Privacy Policy
Last updated: 19 October 2026
The short version
There are no accounts. You do not give us your name, email or a password. We save the results of the articles checked (not the article text), plus scrambled counters that stop one person using up everyone's free checks. If you accept, we use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are used. We do not run advertising, and we do not sell your data.
To analyse an article, we send its text to our AI provider.
1. Who we are
Aethelgard ("we", "us") is a website that shows who owns a news outlet and gives an AI-assisted reading of how slanted a single article is. For anything in this policy, contact us at aethelgardmedia@gmail.com.
2. What we collect
Articles you check
When you paste a link, our server downloads the page, extracts the article text, and sends that text and headline to our AI provider for analysis. If you paste article text yourself, or use the browser shortcut, that text is sent to our AI provider in the same way. We do not keep the article text. We keep:
- the article link (with common tracking parameters removed where we can), its headline, author and date if found;
- the analysis result (the 1–7 level, the label and the written findings).
Nothing that identifies who ran a check is saved with the result. Results for links we fetched ourselves are listed in "Checked by others", where any visitor can see the link, headline, level and label. Text you paste yourself is never listed.
Feedback you send
If you use "Disagree with this level?", we store the article link (or the words "pasted-text"), the level the AI gave, the level you suggest, your optional comment (up to 500 characters), the date and the rubric version. Please do not put personal information in the comment box.
Technical and security data
To keep costs under control and stop abuse, we count free checks per browser and per network, using your IP address and a browser identifier:
- Counters (checks used today, the time of your last check, and checks started in the last 10 minutes) are stored only as keyed hashes (scrambled values), not as your IP address or browser ID. They are cleared after the UTC day ends, or after about two days for the short-term ones.
- Short-lived limits (for example on feedback and on browsing "Checked by others") are kept in server memory and disappear when the server restarts.
Our hosting provider and infrastructure may also keep ordinary server logs (such as IP address, time and requested page).
Website analytics (Google Analytics)
Only if you accept analytics in the cookie banner, we use Google Analytics (Google Analytics 4), a service of Google, to understand how the site is used, for example how many people visit and which pages they open. When you open a page, your browser sends Google information such as the page address and title, the page you came from, the date and time, your browser, device and operating system, language, and your approximate location (country or city). Google Analytics does not log or store IP addresses. Because pages opened from our headline list carry the article's link in the page address, that news link can be included.
We do not send Google the text of any article you check, your analysis results, feedback comments or anything you type into the site. We have not turned on Google's advertising features, and we do not use Google Analytics to identify you.
Cookies
We use one cookie that is necessary for the site to work. The two Google Analytics cookies are set only if you click "Accept analytics" in the cookie banner; until then Google Analytics sets no cookies. We do not use advertising cookies. Your choice is remembered in your browser (as ag_consent in local storage), and you can change it at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page.
| Cookie | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
ag_dev | A random, signed ID for your browser, used to apply free-check limits fairly. It is not linked to your name or email. Necessary. | Up to 400 days |
_ga | Set by Google Analytics, only if you accept. A random ID that lets us count returning visitors. Analytics. | Up to 2 years |
_ga_GX3MTBL9JN | Set by Google Analytics, only if you accept. Keeps the state of your current visit. Analytics. | Up to 2 years |
ag_dev is HttpOnly (page scripts cannot read it). If you block it, the limits fall back to your network address, which may be shared with other people. The two Google cookies are not needed for the site to work, and the site works the same if you decline them.
3. How we use it
- to run analyses and show you their results;
- to apply daily limits, prevent abuse and keep costs under control;
- to review feedback and improve the rating rubric.
4. Who we share it with
We do not sell your data. We use these services to run Aethelgard:
- Our AI provider (a third-party artificial intelligence service) receives the article text and headline for each fresh analysis. We do not send it anything that identifies you. Our AI provider handles that content under its own terms and privacy policy.
- Our hosting provider (Railway) runs the site and stores the database.
- Google (Google Analytics) receives the visit information described under "Website analytics" above, and handles it under its own terms and privacy policy. We run no advertising and use no third-party fonts: the site's typeface is hosted by us, so no font service is contacted when you visit.
- Other visitors can see the details in "Checked by others" described above.
Please do not enter personal information (your own name, email, phone number, address, passwords or ID numbers) in the paste box. Only the article is needed, and what you paste is sent to our AI provider. We refuse articles where a paywall means only the start could be read.
When you paste a link, our server fetches that page, so the publisher's site sees our server's address, not yours. If you use the browser shortcut, the article is read in your own browser and sent to us.
We may disclose information if the law requires it.
5. How long we keep it
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Analysis results (and the "Checked by others" list) | 24 hours, then they stop being shown and are deleted |
| Feedback | Until we remove it |
| Daily counters (hashed) | Until the end of the UTC day |
| Last-check times and short-term attempt counts (hashed) | About 2 days |
Device cookie (ag_dev) | Up to 400 days, or until you clear it |
Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_GX3MTBL9JN) | Up to 2 years, or until you clear them |
| Analytics data held by Google Analytics | Up to 14 months, then deleted by Google |
6. Your choices and rights
- You can clear cookies at any time. Your browser then counts as a new one, but the network limit still applies.
- You can decline analytics in the cookie banner and change your mind at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of any page; withdrawing removes the analytics cookies from your browser. You can also block Google's cookies or script in your browser, or install Google's opt-out add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. The site works the same either way.
- Because we hold no account details, we usually cannot tell which stored items are yours. You can ask us to remove a specific analysis or feedback entry by emailing us with the article link. Depending on where you live, you may have further rights under local data protection law.
7. Security
Cookies are HttpOnly and Secure, and the site enforces HTTPS. Usage counters are stored as keyed hashes. No system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Children
Aethelgard is not intended for children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country). We collect no personal details such as names or emails.
9. International data transfers
Our providers, including our AI provider, Google and our host, may process data in countries other than your own.
10. Changes
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will say so on the site. We plan to add optional accounts and paid plans later; this policy will be updated before they launch.
11. Contact
Questions or requests: aethelgardmedia@gmail.com