Privacy Notice & Policy

1. Our Privacy Commitment & Statutory Framework

At Phronique News, we believe that independent journalism thrives when reader privacy and intellectual freedom are rigorously safeguarded. We are committed to processing personal data lawfully, transparently, and securely.

As a platform based in Ghana with a global audience, our privacy practices are designed to comply with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) of the Republic of Ghana, and we incorporate principles from international frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, as well as data automatically generated by your use of our platform.

• Account & Profile Data: When you register, we collect your email address, full name, and your chosen @username handle. You may also provide a profile picture and bio.
• User-Generated Content: Articles, comments, and interactions you publish on the platform.
• Financial Data: If you purchase a subscription or run an ad campaign, payment details are processed securely by our payment processor (e.g., Paystack). We do not store your full credit card numbers on our servers.
• Telemetry & Device Data: We automatically collect IP addresses, browser types, and interaction metrics (like pages read or time spent) to ensure platform security and provide aggregate publisher analytics.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

• Provide, secure, and maintain your account and the Publisher Studio workspace.
• Process transactions and send transactional emails (e.g., login links, receipts).
• Deliver a personalized news feed based on the publishers and topics you follow.
• Provide publishers with aggregated, anonymized readership analytics (we never share your individual reading history with publishers).
• Enforce our Terms of Service and protect against fraud or abuse.

4. Data Sharing & Third-Party Processors

We do not sell your personal data to third-party data brokers.

We only share your data in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: We use trusted sub-processors for essential infrastructure, including Supabase (Database & Auth), Cloudflare (Edge Hosting & CDN), Google/Firebase (Analytics & Auth), and Paystack (Payments). These vendors process data under strict confidentiality agreements.
• With Publishers: If you subscribe to a specific publisher on our platform, we share your email address with that publisher so they can deliver their newsletters to you.
• Legal Compliance: We may disclose data if required by a valid legal subpoena, court order, or to protect the safety of our users.

5. Your Data Subject Rights

Under the Data Protection Act (Act 843) and GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data via your account settings.
• Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Request the deletion of your account and associated personal data. Note that immutable blockchain or audit ledger entries related to financial transactions may be retained for regulatory compliance.
• Portability: Download a machine-readable export of your published content.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@phronique.news.

6. Data Security & International Transfers

All data is encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest using modern encryption standards. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to, stored, and processed in data centers located outside of Ghana (e.g., EU or US), facilitated by our global infrastructure partners (Cloudflare, Supabase) using standard contractual clauses to ensure adequate protection.

7. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use essential cookies to maintain your login session and security. We also use analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand aggregate platform usage. You can control or disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings.