Privacy Notice

SERIOUS

FIRST SEEN 2026-09-23 · VERSION 20260923_rev01 · FIRST CAPTURED VERSION

What changed, in plain language

The Independent restructured its access tiers into a free/Standard Access option, an Ad Free subscription, and an All Access membership. Previously, buying any subscription meant no ad tracking — now the new paid 'Standard Access' tier still requires you to consent to targeted-advertising cookies and third-party data sharing, unlike the two pricier tiers. The company also doubled how long it keeps customer-service complaint records (3 to 6 years) and swapped a partner's real privacy-policy link for an unrelated marketing redirect. Most other edits are renaming ('Premium' articles to 'member exclusive' articles), a new listed right to complain, and contact-detail/grammar fixes.

Changes that may affect you

Paying for the new 'Standard Access' tier no longer stops your data being shared with ad partnersSERIOUS

DATA SHARING

Before, paying for any Independent subscription meant your data wasn't shared with third-party advertising partners like LiveRamp, The Trade Desk, and Amazon Publisher Services, and you weren't forced to consent to targeted-ad tracking. Now there's a new paid 'Standard Access' tier that does NOT get this protection — only the pricier Ad Free subscription or All Access membership do. If you sign up for Standard Access, you're still tracked and your data is still shared with advertisers, just like free readers.

“If you have purchased an All Access membership or an Ad Free subscription , this next section does not apply to you.”

What you can do — If you want to avoid ad tracking and data sharing, choose the Ad Free subscription or All Access membership rather than Standard Access, or use the 'Privacy Settings' link in the footer to withdraw consent.

Customer service complaint records now kept for 6 years instead of 3MATERIAL

DATA RETENTION

If you contact customer service, a record of that query used to be deleted after 3 years but will now be kept for at least 6 years.

“A record of a customer service query is retained for at least six years from the date it was submitted to us.”

Free article allowance changed from a weekly to a monthly limitMINOR

OTHER

Registered readers used to get a set number of free 'Premium' articles each week; now the same type of allowance ('member exclusive' articles) is measured per month instead. Depending on the actual number allowed, this could mean fewer free articles than before.

“If you want to receive a select number of member exclusive articles a month you will need to register for an account.”

Partner privacy policy link redirected to an unrelated marketing pageMINOR

OTHER

The link meant to show you Amazon Publisher Services' actual privacy policy now points instead to an unrelated affiliate/marketing redirect link, making it harder to review how that partner handles your data.

“The APS Privacy Notice can be found [here](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx): [https://aps.amazon.com/aps/privacy-policy/](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx)”

What you can do — Search for Amazon Publisher Services' privacy policy directly if you want to review it, rather than using the link in this document.

