Privacy, plainly.
We run a news site, not a data business. This page explains what little we collect, why, and the rights you have over it under South Africa's POPIA and comparable laws across the continent.
Who is responsible
Airtime.news is operated by Airtime News, the responsible party for personal information processed through this site. Our registered address is 1st Floor, Building 8, 8 Delamore Road, Hillcrest, Durban, 3610, South Africa. Reach the desk through the contact form; privacy requests are routed to our information officer and answered within a reasonable time, and always within the periods POPIA requires.
What we collect, and why
- Newsletter email address. Collected only when you subscribe to The Weekly Wave, on the lawful basis of your consent. Used to send the newsletter and nothing else. Unsubscribe links are in every email, and unsubscribing removes you from the list.
- Contact form details. Your name, email address and message, used to read and respond to your enquiry. That is the whole purpose.
- Functional browser storage. A couple of settings kept in your own browser: your light or dark theme choice, and your analytics choice below. Neither identifies you and neither leaves your device. See cookies and local storage.
- Analytics, only if you accept. We use Google Analytics to understand which stories are read. If you accept, it measures your visit; if you decline or do nothing, it stays off. See cookies and local storage.
We do not run advertising trackers, sell personal information, or build profiles of readers. We use Google Analytics to see which stories land, but it is off by default: until you accept it, Google Consent Mode keeps it in a state that sets no analytics cookies and does not identify you. Accept and it sets standard analytics cookies; decline, or take no action, and it stays off. You can change your mind at any time by clearing this site's browser storage.
Who processes it for us
Our service providers process data on our behalf: Resend (email delivery for the newsletter and contact form), Vercel (website hosting, which produces short-lived technical server logs), and, only for readers who accept analytics, Google (Google Analytics 4). Each may process data outside South Africa, including in the United States. Where information crosses borders we rely on providers whose contractual safeguards meet the standard POPIA section 72 requires.
How long we keep things
Newsletter addresses are kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete you. Contact messages are kept for as long as needed to deal with the enquiry and a reasonable record-keeping period after. Functional settings live in your browser and are yours to clear at any time.
Your rights
Under POPIA, and under comparable laws such as the GDPR where they apply to you, you can ask us at any time to:
- Confirm whether we hold personal information about you, and receive a copy.
- Correct or update it.
- Delete it, including removing you entirely from the newsletter list.
- Object to processing, or withdraw consent you gave earlier.
Use the contact form for any of these. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za, or to your local supervisory authority.
Cookies and local storage
Unless you accept analytics, this site sets no tracking cookies. Your browser stores these functional values, all created by this site and readable only by it:
- airtime-theme: whether you prefer the light or dark look.
- airtime-analytics-consent: whether you accepted or declined analytics, so we do not ask again.
- Form state during submission: momentary, in-page only.
These are strictly functional, hold no personal information and are not shared with anyone. If you accept analytics, Google Analytics additionally sets its own cookies (names beginning _ga) to measure visits; decline, or take no action, and it sets none. You can clear any of these in your browser settings whenever you like, which also resets your analytics choice, and the site keeps working either way.
Children
The site and newsletter are aimed at people working in or entering the podcast industry and are not directed at children.
Changes to this page
This page carries its effective date at the top and is reviewed weekly as part of our compliance process. Material changes are announced on the site, not slipped in quietly.