Privacy policy
This policy explains what personal data Plainwire handles, why, for how long, and the rights you have under the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and US state privacy laws, including California’s CCPA as amended by the CPRA.
Who is responsible
The data controller is to be completed before launch, to be completed before launch. Contact: contact address to be completed before launch.
What we handle when you read Plainwire
- No reader account, no tracking scripts. You do not need an account to read Plainwire. We do not use third-party analytics, social media buttons or tracking pixels. Our fonts and pictures are served from our own domain.
- Page counts. To show “Most read”, we count how many times each story is opened each day. This counter stores no information about you: no IP address, no identifier and no cookie.
- Server logs. Like every website, our hosting platform records technical data (IP address, page requested, date and time, browser type) to run, protect and measure the service. These logs are kept for a limited time and are not used to profile you. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in running a secure website.
- Preferences on your device. If you follow a topic, mark items of The Brief as read or choose the light or dark theme, that choice is saved only in your own browser (local storage). It is never sent to us, and you can clear it at any time in your browser settings.
- Messages. If you email us, we use your message and address to answer you and keep them for as long as needed to deal with your request, then for up to three years for our records. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in answering, or your consent.
Advertising
Plainwire does not show ads yet. When we switch on Google AdSense, Google and its partners may use cookies to show and measure ads. Before that happens, we will update this policy, and visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland will be asked for consent through a Google-certified consent tool before any advertising cookie is set.
Sharing and selling
We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the service providers that help us run the site (hosting and, once switched on, advertising), under contracts that protect it. When ads are on, the use of advertising cookies for personalized ads may count as “sharing” or “targeted advertising” under some US state laws; you can opt out at any time (see below).
Your rights
In the EU, the UK and Switzerland, you can ask to access, correct or delete your data, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format. You can withdraw consent at any time, and you can complain to your data protection authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office).
In the United States, depending on your state (including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas and Oregon), you can ask to know what personal data we hold about you, to correct or delete it, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of your data and of targeted advertising. We will not treat you differently for using these rights. Once ads are on, we will honor Global Privacy Control signals as an opt-out where the law requires it.
To use any of these rights, write to contact address to be completed before launch. We answer within the time the law sets, usually one month in the EU and the UK and 45 days in the US.
Your privacy choices
When ads are on, the “Your privacy choices” link at the bottom of every page lets you review or change your consent and opt out of personalized advertising. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings; see our cookie policy.
Children
Plainwire is a general news site and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
Changes
We will update this page when our practices change, for example when advertising is switched on, and show the date of the last update here. Last updated: Oct. 30, 2026.