Changelog

± CHANGEDNew tiered access model introduced
The two-option system (free-with-ads or paid-ad-free) is replaced with three options: browsing free or with a 'Standard Access' membership (both requiring ad-tracking consent), or paying for an 'Ad Free' subscription or an 'All Access' membership to avoid tracking.
There are now two ways to read our content. Either you can choose to consent to us using your data to serve you targeted advertising, or alternatively we offer the choice to read our content ad free and without advertising tracking cookies enabled, by paying for a subscription.
There are now several ways to read our content. If you wish to browse _The Independent_ website for free or with a Standard Access membership, we provide a choice for you to consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies which we will use to serve relevant personalised advertising and to improve our service.
± CHANGEDPaid 'Standard Access' members no longer exempt from ad-partner data sharing
Previously, buying any subscription meant this section on sharing your data with advertising partners (LiveRamp, Trade Desk, APS) didn't apply to you. Now only the pricier Ad Free subscription or All Access membership are exempt — the new paid Standard Access tier is not.
If you have purchased one of our subscriptions, this next section does not apply to you.
If you have purchased an All Access membership or an Ad Free subscription , this next section does not apply to you.
± CHANGEDPaid 'Standard Access' members still required to consent to targeted-ad data processing
Previously, having any subscription meant you weren't forced to consent to targeted-advertising data processing. Now only Ad Free subscribers and All Access members are exempt — Standard Access members must still consent.
Unless you have purchased one of our subscriptions, you will be required to provide your consent to us processing your personal data for targeted advertising in order to access our content.
Unless you have purchased an All Access membership or an Ad Free subscription, you will be required to provide your consent to us processing your personal data for targeted advertising in order to access our content.
± CHANGED'Premium' articles renamed and free-article allowance changed from weekly to monthly
The free-article program for registered readers is renamed from 'Premium articles' to 'member exclusive articles,' and the allowance period changes from a weekly count to a monthly count.
If you want to receive a select number of Premium articles a week you will need to register for an account.
If you want to receive a select number of member exclusive articles a month you will need to register for an account.
− REMOVEDRemoved separate tracking of app article limits
The document no longer separately describes monitoring how many articles you read on The Independent's app to prompt a subscription request; only website monitoring is now mentioned.
Monitoring the number of articles you read on The Independent app. This is so that we can request users subscribe once they have read the maximum number of articles on the app.
± CHANGEDCustomer service query records kept twice as long
Records of customer service queries are now kept for six years instead of three years.
A record of a customer service query is retained for at least three years from the date it was submitted to us.
A record of a customer service query is retained for at least six years from the date it was submitted to us.
± CHANGEDLink to Amazon APS privacy notice now points elsewhere
The link labeled as leading to Amazon Publisher Services' privacy policy now actually points to an unrelated affiliate-marketing redirect URL instead of APS's real privacy policy page.
The APS Privacy Notice can be found [here](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx): [https://aps.amazon.com/aps/privacy-policy/](https://aps.amazon.com/aps/privacy-policy/)
The APS Privacy Notice can be found [here](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx): [https://aps.amazon.com/aps/privacy-policy/](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx)
± CHANGEDNon-optional service messages now include subscription-content reminders
The list of service messages you cannot opt out of now also includes messages telling you what's included in your subscription, in addition to changes or expired payment methods.
For example, if your subscription is changing, or your payment method has expired. You will not be able to opt-out from receiving these service messages unless you no longer wish to use the services.
For example, to tell you what's included in your subscription or if your subscription is changing, or your payment method has expired. You will not be able to opt-out from receiving these service messages unless you no longer wish to use the services.
± CHANGEDMarketing emails no longer mention subscription benefits
Optional marketing emails about events and launches no longer mention 'subscription benefits' as a topic, narrowing what such emails may cover.
we may also send you newsletters or emails about our events, subscription benefits or new launches and website developments.
we may also send you newsletters or emails about our events, new launches or website developments.
+ ADDEDNew 'Right to complain' added to list of data rights
A new right is explicitly listed, letting you know you can complain if unhappy with how your data was handled.
Right to complain - you can make a complaint if you are unhappy with how we've handled your data.
± CHANGEDCustomer service phone number updated
The phone number for contacting the company changed.
0203 615 2990
0204 634 5020
± CHANGEDSection heading and minor wording updates
Section heading changed from 'raising concerns' to 'raising complaints,' 'subscription' relabeled 'membership' in places, a grammar typo fixed, and the document date updated.
Exercising your rights, asking questions and raising concerns
Exercising your rights, asking questions and raising complaints

