Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 2026.
Who we are
The War Dispatch (operating at thewardispatch.com) is an independent conflict-analysis publication. Editorial inquiries and privacy questions: our contact form.
What we collect
We do not directly collect personal data from readers. The site is statically generated and served via Netlify; we do not run a database of reader accounts or contact records. The only personal data that flows from your visit is what is collected by third-party services we use to operate the site:
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4), page-view counts, anonymized session metrics, approximate geographic region (country/city), device type, browser, referrer URL. Used to understand which articles readers find valuable. GA4 sets a small number of cookies (
_ga,_ga_*) that expire after 24 months. - Google AdSense / Ezoic (or other Google-authorized ad partners), sets cookies and may use device fingerprinting signals to serve relevant advertising. May share data with advertising bidders under Google's standard publisher terms.
- Font and asset CDNs, Google Fonts, jsDelivr, Unsplash, and Wikimedia Commons receive your IP address and basic browser metadata when serving fonts, scripts, and images. We use these CDNs because they are fast and free; we do not control their data practices beyond linking to their published policies.
Cookies
EU and UK visitors are presented with a consent banner before any tracking cookie is set. If you reject tracking, GA4 and advertising scripts are not loaded for your session. Strictly necessary cookies (for example, your consent choice itself, stored in localStorage) are set regardless. You can clear your browser's cookies and site data at any time to reset all stored preferences.
Google and other third-party vendors use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising through Google Ads Settings, and opt out of additional third-party vendors at aboutads.info/choices (US) or youronlinechoices.eu (EU). For ads served via Ezoic, see Ezoic's privacy policy for its full list of advertising partners.
Data subject rights
If you are an EU, UK, or California resident, you have the right to request information about what personal data has been collected, request deletion, and object to processing. We do not directly hold a database of reader identities, so most data-subject requests should be directed at the underlying service (Google for GA4 and AdSense data). For requests that involve content we publish or correspondence we hold via the editorial email address, write to our contact form and we will respond within 30 days.
Children
The site is intended for an adult audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when material changes happen to our data practices or the third parties we rely on. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the current version. Material changes will be announced in a brief note on the site for at least 30 days.
Contact
Privacy questions or data-subject requests: our contact form.