The short version
- We record which pages are read on Bellwether and try to learn which organizations, and sometimes which people, are reading.
- We never sell your information and we run no advertising.
- If your browser sends Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control, our reader-identification software never loads. You can also switch it off on this page.
- Write to hello@bellwethernews.com and we will show you what we hold about you, correct it or delete it.
What we collect
When you read
Each page view records the page, the time, the page that sent you here, your IP address, your browser’s user-agent string and a random visitor ID stored in a cookie. Our host keeps standard server logs of the same requests.
When you write to us
Email to any bellwethernews.com address reaches us with your name, your email address and whatever you choose to write. That includes introductions, tips, corrections and subscription requests.
When you are a guest
We record and transcribe the interview so we can quote you exactly. We also keep the photographs, logos and links you send us, and the notes we trade while you review your piece. What runs on the site is only what you have seen before publication.
When you subscribe
We keep your name, email address and subscription status. Subscriptions are arranged by email today. Once we take payment online, a payment processor will handle it, and your full card number will go to them alone.
Reader identification
Bellwether uses LeadLens, visitor-identification software built by Primortul LLC. When you visit, LeadLens sends your IP address to People Data Labs, a business data provider, to find the organization that address belongs to. Where their data allows, the match can include a person: name, job title, employer and business contact details.
We use what it finds to understand who reads Bellwether, to decide what to cover next and, now and then, to reach out personally about a story, an introduction or a subscription. Visits to other sites published by Primortul LLC that use LeadLens may be linked to the same record.
LeadLens does nothing when your browser sends Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control, and nothing once you switch it off below.
Who else handles it
| Provider | What they do for us | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Netlify | Hosts the site and runs its server functions | IP address, user agent, pages requested |
| Supabase | Stores LeadLens visit records | Visit records and any identification results |
| People Data Labs | Matches an IP address to an organization or person | IP address |
| Serves two web fonts; hosts our email and interview calls | IP address for fonts; email and recordings for guests and correspondents | |
| Spaceship | Forwards mail sent to bellwethernews.com addresses | Email in transit |
Links to Eventbrite carry a referral code that tells the event organizer the visit came from Bellwether. Headlines in The Wire link to their publishers, whose own privacy policies apply once you leave.
How long we keep it
- Visit records for up to two years.
- Email for as long as the conversation is useful, like any correspondence.
- Interview recordings and transcripts for as long as the piece is live, so we can answer questions and make corrections. Ask and we will delete them sooner.
- Subscriber records while you subscribe, and afterward for as long as tax and accounting rules require.
Your choices
- Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track. Turn either on in your browser and LeadLens never loads on Bellwether.
- The switch below. Turns reader identification off in this browser.
- Email. Write to hello@bellwethernews.com and we will delete your visit records and any identification tied to them.
- Unsubscribe. Reply to any email from us and say stop.
Reader identification in this browser
Checking…
Your choice is kept in a cookie, so it applies to this browser only. Clearing your cookies resets it.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us for a copy of what we hold about you, ask us to correct it or delete it, and ask us to stop using it to identify you. Write to hello@bellwethernews.com. You do not need to give a reason. We answer within 30 days, and we may ask you to confirm the request came from you.
We extend the rights in the California, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Virginia and similar state privacy laws to every reader. We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for targeted advertising.
Readers in the UK and the European Union can also object to our use of their information and complain to their data protection authority. We handle it on the basis of our legitimate interest in understanding and growing our readership, and, for guests and subscribers, the agreement between us.
Security, children and changes
The site runs over HTTPS, keys and passwords live outside our code, and access to reader records is limited to the people who run Bellwether. No website can promise perfect security, and we will tell you promptly if something goes wrong that affects you.
Bellwether is written for adults and does not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.
When this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it. If a change affects information you have already given us, we will email you.
Questions: hello@bellwethernews.com · Primortul LLC, publisher of Bellwether