Privacy Policy

Who we are

Terra Incognita (terraincognita.news) is an independent humanitarian journalism publication operated by Isaac Dellinger. Questions: isaacdellinger@terraincognita.news

What data we collect

We collect only what is necessary to operate the site:

• Account data — name, email address, and bcrypt-hashed password when you create an account.
• Session cookies — an HTTP-only cookie (ti-session) to keep you signed in. It contains a random token, not personal data. Expires after 30 days.
• Preferences — language, timezone, region, and email opt-out settings you configure.
• Saved articles — the list of articles you save, stored against your account.
• Analytics — anonymous usage data via Google Analytics (only if you consent). No personal data is shared with Google without consent.

What we do not collect

• We do not run advertising or sell data to third parties.
• We do not use tracking pixels, retargeting cookies, or fingerprinting.
• We do not collect payment information directly — Stripe handles all donation processing under their own privacy policy.

Cookies

We use two types of cookies:

• Essential: ti-session — required for login. Cannot be disabled if you use an account.
• Analytics: Google Analytics cookies — optional, only set after you accept the cookie consent banner. You can decline or withdraw consent at any time by clearing your browser cookies.

How we store your data

Account data is stored in a Vercel Postgres database hosted in the United States. Passwords are hashed using bcrypt (cost factor 12) and are never stored in plain text. We do not have access to your password.

Your rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of your personal data.
• Correction — update your name via your profile page.
• Deletion — delete your account at any time from your profile Security tab. This permanently removes your email, name, and saved data.
• Portability — request an export of your data by emailing us.
• Object — opt out of analytics cookies at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email isaacdellinger@terraincognita.news.

Data retention

Your account data is retained until you delete your account. Session tokens expire after 30 days. Analytics data follows Google Analytics' own retention settings (26 months by default).

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site grows. Material changes will be noted with an updated date at the top of this page.

Contact

Terra Incognita · isaacdellinger@terraincognita.news
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