Privacy and cookies
Last reviewed: 1 September 2026.
This notice explains how Measured Unknown handles personal data when you read the website, search its public content, contact the newsroom or join the newsletter.
Who is responsible
Measured Unknown is operated by JPD McMahon, based in Ireland, who is the data controller for the personal data processing described in this notice. For privacy questions or requests, email editor@measuredunknown.com.
Information created when you use the site
The hosting and security systems may process technical information such as an IP address, browser and device information, requested pages, referring page, timestamps, search terms entered on the site and security events. This is used to deliver pages, maintain reliability, prevent abuse and investigate faults or security incidents.
When you contact the newsroom
If you email us, we receive the address and name you use, your message, attachments and ordinary email metadata. We use that information to assess and respond to tips, correction requests, rights enquiries and editorial correspondence. Do not send material by ordinary email if it requires a secure or anonymous channel.
Editorial and journalistic material
Reporting may involve names, statements, public records, source material and other information about identifiable people. We process this material for journalism, the public record and the exercise of freedom of expression and information. Irish law may limit particular data-protection obligations where applying them would be incompatible with journalistic purposes. This is not treated as a blanket exemption; requests are assessed against the circumstances and applicable law.
Why we process information
Aggregate audience measurement
Measured Unknown records aggregate first-party counts for page views, 30-second engagement and 50% and 90% scroll depth, grouped by content, day and broad source channel. The measurement does not set analytics cookies, use local storage, create a visitor identifier, or retain a raw referrer, IP address or user agent in the audience dataset. Search and social referrals are classified in the reader’s browser and only the broad category is sent. Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track are respected. We use these totals to understand which reporting serves readers and to improve the publication, based on our legitimate interest in operating and developing an independent news service.
Google Analytics and Search Console
Google Search Console provides aggregate information about how the site appears in Google Search and does not add a reader-facing analytics cookie. Google Analytics is connected through Google Site Kit, but analytics storage is denied by default and Analytics is activated only after a reader chooses “Accept analytics”. If accepted, Google may process the page visited, interaction and session information, browser and device information, and approximate location derived from the internet connection. We use these consented statistics to understand readership and improve editorial coverage. Advertising storage, ad personalisation and ad user-data consent remain denied. See Google’s Privacy Policy.
Cookies and similar technologies
Comments, accounts and newsletters
Public comments and avatars are disabled, and the site does not offer reader accounts or a public contact form. If you join the newsletter, we store the email address you provide, the date and version of your consent, and the page from which you subscribed in a private WordPress record. New signups remain pending until the reader uses the confirmation link sent by email. We use a confirmed address only to send the Measured Unknown briefing and related publication updates. A notification is sent to editor@measuredunknown.com after confirmation. Every welcome message includes an unsubscribe link that opens a confirmation page before the address and consent record are deleted.
Service providers and recipients
Hostinger provides the website, server, domain and related infrastructure and may process technical or communications data on our behalf. Relevant information may also be disclosed where required by law, to protect the service or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. We do not sell personal data.
Where a provider processes information outside the European Economic Area, the transfer must use an applicable legal mechanism and safeguards under data-protection law. See Hostinger’s privacy information for its current service arrangements.
How long information is kept
Aggregate audience totals are retained for up to 400 days so the publication can compare editorial performance over time; they cannot be used to identify a visitor. Google Analytics data retention is governed by the settings in the connected Analytics property, and Google Analytics cookies may persist for up to two years unless they are deleted or expire sooner. The analytics-consent preference is retained for 180 days. A pending newsletter request is retained only while confirmation is outstanding. A confirmed newsletter address and its consent record are retained while the subscription is active and deleted after the reader confirms an unsubscribe request or an erasure request is completed. Technical hosting and security records are kept only for as long as needed for delivery, security, fault investigation and legal obligations. Correspondence is reviewed and kept for as long as needed to handle the matter. Material that forms part of reporting, provenance, corrections, legal claims or the editorial archive may be retained for longer where the record requires it.
Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection and data portability. Rights may be restricted where permitted by law, including where necessary to protect journalism and freedom of expression. Email editor@measuredunknown.com so we can assess the request.
You may also complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission.
Changes to this notice
This notice will be reviewed when the site adds additional analytics, advertising, reader accounts, comments, embedded services, a newsletter provider or another service that changes how personal data is handled.