Patchwork Digital Media Ltd. (company number 16824793, registered office 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom) is the data controller for the processing of personal data collected via WordPatch.co.uk. This policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your information, and your rights under UK data protection law. We are committed to transparency and to respecting your privacy.
What data we collect
We may collect the following categories of personal data:
- Email correspondence – including your name and email address when you contact us via editorial, contact, corrections or other function email addresses.
- Newsletter subscriptions – your email address and name (if provided) when you sign up via our Newsletter page.
- Submissions – if you submit articles, pitches, book proposals, press releases or other content, we collect the contact details and professional information you provide, such as your name, email address, phone number, organisation, portfolio links and biography. This includes publisher, author and PR contact details.
- Technical and analytics data – IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on site and referring URLs, collected via analytics services (e.g. Google Analytics) and server logs.
- Advertising and affiliate tracking cookies – used to serve relevant advertisements and to track affiliate link performance. For full details see our Cookie Policy.
- Correspondence with our fact-checking and legal teams – if you contact Tip Us or submit complaints, we may collect additional identifiers necessary to process your request.
Purposes and lawful bases
We process your personal data for the following purposes, relying on the lawful bases set out under UK GDPR:
- Legitimate interests – responding to your enquiries, managing submissions, operating the publication, improving our content and user experience, safeguarding editorial independence and enforcing our Terms of Use.
- Consent – where you subscribe to our newsletter, opt in to non-essential cookies, or provide voluntary feedback via our surveys or tip submissions.
- Legal obligation – processing necessary to comply with regulatory requirements, including handling complaints and copyright takedown requests.
- Contractual necessity – if you contribute as a freelance writer or collaborator, we process data to fulfil our agreement with you.
Retention
We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Newsletter subscription data is kept until you unsubscribe. Correspondence and submission records are typically retained for up to two years after the last interaction, unless a longer retention is needed for legal or editorial reasons (e.g. fact‑checking disputes). Analytics data is anonymised after 26 months.
Sharing your data
We do not sell personal data to third parties. We may share your information with trusted data processors who help us operate the website, deliver newsletters, manage analytics, host content and run advertising – under strict contractual obligations to protect your data. We may also disclose information if required by law or to defend our rights under Editorial Policy and Ownership & Funding disclosures.
How submissions are handled
When you submit content for publication, the personal data you provide (e.g. name, email, biography) is reviewed by our editorial team in line with our Submissions Policy. We use it solely for editorial evaluation, communication and, if accepted, accompanying your work on the site. We do not share submission data with third parties without your consent, nor do we use it for marketing unless you opt in separately.
Reader rights
Under UK GDPR you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access – request a copy of the data we hold about you.
- Rectification – ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Erasure – request deletion of your data where we no longer need it.
- Restriction – ask us to limit processing in certain circumstances.
- Portability – request a copy of your data in a structured, machine‑readable format.
- Objection – object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.
To exercise any of these rights, please email privacy@wordpatch.co.uk. We will respond within one month. We may need to verify your identity before proceeding. Note that we do not have a formally appointed Data Protection Officer; for all privacy‑related enquiries please use the email above.
Source confidentiality for tips
If you share information with us via Tip Us, we will take reasonable steps to protect your identity and confidentiality, consistent with editorial principles. Personal data provided in tips is treated with particular care and is only accessed by the relevant editorial staff. We will not disclose your identity unless required by law or where you have given explicit consent.
Complaints to the regulator
If you are not satisfied with our handling of your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection. You can contact the ICO at https://ico.org.uk/ or via their helpline. We hope you will raise any concerns with us first so we can resolve them promptly.
Contact
For any questions about this Privacy Policy, to exercise your rights or to report a data‑related issue, please contact us:
- Email: privacy@wordpatch.co.uk
- Post: Data Protection Enquiries, Patchwork Digital Media Ltd., 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom
- Phone: +44 20 4587 3190 (ask for the privacy team)
We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified by email. This policy was last updated in March 2025.