Our Commitment
Wicks Local is built on trust. We collect the minimum data necessary to serve you useful local news, and we're transparent about exactly what we do with it.
We use minimal, privacy-respecting analytics (no cookies, no personal data). We don't sell data. If you give us feedback, we use it only to improve the digest, and we delete it after 90 days.
What We Collect
Reading the digest: We use privacy-respecting analytics (self-hosted Beacon) to understand aggregate usage patterns. This collects:
- Page URL and time spent reading
- Scroll depth (how much you read)
- Referrer source (how you found us)
- Browser and OS type (not fingerprinting)
This data is anonymized, not tied to any personal identifier, and never shared with third parties. No cookies are used for tracking.
Optional feedback: If you choose to participate in our feedback surveys, we collect only your responses. We use anonymous identifiers (random UUIDs), never your name or email.
Feedback Consent Tiers
We offer three levels of feedback participation. Each requires your explicit consent:
How We Use AI
Each digest is created with AI assistance. Here's exactly what happens:
- We collect news from 16+ local sources (RSS feeds, public APIs)
- AI helps research context, identify connections, and draft narratives
- Our editorial system verifies facts against source articles
- Every claim links to its source so you can verify
Your feedback data is processed locally and never sent to AI services.
Data Retention
- Feedback responses: Deleted after 90 days
- Consent records: Kept until you withdraw consent
- Aggregate statistics: Kept indefinitely (no personal data)
Your Rights
You can:
- Withdraw consent at any time via the feedback form
- Request deletion of your feedback data
- Access your data by contacting us
To exercise these rights, email: privacy@thewicksproject.org
Third Parties
We use:
- Cloudflare: Serves the static digest and hosts our analytics endpoint
- Beacon Analytics: Self-hosted, privacy-respecting analytics (no cookies)
- Mermaid.js CDN: Renders knowledge graphs (loaded only on diagram pages)
We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any advertising trackers.
Changes
We'll update this policy as our features evolve. Material changes will be noted in the digest itself.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email privacy@thewicksproject.org