Who we are
Inspire News (inspire.news) is operated by Katharos Technologies Inc., a company based in Ontario, Canada ("we", "us"). We are responsible for the personal information described here under Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial laws. Our Privacy Officer can be reached at privacy@inspire.news.
What we collect
- Account details: your email address, user name, password (stored only as a secure hash), and optionally your name, phone number, photo, bio, location and links.
- Your settings: the sections and sources you follow, notification choices, theme, language and time zone.
- Reading activity when you are signed in: stories you save and stories you read, so we can show your history and personalise "For you".
- Newsletter sign-ups: your email address and a record of your consent (date, the form you used and your IP address), as Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) requires.
- Payments for Premium are handled by Stripe or Paystack. We receive your subscription status and a customer reference. We never see or store your full card number.
- Browser notifications: if you turn them on, a push address created by your browser. It does not identify you on its own.
- Technical data: IP address, browser type and pages requested, kept in server logs for security and troubleshooting.
- Cookies, described below.
How we use it
- To provide the service: your account, your settings, saved stories and personalised news.
- To send the emails and alerts you ask for: daily or weekly briefings, breaking-news and trending alerts, and account emails such as password resets.
- To run Premium: confirming payments, giving you ad-free reading and unlimited AI tools.
- To keep the site secure, prevent abuse and fix problems.
- With your permission, to measure how the site is used and to show advertising.
We do not sell your personal information.
AI features
Summaries, "Why this matters", translations, trend insights and briefings are produced by third-party AI providers (for example DeepSeek, Qwen, OpenAI or Anthropic). We send them the text of the news story. We do not send your name, email address or reading history. Results are stored and shared with all readers of that story.
Who we share it with
We share personal information only with service providers who help us run Inspire News, under contracts that limit how they use it:
- hosting and database providers;
- email delivery (SendGrid or Mailgun);
- payments (Stripe, Paystack);
- Google Analytics and Google advertising, only if you allow analytics or advertising cookies;
- AI providers, for story text only, as described above.
We may also disclose information when the law requires it. When you follow a link to a publisher, that publisher's own privacy policy applies.
Where it is stored
Some of our providers store or process information outside Canada, including in the United States, the European Union and Nigeria. It may then be accessible to courts and authorities in those countries under their laws. We choose providers that protect information to a standard comparable to Canadian law.
How long we keep it
- Account information: until you delete your account.
- Reading history: 180 days. Saved stories: until you remove them or delete your account.
- Newsletter address and consent record: until you unsubscribe, then the consent record for up to 3 years as CASL requires.
- Server and activity logs: 14 days.
- Payment records: as long as tax law requires (usually 7 years).
Your choices and rights
- Access and correction: see and edit your details under Profile, or download them under Personal data.
- Deletion: delete your account under Personal data. Your saved stories and history are deleted with it.
- Withdraw consent: unsubscribe from any email with one click, change notifications in Settings, or change cookies with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page.
- Complaints: contact our Privacy Officer first. You can also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca). Residents of Quebec may contact the Commission d'accès à l'information.
- If you live in the EU, the UK or Nigeria, you also have the rights given by the GDPR, UK GDPR or the Nigeria Data Protection Act, including objection and data portability. Email us to use them.
We answer requests within 30 days.
Cookies
Essential cookies are always on, because the site cannot work without them. Analytics and advertising cookies are used only if you accept them in the cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page.
| Cookie | Type | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
.AspNetCore.Identity.Application | Essential | Keeps you signed in | Session or up to 14 days |
.AspNetCore.Antiforgery.* | Essential | Protects forms against forgery | Session |
.AspNetCore.Mvc.CookieTempDataProvider | Essential | Shows one-time confirmation messages | Session |
inspire_consent | Essential | Remembers your cookie choices | 6 months |
inspire-theme (local storage) | Essential | Remembers light or dark mode | Until cleared |
_ga, _ga_* | Analytics | Google Analytics visit statistics (IP addresses anonymised) | Up to 2 years |
| Google ad cookies | Advertising | Show and measure ads (not shown to Premium readers) | Up to 13 months |
Children
Inspire News is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
We use encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, encryption for stored secrets, access controls and regular log reviews. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the Privacy Commissioner.
Changes to this policy
We will post any changes on this page and update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will tell you by email or with a notice on the site before it takes effect.
Contact
Privacy Officer, Katharos Technologies Inc., Ontario, Canada — privacy@inspire.news