Privacy policy

Information we collect

When you read FactHub

Our hosting and security systems may process routine technical information such as your IP address, request time, requested URL, browser or client type, response status, and performance data. When Application Insights is enabled, FactHub also records page views, client-side errors, browser performance, and limited interaction events such as opening a source or using a share control. If another site linked you here, we record only that site's address (such as bing.com), not the page you came from. If you are signed in, browser telemetry notes only that the reader was signed in, not which account.

FactHub configures its browser telemetry without cookies. Browser privacy tools may block that telemetry. To count how many different readers visit each day, when IP hashing is configured our server combines your IP address and browser type with a secret key that changes every day and records only the resulting one-way code with its request logs; the code is never sent to or stored on your device, can't be turned back into your IP address, and can't link your visits on different days. We do not put feedback text, challenge bodies, email addresses, credentials, access tokens, or private submission content into application telemetry.

When you search from the homepage, FactHub stores the search text, result count, request time, and browser user agent so we can understand what readers are looking for. When IP hashing is configured, we also store a keyed one-way hash of the client IP address for abuse detection and aggregate diagnostics; we do not store the raw IP address with the search record. Results update as you type, but we record a search only once you settle on it, not each partial word.

When you request a fact check

When you ask us to fact-check something, FactHub stores what you asked us to check, anything else you added, the search that led to the request, your name and email, your newsletter choice, and when you sent it. Requests are private: only FactHub administrators can see them, and we never show them on the site. We use them to decide what to write next and to email you about your request, such as when its fact-check is published. The newsletter choice is separate, optional, and unchecked by default.

When you send feedback or challenge a fact-check

Feedback may be shown publicly. The same rules apply whether you use the website or an MCP server:

• May be public: your summary, category, details, the statement you dispute, evidence URLs, severity, the article, chart, or dataset version and elements you referenced, when you sent it, and how FactHub resolved it, including the reason.
• Never public: your name, email address, and newsletter choice. Only FactHub administrators can see them.

The website feedback form asks for your name and email so FactHub can follow up; they are never shown. Please don't put personal information in the public fields. A newsletter choice is separate, optional, and unchecked by default.

The newsletter sign-up form asks only for your email address, and stores it the same way, never shown. Newsletter delivery is not currently active. If you sign up, or opt in on a feedback form or a fact-check request, we will start sending it when it launches, and every newsletter will include a way to unsubscribe.

When you use an MCP server

FactHub may store the tool request, submitted article or report, the exact article version and digest it concerns, timestamps, moderation state, and optional client or model information supplied by the caller. Anonymous MCP metadata is self-reported and does not prove that a particular AI created a submission. Administrative MCP requests also require authentication.

How we use information

We use collected information to:

• Deliver, secure, diagnose, and improve the website and MCP services.
• Review feedback, challenges, proposed evidence, audits, and article drafts.
• Decide which fact-checks to write next, from searches and requests.
• Respond to a submission when contact information was provided.
• Correct or update articles and preserve an accountable revision history.
• Prevent spam, abuse, unauthorized access, and excessive automated traffic.
• Measure aggregate readership and service reliability.
• Comply with legal obligations and protect users, FactHub, and the public.

Feedback does not change an article automatically. Its public fields may be shown on the feedback page for the article, chart, or dataset it is about, before and after FactHub reviews it. FactHub hides spam, abuse, and feedback that exposes someone's personal information. We never publish a submitter's name or email address.

When information is disclosed

We do not sell personal information or email addresses. Information may be processed by service providers that operate FactHub, including Microsoft Azure for hosting, storage, security, and telemetry. Those providers process information on FactHub's behalf under their applicable contractual and security terms.

We may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to:

• Comply with law, legal process, or a valid government request.
• Investigate fraud, abuse, security incidents, or threats to safety.
• Protect FactHub's rights and the integrity of the service.
• Complete a reorganization or transfer of the service, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Articles link to external sources. Those sites have their own privacy practices, and this policy does not govern them.

Retention and security

We retain submission records for as long as reasonably needed to review them, respond, prevent abuse, document editorial decisions, and maintain an accountable article history. Operational logs and telemetry are retained according to the configured Azure service retention settings. Backup copies may remain until their normal expiration.

FactHub uses access controls, private storage, encrypted HTTPS transport, request limits, and administrative authentication to protect information. No internet service can guarantee absolute security. Please do not submit secrets, confidential records, or sensitive personal information that is unnecessary for reviewing your evidence.

Your choices

• You may read published articles without creating an account.
• You may send feedback or request a fact check without subscribing to the newsletter.
• You may block browser telemetry with browser privacy controls.
• You may ask us to review, correct, or delete personal information, subject to legal and editorial recordkeeping obligations.

To make a privacy request, use the privacy request form. Privacy requests are never shown publicly: only FactHub administrators can see them. We may need to verify that a request concerns information belonging to you before acting on it.

Children and changes to this policy

FactHub is a general-audience information service and is not directed to children. Please do not submit a child's personal information through a feedback or challenge form.

We may update this policy as the service changes. Material changes will be reflected on this page with a new last-updated date.