Privacy Policy
Last updated: 4 August 2026
Mossline is a reading site. We collect as little as we can get away with, and we do not sell reader data to anyone, ever.
Who we are
Mossline is an independent editorial site operated by its editorial team. For the purposes of data protection law, the data controller is the site operator as identified on our contact page.
What we collect
Messages you send us. If you email an editorial desk or use our contact form, we hold your address, name (if provided) and message so we can reply and, where relevant, correct an article. We keep correspondence for up to two years.
Basic technical logs. Our hosting provider records standard request data such as IP address, browser type, referring URL and requested page, for security and reliability. These logs are retained for no more than 30 days.
Aggregate usage. We may look at anonymous, aggregated page-view counts to decide what to write next. This is not tied to individual identities.
What we do not collect
No accounts, no advertising profiles, no cross-site tracking pixels, no data brokers. We do not run third-party advertising networks on this site.
Legal basis for processing
Where personal data is processed, our legal bases are: (a) legitimate interest in operating a reliable website and responding to reader correspondence; (b) consent, where explicitly obtained; (c) legal obligation, where applicable.
Cookies and local storage
We use only the cookies or local storage needed for the site to function, such as remembering interface preferences. There are no marketing cookies to opt out of. You can clear or block cookies through your browser settings; some site features may stop working as a result.
Third-party services
Hosting. The site is served by a third-party hosting provider that processes request data as described above under "Basic technical logs." The provider acts as a data processor under our instructions.
Photographs. Photographs are served from the image hosts where the photographers published them (e.g. Flickr, Wikimedia Commons). Your browser makes a request to those hosts when a page loads. Their own privacy policies apply to that request.
Fonts. If the site loads web fonts from an external service, that service may record your IP address briefly to serve the font file.
International data transfers
Our hosting provider may process data in a country other than your own. Where data is transferred outside the EEA or UK, we rely on standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision as permitted by applicable law.
Data retention
Technical logs are kept for no more than 30 days. Reader correspondence is kept for up to two years from the last message. We delete or anonymise data when it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights over the personal data we hold about you:
- Access. Request a copy of the data we hold about you.
- Rectification. Ask us to correct inaccurate data.
- Erasure. Ask us to delete your data where we have no overriding legal reason to keep it.
- Restriction. Request that we limit how we process your data.
- Portability. Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Objection. Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
- Withdraw consent. Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us through our contact page. We will respond to reasonable requests within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.
Google personalised advertising
Google may use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this or other websites. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting:
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.
Changes and contact
Material changes to this policy will be noted by the date at the top of the page. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Reach us through the contact page with any privacy question. Our terms of service cover use of the site itself.