Privacy
Last updated: October 20, 2026
In short
- You can use the whole site without giving us any personal data.
- We collect an email address only if you ask for email updates or write to us through the contact form.
- We measure traffic with Google Analytics. In the EEA, UK and Switzerland it runs only if you accept it in the banner; elsewhere you can refuse it in your browser.
- We run no advertising, set no advertising cookies, and never sell or share personal data.
- Your light-or-dark theme choice, your Simple-or-Advanced reading choice and your analytics choice are kept in your own browser's local storage.
- You can ask us to see, correct or delete your data at any time through the contact form or hello@southwestwatercrisis.com.
1. What we collect, why, and on what basis
| Data | When | Purpose | Legal basis (GDPR) | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email address, the page you signed up from, signup IP address and time | You ask for email updates | Sending the updates; proving you asked for them | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), given by double opt-in | Until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it |
| Name, email address, subject, message | You use the contact form | Answering you; checking a report against the register's rule | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) in replying to correspondence | Up to 12 months after the last message |
| Usage data: pages viewed, referrer, approximate location (city), device and browser type, a random visitor identifier, and which controls are used (the map's filters and markers, source links, the explainers' sliders and toggles) | You browse the site | Understanding which places and pages are read | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) where required, otherwise legitimate interest in measuring the site | Google Analytics: 14 months |
| Server logs: IP address, user agent, URL, time | Every request | Security, abuse prevention, debugging; rate limiting the two forms | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) in securing the service | Up to 30 days |
We collect nothing else. The site has no accounts, no comments and no payment. Every figure on the site is a cited fact in a file; nothing is fetched about you to show it.
3. Who processes data for us
- Vercel Inc. (USA): hosting and server logs. Privacy policy.
- Google LLC (USA): Google Analytics 4, with IP addresses not logged or stored and Google signals off. How Google uses data from partner sites.
- Intuit Mailchimp (USA): stores the addresses that asked for email updates and sends them; records opens and link clicks in those emails. Privacy statement.
- Resend Inc. (USA): delivers contact-form messages to us. Privacy policy.
Each acts on our instructions under a data-processing agreement. We share personal data with no one else, and never sell it or share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. We would disclose data only if required by law.
4. International transfers
The site is hosted in the United States and the processors above are U.S. companies. If you are in the EEA, UK or Switzerland, your data is transferred to the United States under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (and its UK and Swiss extensions) where the processor is certified, and otherwise under the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses included in their terms.
5. Your rights
Under the EU and UK GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act and similar laws you may ask what we hold about you and receive a copy, ask us to correct or delete it, withdraw consent at any time (the unsubscribe link in every email, or the analytics banner choice) without affecting earlier processing, and object to processing based on legitimate interest. Unless you have written to us or asked for updates, the honest answer to a request will usually be "nothing": analytics data is keyed to a random identifier in your browser, and server logs are short-lived. To stop being counted, decline or clear the analytics cookies as described above.
To exercise a right, use the contact form or write to hello@southwestwatercrisis.com. We confirm your identity by replying to the address concerned and answer within 30 days (45 for California requests). Residents of the EEA, UK and Switzerland may also complain to their national data protection authority. We do not sell or share personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of under California law.
6. Security
The site is served over HTTPS with strict transport security and a content security policy. The update list lives in Mailchimp and is reachable only with credentials held by the publisher. Contact-form messages are delivered to us by email and are not stored on the site. The two forms are rate limited by IP address and never fetch anything about you.
7. Children
The site is not directed at children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has signed up, tell us and we will delete the address.
8. Changes
Changes are posted here with a new "last updated" date. If a change materially affects how we use data you have already given us, the people on the update list will be told by email before it takes effect.
9. Contact
The contact form, or hello@southwestwatercrisis.com.