Southampton Wire (southamptonwire.co.uk) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how Sliema Media Limited, as the data controller, collects, uses, stores and shares your personal data when you visit our site or interact with us. Please read it alongside our Cookie Policy and Terms of Use.
Who is responsible for your data?
Sliema Media Limited (Malta Business Registry C 84217) is the data controller for all personal data collected through Southampton Wire. Our registered office is Level 3, Tower Business Centre, Tower Street, Swatar, Birkirkara BKR 4013, Malta. For UK data protection matters, you can contact our Editor‑in‑Chief William Ashby at william.ashby@southamptonwire.co.uk or call +44 20 4587 9486.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. You have the right to raise a complaint with the ICO at any time via https://ico.org.uk/.
What personal data do we collect and why?
We collect only the personal data you give us or that is necessary to provide our services. This includes your name and email address when you sign up for our newsletter, submit a tip, or contact us via info@southamptonwire.co.uk. We also collect limited technical data such as IP address and browser type to improve site security and performance.
We use your data to send you the newsletters you request, respond to your enquiries, verify your identity when you submit story tips or corrections, and to improve our editorial content. We never sell your personal data to third parties. For detailed information about the data we collect via cookies and tracking technologies, please see our Cookie Policy.
What legal basis do we rely on to process your data?
We process your personal data under one or more of the following lawful bases: your consent (for newsletter subscriptions and cookie preferences), our legitimate interests (to operate a trusted local news service and to respond to reader enquiries), and legal obligations (such as retaining records for tax purposes).
When you subscribe to our newsletter or accept non‑essential cookies, we rely on your freely given consent. You may withdraw consent at any time by unsubscribing or adjusting your cookie settings. For editorial correspondence and tip submissions, our legitimate interest is to verify accuracy and maintain journalistic standards. We always balance this against your privacy rights.
Who do we share your data with?
We share your data only with trusted service providers who help us run the website and send emails. These include our email marketing platform, web hosting provider, and analytics tools. All processors are contractually bound to process data only on our instructions and to protect it with appropriate security measures.
We do not share your personal data with advertisers, sponsors, or any third party for their own marketing purposes. We may disclose data if required by law or to protect the rights, property or safety of Southampton Wire, our readers, or others. We never sell your data.
How long do we keep your data?
We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected. Newsletter subscriber data is kept until you unsubscribe. Correspondence and tip submissions are retained for up to two years after the matter is resolved, unless a longer period is required by law or for editorial verification in the public interest.
Technical logs and analytics data are anonymised or deleted after 26 months. We regularly review our retention schedules to ensure we are not holding data longer than needed. If you wish to have your data deleted earlier, please contact us using the details below.
What are your rights under UK GDPR?
You have the right to access, correct, delete or port your personal data, and to restrict or object to its processing. You also have the right to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise these rights, contact our Editor‑in‑Chief William Ashby using the details in the “Questions or concerns?” section below.
We will respond to your request within one month. If we cannot fulfil your request (for example, where we need to keep data for legal or journalistic purposes), we will explain our reasons. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO via https://ico.org.uk/.
What you can expect from us
We treat your privacy with the same care we apply to our journalism. We will never ask for sensitive personal data unless absolutely necessary, and we will always be clear about how we use information you share with us. Our editorial team – including Managing Editor Sarah Mills and Standards Lead Diane Forbes – follows strict internal policies on data handling.
We publish a Editorial Policy, Fact‑Checking Policy and Corrections Policy that set out our commitment to accuracy and accountability. Our AI & Automation Policy explains how we use digital tools without compromising human editorial judgement. You can learn more about who we are on our Our Team page.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact Editor‑in‑Chief William Ashby at william.ashby@southamptonwire.co.uk or call +44 20 4587 9486. You can also write to our registered office in Malta or use our general enquiries address: info@southamptonwire.co.uk.
We will acknowledge your message within five working days and do our best to resolve any concerns. You also have the right to complain to the ICO (0303 123 1113) if you are not satisfied with our response. For more details about our company and values, visit our About Us page.