Privacy
What we collect, and why
This page describes what the site's code actually does — not a template. It is not legal advice; if you need a formal compliance assessment, have a lawyer review it.
Browsing the site
No account is required to read anything on this site. No tracking cookie is set to identify you across visits. If the operator has configured Google Analytics (a non-secret, optional runtime toggle), an aggregate analytics script (gtag.js) loads to measure traffic; when it is not configured, none does — nothing in between.
The newsletter (if you subscribe)
The sign-up form asks only for an email address. When you submit it, we store: the address itself, the time you asked to subscribe, the page you subscribed from, and the IP address of that request (used only to slow down abuse of the form, never shown to anyone). We do not ask for your name, and no other page on this site feeds data into the subscriber list.
Double opt-in. Submitting the form does not add you to the list — it sends a confirmation email with a one-time link. Nothing is delivered to your address again unless you click it.
What it’s used for.Sending that confirmation, and — once confirmed — sending the newsletter: currently “The Planet This Week”, one email each Sunday carrying the planet’s vital signs, the week’s disaster alerts and the dated statements this site tracks (see /now). We do not sell, rent, or otherwise share the list, and we do not use it for anything else.
Who processes it
Emails are sent through Mailgun (a Sinch company), acting as our delivery processor. Mailgun receives the recipient address and the message content solely to transmit it, under its own published privacy policy. The subscriber list itself is not handed to Mailgun in bulk — each send passes only the addresses in that batch.
How long we keep it
An address stays on the list until you unsubscribe. Clicking the unsubscribe link in any issue (or the confirmation page it opens) stops all further mail immediately and permanently — this is a one-click, no-login action. We keep the record marked as unsubscribed, rather than deleting it outright, so a resubmitted signup can’t silently re-add you against your wishes.
Your choices
- Don’t submit the sign-up form, and nothing is ever stored.
- Ignore the confirmation email, and the pending signup expires unused.
- Unsubscribe at any time via the link in every issue — no account, no login, no delay.
Sender address (CAN-SPAM)
Dying Pale Blue Dot · PO Box 53, London TW8 0FT, United Kingdom
Questions
This site does not currently monitor a reply inbox for its sending address. For anything else, reach the person behind this project via the link on the about page.