Who we are
The Decoder operates thedecodermedia.com. For privacy questions or requests, contact business@thedecodermedia.com.
Information this site uses
The site uses essential browser storage to remember your cookie choice and the stories you save. Saved story IDs remain in your browser on the device you are using. Search runs in the browser and the site does not send your search terms to a separate search provider.
If you choose to allow analytics, Google Analytics 4 may collect information about visits, including pages viewed, approximate location derived from an IP address, browser and device type, referring page, and interactions with the site. We do not ask Google Analytics to collect names, email addresses or article form submissions, and we have disabled Google signals and advertising personalisation in the site configuration.
Reader profiles and comments
Creating a reader profile is optional. Email and password sign-in, verification and password recovery are provided by Google Firebase Authentication. Firebase handles your account email and authentication credentials; passwords are not stored in The Decoder’s newsroom database. We store the account identifier, your chosen display name, optional bio and profile dates so your profile works across devices. Your email is not stored in your public reader profile or displayed to other readers.
Your display name, bio and comments are public. Comments are stored with the story, author profile and posting time. You can edit your profile, delete your own comments, or delete your profile and all its comments and reports from your profile page. Other readers may have already seen or copied public content.
Comment reports are visible only through the newsroom’s protected moderation tools. We retain them while the reported comment and reporting profile exist. Moderators may hide comments that break the conversation rules. Firebase uses essential authentication storage in your browser to keep you signed in. Signing out clears the active sign-in session on this browser. Deleting your public profile removes its comments and reports; contact us if you also want the underlying email sign-in account erased. Optional analytics is not required to create a profile or comment.
Why we use it
Essential storage is used so features you request work and your choices persist. Optional analytics helps us understand which pages are useful, measure site performance and improve editorial presentation. Analytics runs only with your consent. You can refuse or withdraw that consent without losing access to the site.
Cookies and consent
Google Analytics is not loaded until you select “Allow analytics”. If you consent, Google may set analytics cookies such as _ga. You can change your choice at any time using “Cookie settings” in the footer. Withdrawing consent stops future analytics loading on this browser; you can also remove existing cookies through your browser settings.
Service providers and transfers
The site is hosted using ChatGPT Sites and related infrastructure. Reader email authentication is provided by Google Firebase. Optional analytics is provided separately by Google Analytics. These providers may process technical information on our behalf and may process data outside the United Kingdom using their applicable safeguards. You can read how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Retention
Your consent choice and saved-story list stay in your browser until you change or clear them. Analytics information is retained according to our Google Analytics settings and is deleted or aggregated in line with those settings. We keep any privacy correspondence only as long as needed to answer the request and meet legal obligations.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, erase or restrict personal information, object to certain use, withdraw consent, or complain to a data-protection authority. In the UK, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. Email us at business@thedecodermedia.com to make a request.
External links and media
Links to YouTube, source records and other external sites open services with their own privacy practices. News photographs include source and licence links where applicable. We do not embed YouTube players on article pages, so merely viewing an article does not load a YouTube video.
Security and changes
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information. No internet service is completely secure. We may update this notice as the site or its providers change; the date above shows the latest revision.