Privacy notice

Information we may receive

Our hosting and security providers may process standard technical information such as IP address, browser type, requested pages, timestamps and error logs. If you email us, we receive the information you choose to include.

How it may be used

Technical information may be used to operate, secure and understand the performance of the site. Correspondence may be used to respond to you, assess corrections or news tips, and keep an appropriate newsroom record.

Cookies and readership measurement

The public news site does not require a reader account. Staff-only areas may use essential authentication and security cookies. When a public article’s HTML has been rendered, newsdesk records the article, the hour and an anonymous visitor identifier so we can measure readership and identify popular coverage. The identifier is held in a first-party cookie and stored in our database only as a one-way hash; the native readership record does not store your IP address, browser details or precise location. Clearing the cookie resets the identifier.

On the homepage we also record an anonymous visit timestamp and any utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign tags, limited to 100 characters each. We link a subsequent article opening to the same identifier?s most recent homepage visit within 24 hours to measure campaign conversion. We do not store the full landing URL or referrer in these records.

Separately, we use Google Analytics to understand which public pages are visited and how readers use the site. Google may receive technical information including your IP address, browser and device information, approximate location, visited pages and timestamps, and may set analytics cookies. Native readership records are not sent to Google Analytics; the two systems operate independently.

Sharing and retention

Information may be processed by service providers needed to host, protect or operate the site, and when required by law. We aim to retain personal information only as long as it remains reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was received.

Questions

Privacy questions can be sent to contact@newsdesk.hk.

Website design experiments

We sometimes compare two website designs. We use the same first-party visitor cookie to keep your browser on one version during a test. We store its one-way hash, the assigned version, assignment and first measured exposure times, and whether and when you open an article within the following 24 hours. This helps us understand which designs make our coverage easier to discover. These records do not contain your IP address and are not sent to Google Analytics. Clearing cookies or switching browsers creates a new identity. Staff previews are excluded from these measurements.