Full text changes

COLOUR MARKS THE SEVERITY OF A FLAGGED CLAUSE · + AND − MARK ADDED AND REMOVED

 Exercising your rights, asking questions and raising concerns
 Contact details for exercising your rights, asking questions and raising concerns
 At _The Independent_ we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This privacy policy is for visitors to our websites, apps and other digital platforms. It sets out how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal data that we hold about you. It also gives information on how to exercise your legal rights. In this policy 'we' and 'our' means Independent Digital News and Media Limited.
+There are now two ways to read our content. Either you can choose to consent to us using your data to serve you targeted advertising, or alternatively we offer the choice to read our content ad free and without advertising tracking cookies enabled, by paying for a subscription.
+There are now several ways to read our content. If you wish to browse _The Independent_ website for free or with a Standard Access membership, we provide a choice for you to consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies which we will use to serve relevant personalised advertising and to improve our service. Alternatively we offer the choice to read our content ad free and without advertising tracking cookies enabled, by purchasing either an Ad Free subscription or an All Access membership.
 The majority of _The Independent_'s articles are free to read if you consent to us processing your personal data for advertising purposes. That means when you provide us with your personal data, you allow us to improve your experience of our products and services as well as helping to support our quality independent journalism.
 You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy Settings' in the footer of any page. If you do withdraw your consent, the cookie banner will appear again and you will be asked to choose how you would like to browse _The Independent_.
 Personal information is any information that can identify you and can include:
 - Your name, email address, and year of birth, home address (if you've asked us to send something to your home address).
 - Information about your device (your computer, mobile, tablet etc). For example your unique device ID, advertising ID, type of browser, and IP address. An IP address is a numerical code which identifies your device. It can provide information about the country, region or city where you are based.
 - How you browse our websites, such as the pages you visit and links you click on.
+- Details of products or services you buy, for example a subscription to _The Independent_.
+- Details of products or services you buy, for example a membership to The Independent.
 - Debit or credit card details if you buy a product or service (these are collected via a secure third party payment provider and are not held on our systems).
 When we refer to "personal information" in this policy, we are referencing "personal data" as defined under UK and EU data protection law, as well as "personal information" as it is defined under California law.
 We collect your personal information in one of the following ways, in line with the relevant data protection laws:
 . Information we receive about you from other organisations, including social media logins.
 More information about this is set out below.
 ) Personal information you provide directly to us.
+_When you register for an account to read Premium articles._
+_When you register for an account to read member exclusive articles._
+If you want to receive a select number of Premium articles a week you will need to register for an account. We will ask for your first name, email address, password and year of birth. Readers under the age of 18 should not register for an account.
+If you want to receive a select number of member exclusive articles a month you will need to register for an account. We will ask for your first name, email address, password and year of birth. Readers under the age of 18 should not register for an account.
 _When you comment on our website_
 If you plan to comment on our website, you will need to register for an account and provide us with a commenting name. When you comment publicly on an article on our site, we would recommend you don't share any sensitive personal information. We are not responsible for the information you choose to post online. Please see a link to our Community Guidelines on commenting [here](https://independent.co.uk/service/community-guidelines-a6075176.html).
+_When you take out a subscription or attend an event_
+_When you purchase a membership or attend an event_
 If you are subscribing to one of our paid-for products, in addition to your name, email address, password and year of birth, you will also need to provide your billing address and payment card information. Your payment details are not held on our systems. Instead they are handled by a secure, trusted third party provider.
 We may also collect this information if you attend one of our paid-for ticketed events.
 If you attend one of our virtual events, we will share your full name, prefix and email address with the platform hosting the event. We may share your company name but only if you choose to provide this.
 ) Information from your devices
 _Cookies and other online identifiers_
 We collect data about our website's visitors using technology such as cookies, device IDs, IP addresses and general location or country. This may include your IP address, information about your browser or operating system and will include your email (only ever in secure 'hashed', pseudonymous form). If you would like to know more about our use of cookies and how to manage them, please read our [Cookie Policy](https://independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html).
