OBOL collects the minimum data needed to run a subscription news operation and nothing more. We are not an advertising-data business wearing a media outlet's clothes, and this policy is written to be read in full, not skimmed past on the way to a sign-up form.
What we collect
When you create an OBOL account, we collect your email address, a hashed password, and payment details processed by our third-party payment provider — we never store full card numbers ourselves. If you comment on articles or contact our editorial team, we retain the content of that correspondence. Our site uses first-party analytics to understand which stories are read and for how long; this data is aggregated and not tied to an individual account for editorial decision-making purposes.
Cookies and tracking
OBOL uses essential cookies to keep you logged in and to remember display preferences such as dark mode. We use a small number of analytics cookies to measure traffic; these can be disabled through the cookie preference banner without affecting your ability to read the site. We do not run third-party advertising trackers, and we do not sell or rent reader data to advertisers, data brokers or any other party — not now, not as a future business model.
How we use your data
Email addresses are used to deliver newsletters you've subscribed to, account and billing notifications, and, occasionally, direct correspondence from our editorial team about a story you've engaged with. We do not use reader data to train third-party AI models, and any internal use of aggregated analytics is limited to editorial planning — deciding what to cover, not targeting you individually with content.
Data sharing and retention
We share data with a limited set of processors necessary to operate the site: our payment processor, our email delivery provider, and our hosting infrastructure, each bound by a data processing agreement. We do not share reader data with crypto exchanges, projects, or any party we cover editorially. Account data is retained for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period after cancellation for accounting and fraud-prevention purposes, after which it is deleted.
Your rights
Readers in the UK, EU and other jurisdictions with equivalent data protection law have the right to request a copy of the data we hold on them, request correction or deletion, and object to certain processing. Requests can be made at any time through your account settings or by writing to [email protected], and we aim to respond within thirty days.
Changes and contact
We'll note material changes to this policy at the top of the page and, where the change is significant, notify active subscribers by email ahead of the change taking effect. Questions about this policy, or requests relating to your personal data, should go to [email protected]; general enquiries can be sent to [email protected].
Last updated 10 July 2026