This policy explains what personal information The News Desk collects when you read, contact, subscribe to or advertise with us, why we collect it, and the choices you have. You can read our news without creating an account or directly supplying your name or email address, although technical information is processed when the website is accessed.
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Who we are
The News Desk (thenewsdesk.ng) is published by Diggers Consultants, Uyo, Nigeria. The publisher is responsible for your personal information (the “data controller”). Advertising sales, invoicing and payments are handled for us by Brelix Resources Ltd, which processes your information for those purposes under this policy. To ask anything about this policy, email central@thenewsdesk.ng or use our contact form.
What we collect and why
When you read the website
You don’t need an account to read The News Desk. Like every website, our servers and our security and delivery network receive technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you request; this is used to deliver pages, keep the site secure and fix problems. We count how many times each story is read so we can show “Most read” lists; these counts do not identify you.
When you contact us
Our contact form asks for your name, email address, the topic and your message, and optionally a phone number. We also record your IP address to block spam and abuse, and the form uses a Cloudflare Turnstile security check (see “Cookies and similar technologies” below). We use this information to reply and to deal with your request. A copy of each message is kept in our website for up to 180 days so nothing is lost if an email goes astray, and is then deleted automatically.
When you subscribe to our newsletter
We collect your email address (and your name if you give it), the page you signed up from, your IP address and the time you confirmed. We email you a link to confirm before sending anything. Our newsletter records whether an edition was opened and which links were clicked, so we can see which stories readers find useful; you can stop this by unsubscribing or by blocking images in your email app. Every newsletter has an unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing takes effect immediately. Our emails are delivered through an email delivery service acting on our instructions.
When you comment
If comments are open on a story and you leave one, we collect the name, email address and comment you enter, plus your IP address and browser details to help detect spam. Your name and comment are published; your email address is not. If you have a Gravatar profile, an anonymised version of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to show your picture.
When you advertise, submit a notice or pay us
When you book an advert or send a press release, public notice or announcement, we collect your name, organisation, email address, phone number, the text and pictures you send, and any notes. We use them to review and publish your submission or advert, to send your invoice and receipts, to report your advert’s results to you, and to keep the business and tax records the law requires. Payments are processed by Paystack (for payments in naira) or PayPal (for international payments). You enter your card or bank details on their secure pages; we never see or store your full card number. They tell us whether the payment succeeded, the amount and a payment reference.
On social media
We publish stories to our official Facebook, Instagram and X accounts. Our authorised publishing tools, including our WordPress Social Suite, may connect to our own Facebook Pages and professional Instagram accounts through the relevant platform APIs. When an authorised administrator connects an account, the tools may process account and Page identifiers, connection credentials or access tokens, publishing permissions, post identifiers, publishing results and limited information needed to operate or troubleshoot publishing. Access is restricted to authorised staff, and we use this information to publish and manage our own content, not to build advertising profiles of website readers.
If you comment, message, follow or otherwise interact with us on social platforms, those platforms process information under their own privacy terms. We may see information you make available to our Page or account, such as your public profile name and the content of your interaction, and use it to respond or moderate our channels. We do not claim to control information held independently by Meta or X.
Cookies and similar technologies
Our own pages do not use cookies to track you. They store two small things in your browser, which never leave your device:
- Light or dark mode: if you switch between light and dark mode, your choice is remembered in your browser’s local storage until you clear it.
- Read count: a marker in your browser’s session storage stops a story being counted twice when you reload it. It is deleted when you close the tab.
Some features set cookies of their own:
- Security check: Cloudflare Turnstile, which protects our forms from spam, may set cookies or read technical details of your browser to tell people from automated programs.
- Comments: if you tick the box to save your details when commenting, WordPress stores your name and email in cookies so you don’t have to type them again.
- Staff sign-in: our journalists and staff use cookies to stay signed in. Readers never need to sign in.
- Advertising: where we show Google ads, Google and its partners may use cookies to show and measure ads, including ads based on your interests. You can manage this at Google Ad Settings and learn more at how Google uses information from sites that use its services. Adverts we sell directly are counted without cookies.
- Embedded content: stories may include videos or posts from services such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or X. These behave as if you visited those services and may set their own cookies.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The website will still work, though some features (such as remembering your comment details) won’t.
Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with services that help us run the website and the business, under contracts that require them to protect it and use it only on our instructions: our web host; Cloudflare (website delivery and security); our email delivery service; Paystack and PayPal (payments); and Google (advertising, where shown). We may also disclose information when the law requires it, or to protect our rights, our journalists or our readers. We will resist requests to identify confidential sources.
Some of these services are based outside Nigeria. Where information is transferred abroad, we rely on the safeguards that data-protection law allows.
How long we keep it
- Contact form messages: up to 180 days in our website, then deleted (replies in our email may be kept longer where needed to follow up).
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. We keep a record that an address unsubscribed so we never email it again.
- Comments: for as long as the comment is published.
- Invoices, payments and advertising records: for as long as tax and accounting law requires.
Your rights
Depending on the law that applies to your information and any relevant exceptions, you may request access to the personal information we hold about you, its correction or deletion, restriction of or objection to certain processing, and data portability where applicable. Where processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw it. These rights may arise under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 or, where applicable, UK or EU data protection law. To make a request, follow our data deletion instructions or email central@thenewsdesk.ng. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
Some information may be kept even after a request, for example where the law requires us to keep business records, or where it forms part of published journalism protected by freedom of expression. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You may also complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, or to the data-protection authority where you live.
Data deletion and Meta account disconnection
If you want us to delete personal information that The News Desk holds about you, including information obtained through interaction with our Facebook or Instagram accounts, email central@thenewsdesk.ng with the subject line Data Deletion Request. You may also use our contact form. Tell us which service or interaction your request concerns and how we can locate the relevant record. Please do not send passwords, access tokens or identity documents unless we specifically request an appropriate secure verification method.
We will acknowledge and assess the request, verify identity where reasonably necessary, and delete or anonymise eligible personal information in systems we control, including relevant records associated with authorised social-platform integrations. If we need to retain some information for legal obligations, disputes, fraud prevention or legitimate journalistic purposes, we will explain the applicable reason. We will respond within the period required by applicable data protection law.
Authorised staff can disconnect a Facebook Page or Instagram account from our publishing tools and revoke associated access through the relevant Meta settings. Where connection credentials or tokens are no longer needed, we will remove them from systems we control in line with applicable retention and security requirements. Disconnecting our app does not automatically delete information independently held by Meta or remove posts already published on Facebook or Instagram. For information controlled by Meta, use the privacy and account controls provided by Facebook or Instagram.
For straightforward instructions, see How to request data deletion.
Children
Our services are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18 without a parent’s or guardian’s consent. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
Our website uses an encrypted connection (HTTPS). Access to readers’ and customers’ information, and to publishing integration credentials, is limited to authorised staff who need it. Payment details are handled only by our payment providers. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affecting your information occurs, we will notify you and the authorities where the law requires.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when our practices change and show the date of the latest version at the top. Significant changes will be highlighted on the website or, for newsletter subscribers, by email.