+If you have purchased one of our subscriptions, this next section does not apply to you. If you accept the use of advertising cookies on our website, then when you use our website and enter your email address on our website (either to log in, or to sign up for a newsletter, or similar), we may share information that we collect from you with trusted partners. This may include your IP address, information about your browser or operating system or your email (only ever in secure 'hashed', pseudonymous form). Our partners use this information to create an online identification code to be able to recognise you on your devices. This code may be shared with advertising companies to enable interest-based and targeted advertising, that is more relevant to you. This code does not contain any of your directly identifiable personal data and will not be used to re-identify you. We and the below partners process your data to create this code as joint controllers under data protection law.
+If you have purchased an All Access membership or an Ad Free subscription , this next section does not apply to you. If you accept the use of advertising cookies on our website, then when you use our website and enter your email address on our website (either to log in, or to sign up for a newsletter, or similar), we may share information that we collect from you with trusted partners. This may include your IP address, information about your browser or operating system or your email (only ever in secure 'hashed', pseudonymous form). Our partners use this information to create an online identification code to be able to recognise you on your devices. This code may be shared with advertising companies to enable interest-based and targeted advertising, that is more relevant to you. This code does not contain any of your directly identifiable personal data and will not be used to re-identify you. We and the below partners process your data to create this code as joint controllers under data protection law.
 Detailed information on our partners' data processing activities is available in their privacy policies by clicking below.
 [LiveRamp](https://liveramp.com/opt_out/)
 To opt-out of your data being used by LiveRamp in this way, please visit [https://liveramp.com/opt\_out/](https://liveramp.com/opt_out/)
 [Trade Desk](https://www.transparentadvertising.eu/)
 To opt out of your data being used by The Trade Desk in this way, please visit [https://www.transparentadvertising.eu/](https://www.transparentadvertising.eu/)
 When you enter your email address to create an account or sign-up to a newsletter or marketing, we may also share your email address in a hashed form with Amazon Publisher Services (APS). APS then links this hashed email to a profile which they may already hold related to that email address. The hashed email will be used in a secure, pseudonymised form within a cookie to flag to APS whenever you visit The Independent site. APS will use this to determine, in real-time, if any of their business customers want to market to a profile similar to yours. If this is the case they may initiate an advert which will appear to you on The Independent website.
+The APS Privacy Notice can be found [here](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx): [https://aps.amazon.com/aps/privacy-policy/](https://aps.amazon.com/aps/privacy-policy/)
+The APS Privacy Notice can be found [here](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx): [https://aps.amazon.com/aps/privacy-policy/](http://buy.geni.us/Proxy.ashx)
 Please see our [Cookie Policy](https://independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) for more information.
 We are signed up to the latest version of IAB Europe's Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) version 2.2 and comply with its specifications and policies. What this means is that we treat the personal information that we and our partners collect through cookies in a transparent and data privacy compliant way.
 _Market research, user testing panel and surveys_
 We may ask you to attend face-to-face Zoom interviews with us or a partner that we have commissioned on our behalf. However, participation is voluntary and you are free to decline the invitations at any time. We may also send you links to short surveys and your responses to these surveys will be anonymous. If you agree to be a part of the panel, we will re-contact you after a year to ask if you wish to continue to be a part of the panel and give you a chance to opt out.
 We may use the feedback you provide in our surveys or as part of our user testing panel, as quotes on our website, or in internal and external presentations in connection with the research study and our publications. However where we do this we will ensure that the quote is anonymous - unless you give us your permission to use your name, photograph or screenshots of you during any Zoom interviews.
 ) Information we generate about you.
+When you register for an Independent account, take out a subscription for The Independent or sign up for one of our newsletters, we assign you a unique ID number. We use your unique ID to recognise you when you are logged in. We also use it to ensure we remember your preferences such as which newsletter you have signed up to.
+When you register for an Independent account, take out a subscription or membership (subsequently referred to as a 'subscription') for The Independent or sign up for one of our newsletters, we assign you a unique ID number. We use your unique ID to recognise you when you are logged in. We also use it to ensure we remember your preferences such as which newsletter you have signed up to.
