Sachstruktur (sachstruktur.de) is an independent Swedish digital news publisher owned and operated by Sachstruktur Media Ltd., a private company registered in Gibraltar (company number C 92009, Malta Business Registry). We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share your personal data when you visit our website or interact with us. It applies to all visitors, subscribers, tipsters and anyone who contacts our editorial, commercial or support teams.
What personal data do we collect?
We collect the personal data you give us directly, such as your name and email address when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit a tip, contact our editorial team or apply for a commercial partnership. We also collect limited technical data automatically through cookies and similar technologies, including your IP address, browser type, operating system and pages you visit. We never collect sensitive categories of personal data – such as political opinions, health information or biometric data – unless you voluntarily provide it in a message to us, in which case we treat it with particular care and delete it as soon as the purpose is fulfilled. Our fact‑checking team, led by Jessica Fischer (emma.sandberg@sachstruktur.de), may retain correspondence for verification purposes but never shares it outside the organisation.
How do we use your personal data?
We use your personal data only for the specific purpose you provided it: to send you our newsletter (if you subscribed), to respond to your enquiry (if you contacted us via info@sachstruktur.de or another function address), to process a tip or complaint, or to manage a commercial relationship such as an advertising or sponsorship agreement. If you subscribe to our newsletter, we use your email address to deliver it and to measure engagement (opens and clicks) so that we can improve content. We never use your data for automated decision‑making or profiling for marketing purposes. Our Redaktionschef, Franziska Jung (karin.bergstrom@sachstruktur.de), oversees any data use related to newsroom interactions. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
What is our lawful basis for processing?
We rely on your consent where you have actively agreed to receive our newsletter or to allow non‑essential cookies. For most other processing – such as handling a tip, a correction request or a complaint – our lawful basis is our legitimate interest as a news publisher to perform journalistic functions and to operate our business responsibly. Where we process data for affiliate links or sponsored content, our basis is legitimate interest in generating revenue to sustain independent journalism, as disclosed in our Advertising & Affiliate Disclosure. We also process data to comply with legal obligations, such as responding to lawful requests from UK or EU authorities.
Who do we share your data with?
We share your personal data only with trusted service providers who help us run the website, send emails, process payments and analyse traffic. These providers are contractually bound to process data only on our instructions and to meet UK GDPR standards. We do not share data with advertisers or partners for their own purposes unless you have given explicit consent. In the event of a legal request, we may be required to disclose information to a court or regulator, but we will notify you unless prohibited by law. Our company, Sachstruktur Media Ltd., is registered in Gibraltar with a registered office in Malta, and data may be transferred to those jurisdictions under safeguards equivalent to UK law. For more details about our ownership and funding, see our Ownership & Funding page.
How long do we keep your data?
We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected. Newsletter subscriber data is kept until you unsubscribe; tip and complaint correspondence is kept for up to two years after the matter is resolved, unless a longer retention is required for legal or editorial‑standards reasons. Technical data from cookies is retained for the durations set out in our Cookie Policy. We regularly review our data inventories and delete or anonymise records that are no longer needed.
What are your rights under UK GDPR?
You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to request correction if it is inaccurate, and to request erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) where we no longer have a lawful basis to keep it. You also have the right to restrict processing, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to data portability where technically feasible. If you have given consent (e.g. for cookies or the newsletter), you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal. To exercise any of these rights, please contact our editorial team via our Contact page or email info@sachstruktur.de. We will respond within one month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK if you are dissatisfied with our response.
How do we use cookies?
We use cookies and similar technologies to enable essential site functions, to analyse how readers use our site (via anonymised analytics), and to display relevant advertising. Essential cookies are necessary for the website to work and do not require consent. Non‑essential cookies – such as analytics and advertising cookies – are placed only after you give your consent through our cookie banner. You can change your preferences at any time. For full details of the cookies we use, their purposes and retention periods, please see our separate Cookie Policy. Note that our editorial judgement is never influenced by cookie‑driven metrics; our Editorial Policy guarantees independence.
What you can expect from us
You can expect us to treat your personal data with the same care we apply to our journalism: transparently, honestly and with respect for your rights. We will never fabricate or misuse your information. Our Chefredaktör, Florian Schmid (anders.lindqvist@sachstruktur.de), is ultimately responsible for data‑protection compliance and for any decisions that affect your privacy. We train our team – including all named editors and reporters – on data‑handling practices at least once a year. If we ever experience a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority without undue delay. We also commit to keeping this policy under review and updating it when our practices or legal obligations change; the current version was published in 2024.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, about how your personal data is handled, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us. The fastest route is to email our general enquiries address at info@sachstruktur.de or use the form on our Contact page. For matters specifically related to editorial data, you may also reach our Chefredaktör, Florian Schmid, directly. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to refer your concern to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk. We take every privacy query seriously and will acknowledge your message within three working days.