Privacy

Ground Level is an independent editorial publication. We don't run advertising, we don't sell data, and we don't track you across the web. This page explains what limited data we do collect and why.

Analytics

We use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to manage analytics on this site. GTM may load Google Analytics or other measurement tools to help us understand how the site is being read — page views, session duration, the type of device and browser you're using, and your approximate location at the country level. These tools do not collect your name, email address, or any other personally identifying information.

If you decline analytics via the consent banner, measurement tags are suppressed and no analytics data is collected.

Cookies

We set one first-party cookie: gl-consent. This stores your answer to the analytics consent prompt so we don't ask you again on every visit. It contains no personal data — just whether you accepted or declined analytics.

If you accept analytics, Google may set its own cookies (_ga, _ga_*) to distinguish sessions. These are governed by Google's own privacy policy.

Newsletter subscribers

If you subscribe to Ground Level, we store your email address in a database hosted on Cloudflare's infrastructure, encrypted at rest. Your email is used solely for delivering the newsletter. We do not share, sell, or use subscriber data for any other purpose.

We also store your IP address temporarily for rate-limiting purposes and to prevent abuse. This data is not used for tracking or profiling.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email, or request deletion of your data by emailing editor@thegroundlevel.co.uk. We will remove your record promptly.

Third parties and your rights

We may use third-party services for analytics, advertising, and email delivery. Where these services process your data, they do so under their own privacy policies and in compliance with applicable data protection law. We will never sell your personal data directly to a third party.

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to access, correct, or delete any personal data we hold about you. You also have the right to object to processing or to request that we restrict how your data is used. To exercise any of these rights, contact editor@thegroundlevel.co.uk and we will respond within 30 days.

Opting out

To stop analytics collection, decline on the consent banner when you first visit, or clear your cookies at any time. The site works identically either way — no features are gated behind analytics consent.

If you've already accepted and want to change your mind, clearing your browser cookies for this site will reset your preference, and you'll be asked again on your next visit.

Contact

If you have questions about privacy on this site, write to editor@thegroundlevel.co.uk.