 For readers who have not registered or subscribed, and are browsing our site anonymously, we assign you a unique ID number based on your device which remembers your browsing behaviour. This ID cannot identify you unless you then register or subscribe, after which we will link your anonymous browsing behaviour to your ID. This is so we can offer you a more personalised and engaging experience when you register or subscribe.
 We also assign you a unique ID number which remembers your browsing behaviour. This includes how long you spend on an article, what types of articles you read (e.g. travel, politics, sports and so on) and how many, as well as how often you visit our website or app. This is so we can personalise the site and our communications to you, and where you have consented to this, we also deliver tailored advertising that is more relevant to your interests.
 We provide each reader with a cookie ID for analytics purposes, so we can recognise when you come back on to our site using one of your devices such as your laptop or mobile phone. We do this so we know how many individuals come back to our site.
 We only conduct market research and send you surveys if you have consented to this.
 We will send you push notifications from our apps, and/or send you browser notifications when you are visiting our app or website, only where you have consented.
 We will only process your data for marketing purposes to inform you about our products, services or promotional offers that you might find interesting where you have consented to this.
+Unless you have purchased one of our subscriptions, you will be required to provide your consent to us processing your personal data for targeted advertising in order to access our content. The remaining paragraphs of this section apply to such non-subscribers.
+Unless you have purchased an All Access membership or an Ad Free subscription, you will be required to provide your consent to us processing your personal data for targeted advertising in order to access our content. The remaining paragraphs of this section apply to such non-subscribers.
 We may tailor advertising you see on our website based on the type of articles you read, so it is more relevant to your interests. We do this by allocating your ID to relevant interest groups or segments based on your reading behaviour. For example, if you have read three articles about travel or commented on a travel article in the last 30 days, or if you have visited a travel website prior to coming onto our website we may place your ID into the travel segment, and you will subsequently be shown more travel-related advertising. If your reading behaviour is similar to that shown for our travel audience, we may include your ID in our 'lookalike' travel segment for some campaigns.
 We will never use any sensitive data (also known as special category data) for this purpose. Please read our [Cookie Policy](https://independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) for more information about this.
 We may personalise advertising to you based on the information that you provide us when you register for an account. For example, we may aggregate your age (based on year of birth that you provide us when you register) into groups e.g. 24-35 year olds, if an advertiser would like to target their ad campaigns to this demographic. As well as using your online browsing behaviour and your demographic information to personalise the advertising you receive, we may also use this aggregated information for reporting and analytics purposes. For example, to see how well a particular ad campaign has performed.
 - Logging and using information about any service errors or interruptions that you have experienced in order to help us create fixes and to make technical improvements to our website.
 - Security and fraud prevention.
 - Verifying your identity and remembering you (for example when you return to the website and have already logged in).
 - Enabling you to share our content with others using social media or email.
 - Administering competitions and informing you if you have been successful in any competitions or promotions.
 - Keeping you updated about our products and services, in line with your communication preferences.
+- Monitoring the number of Premium articles you read as a registered user on The Independent website. This is so we can request users subscribe once they have read the maximum number of Premium articles over a given period of time.
+- Monitoring the number of articles you read on The Independent app. This is so that we can request users subscribe once they have read the maximum number of articles on the app.
+- Monitoring the number of member exclusive articles you read as a registered user on The Independent website. This is so we can request users subscribe once they have read the maximum number of member exclusive articles over a given period of time.
 - Analysing what articles you have read so we can improve our content and make recommendations to you.
 - Improving the design and style of the website.
 - Responding to your feedback on our products, services and website and app functionality
 - Ensuring that we are paid the correct amount of commission by our advertising partners if you buy a product or service from our website.
 - Allowing us to measure advertising campaigns, ensure readers do not see the same advertisements too many times, and ensure advertisements are served in appropriate environments for our clients.
 ## **How can you access and update your personal information?**
 If you are a registered user or subscriber, you can update your personal information by signing in to your account page. In all other cases, please contact [Customer Services](https://help.independent.co.uk/hc/en-us).
 You can also ask for a copy of the personal information we may hold about you, or for your data to be deleted via the above Customer Services form.
