This policy explains what personal data Verscienta News collects, why, and the rights you have over it — including under the GDPR and the CCPA.

1. data we collect

• Account data — email address, username, hashed password, and the profile details you choose to add (display name, bio, avatar, time zone).
• Content — articles, comments, reactions, bookmarks, follows, and other activity you create on the platform.
• Usage analytics (consent only) — with your consent we record product events such as article views, shares, and searches, keyed to your account or to a random session identifier. Without consent these events are not recorded for you.
• Operational records — security and anti-abuse data (rate-limit counters, moderation actions) and service events needed to run the platform (account creation, publishing, email delivery).

2. why we process it (legal bases)

• Contract — operating your account, showing your content, sending digests you opted into.
• Consent — product analytics, set via the consent banner or your settings; you can withdraw it at any time.
• Legitimate interest — site security, abuse prevention, and moderation.

3. processors and third parties

We do not sell your personal data. We use a small set of processors to run the service: image hosting and delivery (Cloudflare), product analytics (PostHog, only when you consent), and transactional email delivery. Each receives only the data needed for its function.

4. retention and deletion

Your data is kept while your account exists. When you request deletion, your account is deactivated immediately and after a 30-day grace period your personal data is anonymized: email, username, display name, bio, and avatar are removed or replaced with non-identifying values. Content you published may remain, shown as authored by a deleted user.

5. your rights

• Access & portability — download everything we hold about you as JSON from settings.
• Rectification — edit your profile and content at any time.
• Erasure — delete your account from settings (30-day grace period).
• Withdraw consent — change your analytics choice in settings or via the cookie banner.
• Objection & complaint — contact us below, or your local data-protection authority.

California residents: the rights above cover CCPA access, deletion, and opt-out requests; we do not sell or share personal information as defined by the CCPA. We do not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

6. cookies

We use a session cookie (essential) and a consent cookie remembering your choice. Details in the cookie policy.

7. children

The service is not directed at children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect their data.

8. changes and contact

Material changes to this policy are announced on the site. Questions or requests: [email protected].