Last updated: 26 June 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Kontekst collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you use our website, subscribe to our newsletter, become a member, contact us, submit information, or support us through donations or paid memberships.
Kontekst is an independent media project. In this policy, “Kontekst”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Kontekst.
You can contact us about privacy at:
1. What this policy covers
This policy applies to:
- the Kontekst website;
- Kontekst newsletters and email communications;
- Ghost member accounts and newsletter subscriptions;
- contact forms and messages sent to Kontekst;
- donations, crowdfunding and paid memberships;
- analytics, security and technical services used to operate the website.
This policy does not apply to third-party websites that we link to, such as external sources, social media platforms, payment providers or other websites. Those services have their own privacy policies.
2. Information we collect
We collect personal information in a few different ways.
Information you give us directly
We may collect information you provide when you:
- subscribe to the newsletter;
- create or manage a Ghost member account;
- contact us through a form or by email;
- submit a tip, document, story lead or other information;
- donate, support crowdfunding, or become a paid member;
- respond to a survey or editorial request.
This information may include:
- your name;
- your email address;
- your country;
- your membership status;
- your newsletter preferences;
- messages, tips or documents you send to us;
- information connected with donations or paid memberships.
If you contact us or submit a tip, please do not send sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for your message. If you want to share sensitive information with us, you can text this user on Signal: _ForodAll_47.32
Information collected automatically
When you use the website or open/click newsletter emails, some information may be collected automatically, including:
- IP address;
- device and browser information;
- pages visited;
- referring websites;
- approximate location information;
- cookie and analytics data;
- newsletter open and click information;
- technical logs needed for security, delivery and troubleshooting.
We use analytics and technical services to understand how the website is used, improve the publication, protect the site from abuse, and deliver emails reliably.
3. Newsletter and email communications
When you subscribe to Kontekst, you agree to receive emails from us.
These may include:
- new article notifications;
- editorial announcements;
- investigations and analysis;
- newsletter digests;
- fundraising or donation requests;
- crowdfunding updates;
- paid membership updates, if paid memberships are offered;
- important administrative or service messages.
We expect to email subscribers around once a week, although the frequency may vary depending on publication activity.
We may later offer different newsletter categories or segments, such as newsletters focused on different topics or regions. If we do this, we may use your preferences, membership information or engagement history to help send more relevant emails.
You can unsubscribe from marketing or newsletter emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us at:
We will not use purchased, scraped or harvested email lists.
4. Donations, crowdfunding and paid memberships
Kontekst may accept donations, crowdfunding support and paid memberships.
Payments are processed by third-party payment providers, including Stripe. Kontekst does not store your full payment card details.
Payment providers may collect and process information necessary to complete the transaction, prevent fraud, comply with legal obligations and provide payment services. Their own privacy terms may apply.
We may use information connected with donations or paid memberships to:
- process and confirm payments;
- manage membership access;
- send receipts or service messages;
- provide supporter or member updates;
- manage refunds, disputes or payment issues;
- comply with legal, tax or accounting obligations.
5. Contact forms, tips and submissions
You may contact Kontekst through a contact form or email.
If you submit a tip, document, image, story lead or other material, we may use the information to assess, verify, investigate or respond to your message.
Submitting information to Kontekst does not guarantee that we will publish a story, reply to you, protect confidentiality, or enter into a source relationship.
If you want to discuss sensitive information, you should say so clearly in your first message and avoid sending unnecessary personal information.
Kontekst does not currently publish reader comments or user-submitted content as a regular feature.
6. Analytics, cookies and tracking
Kontekst uses analytics and technical tools to operate and improve the website.
These may include:
- Ghost analytics;
- Google Analytics;
- Cloudflare analytics and security tools;
- Mailgun email tracking;
- other technical logs from hosting and website infrastructure.
These tools may use cookies, pixels, scripts or similar technologies.
We use this information to:
- understand which articles are read;
- measure newsletter performance;
- improve the website;
- detect technical problems;
- protect the website from spam, abuse and security threats;
- understand audience growth.
You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Some parts of the website may not function properly if cookies are disabled.
7. Services we use
Kontekst uses third-party services to operate the website, newsletter, membership system, analytics and payments.
These may include:
- Ghost, for publishing, membership and newsletter functionality;
- Mailgun, for sending and tracking email;
- DigitalOcean, for website hosting;
- Cloudflare, for DNS, caching, security and analytics;
- Google Analytics, for website analytics;
- Stripe, for donations, payments and paid memberships;
- Zapier, if used for automation;
- Google Sheets, if used for internal organisation or workflow;
- Other services required to keep the Kontekst running.
These services may process information on our behalf or as independent service providers. We use them to run Kontekst, deliver emails, process payments, secure the website and understand audience activity.
Some of these services may process or store information outside Australia, including in the European Union, the United States or other countries where they operate.
8. How we use personal information
We may use personal information to:
- provide the website and newsletter;
- create and manage member accounts;
- send emails you have subscribed to;
- send fundraising, donation or crowdfunding updates;
- manage donations and paid memberships;
- respond to messages, tips and enquiries;
- verify information submitted to us;
- improve the website, newsletter and editorial strategy;
- monitor email delivery and engagement;
- detect spam, abuse, fraud and security issues;
- comply with legal obligations;
- enforce our Terms & Conditions.
We do not sell your personal information.
We do not knowingly use children’s personal information for marketing.
9. When we share information
We may share personal information only when reasonably necessary, including with:
- service providers that help us operate Kontekst;
- payment providers;
- hosting, analytics, security and email delivery providers;
- professional advisers, if needed;
- law enforcement, regulators or courts, if required by law;
- another operator if Kontekst is transferred, merged or reorganised;
- another person or organisation where you have given permission.
We do not share subscriber email lists with advertisers or sell them to third parties.
10. Data security
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
These steps may include:
- using reputable hosting, email, payment and security providers;
- limiting access to member and subscriber information;
- using account security tools such as strong passwords and two-factor authentication where available;
- using encrypted connections where possible;
- monitoring for spam, abuse and technical problems.
No online service is completely secure. If you believe your information has been compromised, contact us at:
11. Data retention
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including publication operations, membership management, newsletter delivery, payments, legal compliance, security and record-keeping.
If you unsubscribe, we may keep limited records to ensure we do not email you again and to maintain compliance records.
If you ask us to delete your information, we will take reasonable steps to do so, unless we need to keep it for legal, security, accounting, dispute resolution or legitimate operational reasons.
12. Access, correction and deletion
You may contact us to ask for access to personal information we hold about you, or to ask us to correct or delete it.
Contact:
We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.
We will respond within a reasonable time.
13. Children and young people
Kontekst is not directed at children.
If you are under 16, please get permission from a parent or guardian before subscribing to the newsletter, creating a member account, donating, or submitting personal information through the website.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without appropriate permission, we may delete that information.
Parents or guardians can contact us at:
14. International readers
Kontekst is based in Australia but may be read internationally.
If you access Kontekst from outside Australia, your information may be processed in Australia and in other countries where our service providers operate.
We will handle personal information in line with this policy and applicable privacy obligations.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
The updated version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date.
If we make major changes to how we handle personal information, we may take additional steps to notify subscribers or members.
16. Contact
For privacy questions, requests or complaints, contact:
Kontekst
Email: kontekst.media@proton.me