+If you wish to contact us by telephone, our number is 0203 615 2990.
+If you wish to contact us by telephone, our number is **0204 634 5020**.
 We will keep your information only for as long as it is relevant and useful for the purpose for which it was originally collected.
 If your account appears to have not been used for two years, we will try and contact you to check whether it is still in use and/or we will delete it. Please note that any comments associated with your account will also be deleted.
 If you do not read the newsletters that you have subscribed to, we will suppress your name from the relevant list after six months.
 If you purchase a subscription, we will retain your data for at least 12 months after your subscription ends in case there are any outstanding billing or other customer service issues.
+A record of a customer service query is retained for at least three years from the date it was submitted to us.
+A record of a customer service query is retained for at least six years from the date it was submitted to us.
 We retain cookie data and corresponding third party data for 13 months from when it was collected from your device. For more information about cookies, please read our [Cookie Policy](https://independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html).
+We may need to retain your data for a longer period if there is a legal claim or if we are required to so by any regulation. We may also retain your personal information to ensure we do not contact you if you have asked us not to.
+We may need to retain your data for a longer period if there is a legal claim or if we are required to do so by any regulation. We may also retain your personal information to ensure we do not contact you if you have asked us not to.
 We are fully committed to keeping your personal information safe and we take measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, as you will appreciate, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed as 100% secure.
 _Sharing with the Group's companies_
 We may disclose your personal information to our sister companies: Independent Digital News and Media LLC and Evening Standard Limited.
 You should be aware that by using the website and those of our partners or any website we link through to, your personal data may be processed in or transferred to other countries, the USA for example, and you agree to your personal data being transferred or processed in this way.
 Your personal data will only be stored or transferred within the UK, EEA, US or other countries using Standard Contractual Clauses, or other safeguards that have been approved by the relevant regulatory body.
 If you are located in the UK or the EEA, you may contact us for a copy of the safeguards which we have put in place for the transfer of your personal data outside the UK or the EEA.
+We will contact you in accordance with your preferences. From time to time we may contact you by email or browser or app push notification to give you service information. For example, if your subscription is changing, or your payment method has expired. You will not be able to opt-out from receiving these service messages unless you no longer wish to use the services.
+We will contact you in accordance with your preferences. From time to time we may contact you by email or browser or app push notification to give you service information. For example, to tell you what's included in your subscription or if your subscription is changing, or your payment method has expired. You will not be able to opt-out from receiving these service messages unless you no longer wish to use the services.
+If we have your permission we may also send you newsletters or emails about our events, subscription benefits or new launches and website developments.
+If we have your permission we may also send you newsletters or emails about our events, new launches or website developments.
+You can manage your preferences and subscriptions to newsletters and emails by signing into to your Independent account. You can also unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of the email (or also at the top of emails if you use Yahoo or Gmail). When you unsubscribe from marketing emails, we will add your email to a list to make sure we don't send you any marketing information going forward. For more help on managing your account, visit our [help centre](https://help.independent.co.uk/hc/en-us/categories/360000889833-My-Account).
+You can manage your preferences and subscriptions to newsletters and emails by signing into your Independent account. You can also unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of the email (or also at the top of emails if you use Yahoo or Gmail). When you unsubscribe from marketing emails, we will add your email to a list to make sure we don't send you any marketing information going forward. For more help on managing your account, visit our [help centre](https://help.independent.co.uk/hc/en-us/categories/360000889833-My-Account).
 Occasionally we may ask you if you would like to participate in market research or respond to you if you have made a complaint or have logged a query.
 Right of access - you can ask for a copy of the data that we hold about you.
 Right of rectification - you can ask us to correct data that we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.
 Right of portability - you can ask for us to transfer the data we hold about you to another company.
 Right to object - you can object to us using your data where we are relying on a legitimate interest to use it.
 Right to withdraw your consent - you can withdraw your consent at any time.
+Please note that these rights are not absolute and certain may exemptions apply. For more information about these rights, please visit the ICO's website at: [https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/](https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/).
