Privacy Policy

Last updated: 8 October 2026

This policy explains how Greenwich Journal Media Ltd, publisher of the Greenwich Journal, collects, uses and protects your personal data when you read this website or contact us. It is written to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and to be understood without a law degree.

Who we are

The Greenwich Journal is a free to read news website published by Greenwich Journal Media Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with its office at One Meridian Quay, Greenwich, London SE10 0AA. For the purposes of data protection law, Greenwich Journal Media Ltd is the data controller of the personal data described in this policy.

The site carries no third party advertising trackers, and we do not sell personal data to anyone.

The personal data we collect

We collect very little personal data, and nothing that identifies you is gathered without your knowledge. The data we handle falls into three categories.

Reading preferences stored on your device

When you use the accessibility toolbar at the top of every page, your choices (text size, high contrast, dyslexia friendly text and reduced motion) are saved in your browser's localStorage so the site looks the same on your next visit. Your cookie consent choice is stored in the same way. These records never leave your device: they are not transmitted to us, and we cannot see them.

Contact form submissions and correspondence

If you write to us through the contact form or by email, we receive your name, your email address and the contents of your message. We use this information only to respond to you and, where you have sent a news tip or a correction, to follow up the story.

Server logs

Like almost every website, our hosting provider automatically records technical information when a page is requested: your IP address, the date and time, the page requested, and your browser and device type. These logs are used to keep the site secure and to diagnose technical faults.

Our lawful bases for processing

Under UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for everything we do with personal data. Ours are:

• Consent. When you choose to send us a message, you give us consent to use your details to reply. You may withdraw that consent at any time by asking us to delete the correspondence.
• Legitimate interests. We process server logs and handle correspondence on the basis of our legitimate interests in running a secure and accurate news website. We have balanced those interests against your rights and do not believe the processing causes you any harm.

How localStorage preferences work

localStorage is a small store built into your browser. When you press one of the accessibility buttons, a short text record, such as your chosen text size, is written to that store on your own device. On your next visit the page reads the record and applies the same setting. Because the record lives only in your browser, clearing your browser data removes it completely, and using a different browser or device starts afresh. These preferences are never sent to our servers, never combined with any other data and never used to identify you.

Cookies

Our use of cookies and similar storage is described in full in our Cookie Policy. In short: we use a small number of strictly necessary storage items, we set nothing optional without your consent, and we use no third party advertising or analytics cookies.

How we share personal data

We do not sell, rent or trade personal data. We do not share your data with advertisers, data brokers or analytics companies, because we do not use them. The only circumstances in which personal data leaves our control are:

• our hosting provider, which processes server logs on our behalf under a contract that obliges it to protect the data; and
• where the law requires disclosure, for example in response to a court order.

Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as we need it. Correspondence with the newsdesk is normally retained for up to 24 months so that we can refer back to ongoing stories and corrections, after which it is deleted. Server logs are retained for up to 12 months. localStorage preferences remain on your device until you remove them, and you can remove them at any time.

International transfers

Our website is hosted in the United Kingdom, and we do not routinely transfer personal data outside the UK. If that ever changes, we will transfer data only where the destination is covered by adequacy regulations made by the UK Government, or where appropriate safeguards such as the International Data Transfer Agreement are in place.

Your rights

UK GDPR gives you strong rights over your personal data. You may ask us for:

• Access to the personal data we hold about you;
• Rectification of anything that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• Erasure of your data where there is no good reason for us to keep it;
• Restriction of how we use it while a concern is resolved;
• Portability of the data you gave us, in a usable format;
• Objection to processing based on legitimate interests; and
• Withdrawal of consent at any time, without affecting what happened before.

We will respond to any request within one month. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK regulator, at ico.org.uk or by telephone on 0303 123 1113. We would welcome the chance to resolve your concern first, so please contact us before you complain if you feel able to.

Children

The Greenwich Journal is a general news website and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We review this policy regularly. Any changes will appear on this page with a new last updated date, and significant changes will be flagged prominently on the site.

Contacting our Data Protection Officer

Questions, requests and complaints about this policy or your personal data should go to our Data Protection Officer:

• Email: privacy@greenwichjournal.com
• Post: Data Protection Officer, Greenwich Journal Media Ltd, One Meridian Quay, Greenwich, London SE10 0AA