in functionally identical ways to visiting those platforms directly. When embedded content loads in your browser, the third-party platform is able to collect data about you — including your IP address, information about the browser and device you are using, the page on which the embedded content appeared, and, if you are logged into an account on that platform, information linked to your account. This data collection is governed entirely by the privacy policy of the third-party platform hosting the embedded content, not by this Privacy Policy.

We embed external content only where it serves a clear journalistic purpose and adds meaningful value to our reporting. We do not embed content from advertising or data collection services for the purpose of tracking visitor behavior beyond what is described in this policy. We encourage readers to review the privacy policies of any third-party platforms whose content appears within our articles.

Readers who wish to receive periodic updates from HumanCrisisNews can subscribe to our newsletter by providing their email address through the subscription form available on our website. Newsletter subscription is an entirely voluntary, opt-in arrangement. By subscribing, you provide your explicit consent to receive email communications from us containing updates on newly published articles, significant humanitarian developments within our coverage areas, and other editorial announcements relevant to our readers.

• We will never send you unsolicited commercial messages, promotional content unrelated to our journalism, or communications on behalf of third-party advertisers. Every email we send will be directly related to our editorial output and will be relevant to the humanitarian news coverage you subscribed to receive.
• Every newsletter email we distribute includes a clearly visible and functional unsubscription link. Clicking this link initiates the removal of your email address from our active subscriber list. You may also unsubscribe at any time by emailing info@humancrisisnews.com with an unsubscription request.
• Your email address is used solely to deliver the newsletter content you have subscribed to receive. It is not shared with, sold to, or disclosed to any third party for any marketing, advertising, or data collection purpose whatsoever.
• Unsubscription requests are processed within 7 calendar days of receipt, after which you will receive no further newsletter communications from HumanCrisisNews. Your email address will be permanently deleted from our records within 30 days of the unsubscription being processed.

HumanCrisisNews produces content for readers primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. As a digital platform operating in an inherently international technological environment, data collected in connection with your use of our website may be processed in countries other than the one in which you are located. This section explains the circumstances under which such international data transfers occur and the safeguards in place to protect your information.

The most significant international data transfer associated with our platform occurs through our use of Google services — specifically Google Analytics and Google AdSense. Google LLC is headquartered in the United States, and data collected through these services may be stored and processed on Google’s server infrastructure in the United States or in other countries where Google operates data centers. Google LLC participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and applies European Commission-approved Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for the transfer of personal data from the European Economic Area and United Kingdom to third countries, providing a lawful basis for these transfers under GDPR requirements.

By using humancrisisnews.com, you acknowledge and agree that your data may be transferred internationally as described above, subject to the safeguards and legal transfer mechanisms referenced in this section. We take all steps reasonably available to us to ensure that your information is treated securely, in accordance with this Privacy Policy, and in accordance with applicable data protection law throughout any international transfer process.

As is standard practice for all web-hosted platforms, HumanCrisisNews’s hosting infrastructure automatically generates and retains server log files each time our website is accessed. These log files are created at the server level by our hosting provider as a routine technical function and do not require any action on the part of the visitor to be generated. Log file recording cannot be disabled without preventing the website from functioning.

The information recorded in server log files includes the following technical data points:

• The Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the device making the page request — this address may correspond to a specific device or, in the case of shared or dynamic IP address environments, to a network rather than an individual
• The type and version of the web browser used to access the page, as reported in the browser’s User-Agent header string
• The Internet Service Provider (ISP) through which the connection was made, as inferred from the IP address
• The precise date and time of the page request, recorded in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
• The URL of the page on our website that was requested and the URL of the page from which the request originated, if applicable (the HTTP referrer)
• The HTTP response code returned by our server and the volume of data transferred in response to the request

Server log file data is used by HumanCrisisNews exclusively for the purposes of diagnosing technical problems, investigating security incidents such as unauthorized access attempts or distributed denial-of-service activity, and performing aggregate analysis of website traffic volumes. Log file data is not combined with personally identifying information from other sources and is not used to track the behavior of individual visitors across sessions or pages. Server log files are retained for a maximum of 30 days before being automatically purged from our hosting environment.

HumanCrisisNews reserves the right to revise, update, or replace this Privacy Policy at any time in response to changes in our operational practices, the introduction of new features or services, changes to applicable data protection law, or guidance issued by relevant regulatory authorities. We are committed to maintaining a privacy policy that accurately reflects our current data handling practices at all times.

When material changes are made to this policy — that is, changes that meaningfully affect how your personal data is collected, processed, shared, or protected — we will update the “Last Updated” date displayed at the top of this page to reflect the date on which the revised policy takes effect. For changes we consider to be significant, we will additionally notify active newsletter subscribers by email prior to the changes coming into effect, providing a clear summary of what has changed and why. For minor clarifications or corrections that do not alter the substantive scope of the policy, the updated date alone will constitute notification.

We encourage all users of our website to review this Privacy Policy periodically — particularly following any platform announcements about changes to our services — to remain informed about how your information is handled. Your continued use of humancrisisnews.com following the posting of any updated Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

By accessing and using humancrisisnews.com, you confirm that you have read this Privacy Policy in its entirety, that you understand the terms and conditions it sets out, and that you provide your informed consent to the collection, processing, and use of your information as described herein. This consent extends to the use of cookies as described in Section 06, the processing of anonymized analytics data as described in Section 05, and the display of advertising through Google AdSense as described in Section 04.

If you do not agree with any aspect of this Privacy Policy — including any section that describes how your data is collected, used, or shared — you should discontinue your use of humancrisisnews.com immediately. Continued use of the website after reviewing this policy constitutes your ongoing acceptance of its terms. Where specific processing activities require a higher standard of consent under applicable law — such as express opt-in consent for marketing communications — we obtain that consent separately and do not rely on general website use as the legal basis for such processing.

You retain the right to withdraw consent for specific data processing activities at any time by contacting us at info@humancrisisnews.com or by exercising the technical opt-out mechanisms described in this policy (such as cookie management through browser settings or the Google Analytics opt-out add-on). Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal was received.

HumanCrisisNews is committed to handling all privacy-related enquiries, rights requests, and concerns with transparency, care, and promptness. If you have any question about how your personal information is collected or processed, if you wish to exercise any of the data rights described in this policy, if you believe a breach of your privacy rights has occurred, or if you simply want to understand more about our data practices, please contact us using the details below.

When contacting us about a specific data rights request, please include the appropriate identifier in your email subject line to ensure your request is routed correctly and processed within the relevant legal timeframe. Use “GDPR Rights Request” for requests under the General Data Protection Regulation (UK or EU), “CCPA Rights Request” for requests under the California Consumer Privacy Act, “Data Deletion Request” for erasure requests not linked to a specific regulatory framework, “Child Privacy Concern” for reports of potential data submission by a child under 13, or “DMCA Notice” for copyright-related complaints about content published on our platform. We will respond to all legitimate privacy-related requests within 30 days and will provide a clear explanation if any request cannot be fulfilled in full, along with the legal basis for any limitations on our response.