+Right to complain - you can make a complaint if you are unhappy with how we've handled your data.
+Please note that these rights are not absolute and certain exemptions may apply. For more information about these rights, please visit the ICO's website at: [https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/](https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/).
 We will respond to your requests within one calendar month as per our statutory obligations.
 We may ask for proof of identity to be able to proceed with your request in order to meet our data protection obligations. We do not usually charge for making a request, but we may charge a fee in accordance with the relevant laws in certain circumstances.
 Please note the Independent is a media organisation and publisher. This means we may be subject to certain exemptions under data protection law when we process personal data for the purposes of journalism. These exemptions apply to some of the ways the Independent uses personal data. This privacy policy does not cover personal data that the Independent processes for the purposes of journalism.
 You provide this directly to us when registering or taking out a subscription. We also obtain this from partners, service providers or public sources.
 Purpose: To register or subscribe to the Independent, to manage your account; respond to your inquiries or requests and communicate with you; to send you email newsletters and push notifications if you choose to receive these; running our events; providing customer services; verifying customer information; administering competitions, customisation of ads to make the advertising on our sites more relevant.
 _Internet or other electronic network activity information_
+Examples: Browsing history, search history, geolocation data and information regarding your interaction with website, app, or advertisement - through use of cookies or similar technologies.
+Examples: Browsing history, search history, geolocation data and information regarding your interaction with a website, app, or advertisement - through use of cookies or similar technologies.
 Purpose: Personalising our site and advertising to make it more relevant to you, marketing and promoting products and services, tailoring our communications to you, improving our understanding of readers to ensure the best content and services
 _Personal Characteristics_
 Examples: In some circumstances, we may collect PI that is considered protected under U.S. law, such as age and gender. We abide by the legal requirements imposed under applicable law in regard to such information. You either provide this to us or we infer it from information we hold about you.
 You may also use an authorized agent to make requests to exercise your rights under CCPA as described above. We will take steps both to verify your identity, and to verify that your agent has been authorized to make a request on your behalf through providing us with a signed written authorization or a copy of a power of attorney.
 We endeavour to respond to a verifiable request within 45 days of its receipt. If we require more time (up to 90 days), we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing.
 Please note that some of these rights are not absolute and exemptions may apply in certain circumstances.
+## **Exercising your rights, asking questions and raising concerns**
+## **Exercising your rights, asking questions and raising complaints**
 If you have any queries or comments about this privacy policy, or you would like to make a request, please contact us using our online form available here: [Customer Services](https://help.independent.co.uk/hc/en-us/requests/new).
+If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data or your request, please get in touch with us in the first instance using our online form: [Customer Services](https://help.independent.co.uk/hc/en-us/requests/new). You may also get in touch with our Data Protection Officer. Their contact details are in the table below. If you're still not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) whose contact information is also provided in the table below.
+If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data or your request and you would like to make a complaint, please get in touch with us in the first instance using our online form: [Customer Services](https://help.independent.co.uk/hc/en-us/requests/new). You may also get in touch with our Data Protection Officer. Their contact details are in the table below. If you're still not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) whose contact information is also provided in the table below.
 Contact Name: **Information Commissioner's Office**
 Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, United Kingdom
 Contact Info: 0303 123 1113; [https://ico.org.uk/concerns/](https://ico.org.uk/concerns/)
 Contact name: Nicola Mckilligan-Regan
 Address: Alphabeta Building, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London, United Kingdom, EC2A 1AH
+Contact info: [dpo@independent.co.uk](mailto:dpo@independent.co.uk)
+Contact info: dpo@independent.co.uk
 If you are based in the EEA please contact our EU Representative:
 Contact name: IDNML EU Representative
 Address: IDNML EU REP c/o Kazient Privacy Experts, 77 Lower Camden Street, Dublin, Ireland, D02 XE80
+Contact info: [idnml.eurep@kazient.eu](mailto:idnml.eurep@kazient.eu)
+Contact info: idnml.eurep@kazient.eu
 We may make changes to this policy at any time, and where necessary we will inform you of these changes via email. We will display the date the policy was last updated on this page.
+**Last updated - July 2024**
+**Last updated - September 2026**