Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to the website located at thediscovia.com and all associated services operated by Discovia (“Discovia”, “we”, “our”, or “us”). It describes how we collect, use, store, protect, and share personal information in connection with your use of our Service.

We are committed to protecting your personal information and handling it with transparency, care, and respect. We collect only the minimum information necessary to operate the Service and will never sell your personal data to third parties.

We collect information in the following ways:

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Operating the Service: to deliver articles, enable account features (bookmarks, comments), and personalise your reading experience
• Newsletter delivery: to send our editorial newsletters to subscribers who have opted in
• Communication: to respond to your enquiries, support requests, or feedback
• Analytics: to understand how readers use the Service and to improve our editorial content, site performance, and user experience
• Security: to detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and technical issues
• Legal compliance: to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes

We process your personal information on the following legal bases (as applicable under the General Data Protection Regulation and equivalent laws): (a) performance of a contract (to provide you with the Service you requested); (b) legitimate interests (to improve and secure the Service); (c) consent (for newsletters and optional personalisation); and (d) legal obligation (to comply with applicable law).

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the Service. Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser.

Our analytics are privacy-first and do not use cookies or track individual users across sessions or sites. You can disable cookies via your browser settings at any time, though this may affect certain features of the Service such as staying logged in.

We do not sell your personal data to any third party, ever. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We use carefully selected third-party service providers to help operate the Service (such as cloud hosting and database infrastructure, email delivery, and privacy-respecting analytics). These providers act as data processors on our behalf and are bound by strict data processing agreements. They may not use your data for any purpose other than providing services to us.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or in response to a valid request by public authorities (e.g., a law enforcement agency).
• Protection of rights: We may disclose information when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Discovia, our users, or others.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on the Service before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, as outlined in this Policy, and to comply with our legal obligations. Specifically:

• Account data: retained for as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable period thereafter to address disputes or legal obligations
• Newsletter subscriptions: retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
• Comments: retained unless you request removal or the comment violates our policies
• Analytics data: aggregated and anonymised; individual events are not retained beyond 24 months
• Contact enquiries: retained for up to 3 years for correspondence and support records

When personal data is no longer needed for any of the above purposes, we securely delete or anonymise it.

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS (HTTPS)
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest
• Row-level security policies on our database infrastructure
• Restricted access controls: only authorised personnel can access personal data
• Regular security reviews and dependency auditing

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately at hello@thediscovia.com.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information. We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@thediscovia.com with the subject line “Privacy Rights Request”. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in your jurisdiction.

Opting out of newsletter emails: Every newsletter we send includes an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Clicking it will immediately remove you from our mailing list. Alternatively, you can manage your preferences in your account settings.

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 without verifiable parental consent. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 16, we will take immediate steps to delete that information from our records.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at hello@thediscovia.com.

Discovia serves readers globally. Your personal information may be stored and processed in countries other than your own, including countries that may not have the same data protection laws as your country of residence.

When we transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, to protect your personal information in accordance with this Policy and applicable data protection law.

If you subscribe to the Discovia newsletter, we will use your email address to send you editorial digests, discovery highlights, and occasionally information about Discovia itself. We will never use your email address for third-party advertising.

You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by:

• Clicking the “Unsubscribe” link in any email we send you
• Updating your preferences in your account settings
• Emailing us at hello@thediscovia.com with the subject line “Unsubscribe”

Please note that even if you unsubscribe from marketing emails, we may still send you transactional or service-related communications (such as password reset emails or important notices about your account).

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, by sending an email to registered users.

We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: