Effective Date: 1 June 2026. This policy replaces all previous versions. We recommend reviewing it in full. By continuing to use Emma Citizen, you agree to the terms described here.
Emma Citizen Media Ltd ("Emma Citizen", "we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard information about you when you visit emmacitizen.com, subscribe to our newsletter, register for an account, or interact with our content in any way.
We take privacy seriously. We collect only what we need, use it only for the purposes stated here, and never sell your personal data to third parties. This policy is written in plain language so you can understand exactly what we do and why.
Emma Citizen Media Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal data. We are a digital media company based in Ghana, operating the website emmacitizen.com and all associated subdomains, newsletters, and digital products.
This policy applies to all users of our website worldwide, including visitors who browse without an account, registered members, newsletter subscribers, and anyone who contacts us directly.
Data Controller: Emma Citizen Media Ltd, Accra, Ghana · webmaster@emmacitizen.com
If you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise your rights, you can contact us at any time at contact@emmacitizen.com or through our Contact page.
We collect information in three main ways: information you provide directly, information collected automatically, and information from third parties.
Information You Provide
- Name and email address when you subscribe to our newsletter or create an account
- Contact details and message content when you use our contact form
- Profile information such as username, bio, and preferences if you register an account
- Payment information if you purchase a premium subscription (processed securely by third-party payment providers — we do not store card details)
- Any content you submit, such as comments or letters to the editor
Information Collected Automatically
- IP address and approximate location (country/city level only)
- Browser type, operating system, and device information
- Pages visited, articles read, time spent on page, and referral source
- Interactions with our content (clicks, scrolls, shares)
- Cookie data and similar tracking technologies (see Section 04)
Information from Third Parties
- Analytics data from Google Analytics (aggregated and anonymised)
- Social media engagement data when you share or interact with our content
- Advertising performance data from our ad network partners
| Data Type | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Newsletter delivery, account access | Until unsubscribed or account deleted |
| IP address | Security, fraud prevention, analytics | 90 days |
| Browsing behaviour | Analytics, content personalisation | 26 months (anonymised after 12) |
| Contact form data | Responding to enquiries | 24 months |
| Payment data | Billing (via payment processor) | Per processor policy |
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes, always on a lawful basis as required by applicable data protection laws:
- Delivering our services — providing access to articles, newsletters, and account features you've requested
- Improving our content — understanding which stories resonate with readers to improve our editorial output
- Communications — sending the newsletter you subscribed to, and important service or account updates
- Personalisation — showing you content that is relevant to your reading history (only if you have an account and have opted in)
- Security and fraud prevention — detecting and preventing abuse, spam, and malicious activity
- Legal compliance — fulfilling our obligations under applicable laws and regulations
- Analytics — understanding aggregate audience behaviour to make better decisions about our platform
We never sell your personal data to advertisers, data brokers, or any third party, for any reason.
All marketing communications are sent with your explicit consent, and you can withdraw that consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or contacting us directly.
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our website. We use cookies to make our site work, to understand how it is used, and to provide relevant advertising.
Types of Cookies We Use
- Essential cookies — required for the website to function correctly (login sessions, security tokens, preferences). Cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies — used by Google Analytics to measure traffic and understand reader behaviour. Data is aggregated and anonymised.
- Functional cookies — remember your preferences such as font size, dark mode, or saved articles.
- Advertising cookies — used by our advertising partners to deliver relevant ads. You can opt out via our cookie settings.
You can manage or withdraw your consent to non-essential cookies at any time via our Cookie Settings page. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of any prior processing.
We also use web beacons (clear pixels) in our newsletter emails to measure open rates and engagement. You can disable this by turning off HTML rendering in your email client.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share limited data with trusted third parties only where necessary to operate our services, and always under strict contractual obligations.
Our Third-Party Service Providers
- Hosting & Infrastructure — our website is hosted on servers that comply with international data security standards
- Email delivery — we use a third-party email service provider to send newsletters and transactional emails
- Analytics — Google Analytics (data anonymised; no personally identifiable data is shared)
- Payment processing — handled by a PCI-DSS compliant third-party payment processor; we never see your full card details
- Advertising networks — display advertising may be served by third-party ad networks subject to their own privacy policies
When We May Disclose Data
- When required by law, court order, or government authority
- To protect the rights, safety, or property of Emma Citizen, our users, or the public
- In connection with a business transfer, merger, or acquisition (users will be notified in advance)
All third-party providers we work with are vetted for data protection compliance and are contractually bound to use your data only as instructed by us.
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our standard retention periods are:
- Account data — retained for the duration of your account and for up to 12 months after deletion to handle any disputes or legal obligations
- Newsletter subscriber data — retained until you unsubscribe, after which it is permanently deleted within 30 days
- Contact form submissions — retained for 24 months to allow follow-up and for record-keeping purposes
- Server logs and IP addresses — retained for 90 days for security and fraud prevention
- Analytics data — anonymised after 12 months and aggregated data retained for up to 26 months
- Financial records — retained for 7 years in accordance with applicable tax and accounting laws
When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be attributed to you.
Depending on your location, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. We honour all of the following:
To exercise any of these rights, email us at contact@emmacitizen.com with the subject line "Data Rights Request". We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing the request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have not handled your data in compliance with applicable law.
We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement a range of technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure.
- All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS)
- Passwords are stored using industry-standard one-way hashing algorithms (bcrypt)
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis
- We conduct regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments
- Our servers are hosted in data centres with physical and digital access controls
- We maintain an incident response plan for data breaches
In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities within 72 hours of becoming aware of it.
Despite our best efforts, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your Emma Citizen account and to enable two-factor authentication where available.
Emma Citizen is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. Our content is intended for adults and mature readers interested in global technology and business journalism.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at contact@emmacitizen.com and we will promptly delete the information.
If you are under 16, please do not create an account, subscribe to our newsletter, or submit any personal information to us.
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 significant changes, we will:
- Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
- Send a notification to registered users and newsletter subscribers via email
- Display a prominent notice on our homepage for at least 14 days
Your continued use of Emma Citizen after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using our services and may request deletion of your account and data.
We recommend checking this page periodically to stay informed. Previous versions of this policy are available upon request by emailing webmaster@emmacitizen.com.
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We are committed to resolving any issues promptly and transparently.
- Email (general): contact@emmacitizen.com
- Email (webmaster/technical): webmaster@emmacitizen.com
- Phone: +233 (0) 249 266 948 or +233 (0) 205 398 522
- Contact form: emmacitizen.com/contact
- Response time: We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 5 business days, and within 30 days for formal data rights requests.
For formal data rights requests (access, erasure, portability), please email us with the subject line "Data Rights Request" and include your full name and the email address associated with your account.