Privacy Policy

Last updated: 26 June 2026

This policy explains how COLD//RIOT collects and uses personal data when you visit the site, subscribe, contact us, submit material, attend or register interest in events, or interact with editorial features.

1. Personal data we may collect

Depending on how you use COLD//RIOT, we may collect:

• Contact details, such as your name, email address, social handle, organisation or role.
• Newsletter preferences.
• Messages, pitches, press releases, event submissions, correction requests, rights requests or other correspondence you send us.
• Contributor, photographer, artist, brand, venue or event information where you provide it for editorial or submission purposes.
• Technical data, such as IP address, device/browser type, pages visited, referrer, approximate location, cookie identifiers and analytics events.

2. How we collect data

We may collect data directly from you, automatically through the site, from newsletter or form providers, from analytics tools, from social platforms where you interact with us, from public sources, and from editorial submissions or press contacts.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data to:

• Operate, secure and improve the site.
• Send newsletters, event updates or other communications you request.
• Review submissions, tips, event listings, pitches and contributor material.
• Respond to contact, correction, rights, privacy and support requests.
• Plan, produce, fact-check, edit and publish editorial content.
• Understand readership, performance and search/social growth.
• Comply with legal obligations and protect our rights, readers and contributors.

4. Lawful bases under UK GDPR / EU GDPR

Where UK or EU data protection law applies, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Consent, for example for optional emails or non-essential cookies where required.
• Contract, where we need data to provide a service you requested.
• Legitimate interests, such as running an editorial publication, improving the site, measuring performance, responding to enquiries, preventing abuse and conducting journalism.
• Legal obligation, where we must keep or disclose information to comply with law.

5. Agentic models and agentic processing

COLD//RIOT may use agentic models and agentic workflow tools to support editorial research, drafting, summarisation, QA, metadata, image review, content planning, search optimisation, internal workflow and reader/product insight. These tools may process text, source notes, public information, submitted material or internal editorial data.

We aim to avoid feeding sensitive personal data into agentic modelling systems unless there is a clear operational reason and appropriate safeguards. Agentic processing supports our workflow but does not replace human editorial responsibility. Where agentic modelling tools are provided by third parties, their processing may be subject to their own security and data-processing terms.

6. Cookies and analytics

We may use essential cookies, analytics cookies, embedded media cookies and similar technologies. See our Cookie Policy for more detail.

7. Newsletter

If you subscribe to emails, we use your details to send the communications you requested and related COLD//RIOT updates. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in emails or by contacting us through the route provided on the site.

8. Submissions and editorial material

If you submit tips, images, event details, pitches, press materials or other information, we may use that material to assess, produce, verify and publish editorial coverage. Do not send private, confidential or sensitive information unless you are comfortable with us reviewing it for editorial purposes.

9. Sharing data

We may share data with trusted service providers that help us operate COLD//RIOT, such as hosting, analytics, email, forms, CMS, security, agentic workflow, ticketing or collaboration tools. We may also share data where required by law or to protect rights and safety.

We do not sell your personal data.

10. International transfers

Some service providers may process data outside the UK or European Economic Area. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses or provider data-processing terms.

11. Retention

We keep personal data only as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy, including editorial records, legal obligations, security and dispute resolution. Newsletter data is kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it, unless we need limited records for legal or suppression purposes.

12. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to or receive a copy of your personal data, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. To exercise rights, use the contact route provided on the site.

If you are in the UK, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk. If you are in the EU, you may contact your local supervisory authority.

13. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. No website, email system or online service is completely secure, so you should avoid sending highly sensitive information unless necessary.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as COLD//RIOT develops. The version on this page is the current version.