Privacy

We write about organisations that collect more than they need. It would be difficult to do that honestly while running a site that does the same.

This policy is short because there is not much to describe.

The short version

• We do not use advertising trackers, cross-site pixels, or session recording.
• We do not sell, rent or share personal data with data brokers. There is no arrangement under which we could.
• If you take The Late Letter, we hold your email address and the fact that you subscribed. That is close to the whole record.
• Your choice of light or dark theme is stored in your own browser and never reaches us.

What we collect

Things you give us

If you subscribe to The Late Letter, we collect the email address you enter and the date you entered it. If you later sign in, we store the fact that you have an active session.

If you write to us, whether a pitch, a correction or a complaint, we keep the correspondence so that we can answer it and so that we have a record of what was said.

Things collected automatically

Our host keeps standard web server logs: the page requested, the time, the referring page, an approximate region derived from the IP address, and the browser and device type. We use these for two things only: to see which stories are read, and to find out when something is broken.

What we do not collect

• No advertising or social network tracking pixels.
• No cross-site identifiers, fingerprinting, or profile building.
• No session recording or heatmap tools that replay what you did on the page.
• No precise location, contacts, or device identifiers.
• No open tracking or click tracking on the emails we send, so we do not know whether you read an issue or which links you followed.

Cookies and storage

If you are only reading, this site sets no cookies at all. There is no consent banner because there is nothing to consent to.

If you subscribe or sign in, our publishing platform sets a small number of cookies that are strictly necessary to keep you signed in and to remember that you are a member. They do not follow you to other sites and they are not used for advertising.

Separately, the site stores a single value in your browser's own local storage, named lc-theme, which records whether you chose the light or the dark theme. It stays on your device, it is never transmitted to us, and clearing your site data removes it. The site then simply follows your operating system's appearance setting.

Third parties

Three other companies are involved in delivering this publication to you, and we would rather name them than describe them as trusted partners.

Hosting and publishing

The site runs on Ghost, hosted by Ghost Pro. Ghost stores the member records described above and keeps the server logs described above on our behalf.

Typefaces

Fonts are served from Google Fonts. Loading a page therefore causes your browser to request files from fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com, and Google receives your IP address and user agent as part of that request. Google states that these requests are not used to build advertising profiles. We cannot independently verify that, so we are telling you it happens.

Email delivery

The Late Letter is sent through Ghost's email provider, which stores your address in order to send to it and records whether a message was delivered or bounced. Open tracking and click tracking are switched off.

The Late Letter

Subscribing is a single decision about a single thing: receiving one letter a week from this publication. We will not use your address to contact you about anything else, and we will not add it to any other list.

Every issue carries an unsubscribe link that works immediately and without a survey. Unsubscribing deletes the address rather than suppressing it.

Your rights and choices

Wherever you live, you may ask us what we hold about you, ask for a copy, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Write to the address below and we will answer within thirty days. We do not require you to prove your identity beyond controlling the email address in question, because that address is essentially the only thing we hold.

If you are in the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, our lawful basis is consent for the letter, and legitimate interests for security and for understanding which stories are read. You have the additional rights granted by the UK GDPR and the GDPR, including the right to complain to your supervisory authority.

If you are in California, you have the rights granted by the CCPA as amended. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined, so there is nothing for you to opt out of.

How long we keep things

• Subscriber addresses. Until you unsubscribe, then deleted.
• Server logs. A short retention window set by our host, after which they are deleted. Aggregate counts carrying no identifiers may be kept indefinitely.
• Correspondence. Two years, or longer where a story or a correction depends on it.

Children

This publication is written for adults and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has subscribed, write to us and we will remove the address.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes in a way that affects what we collect or who receives it, we will say so in The Late Letter before the change takes effect, and the date below will change. Previous versions remain available on request.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or a request about your own data, go to privacy@thelatecity.com. A person answers it.

Last updated: 7 September 2026.