Potok (Potok.media) respects its readers' privacy and aims to limit the collection and retention of personal data to what is reasonably necessary.
This Privacy Policy explains what information may be processed when you visit potok.media, use its features, or contact our editorial team.
1. About the Project and Contact Information
Potok.media is an independent editorial news project operated from the United States.
For privacy-related inquiries, questions about the processing of personal data, or requests to exercise applicable privacy rights, please contact:
2. Information We Process
You do not need to register, create an account, or provide personal information to read our news coverage.
The following categories of information may be processed when you use the website.
Technical information. IP address, date and time of a request, requested page and URL parameters, HTTP method and response status, browser and device information, and the referring page address when provided by your browser.
This information may be recorded in web server logs, application logs, and website security systems. Certain technical information may also be processed by our infrastructure providers.
Website analytics. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand website traffic and performance. This service does not use cookies or browser storage to track individual visitors.
User preferences and navigation. Your browser stores appearance and reading preferences, time zone information, and temporary navigation state used to restore your position in the news feed. This information supports website functionality and is not part of a reader registration or personal profile.
Email correspondence. If you contact our editorial team, we receive your email address, message content, and any other information you voluntarily provide, including attachments.
We do not offer reader accounts, comment sections, contact forms, or email subscriptions.
3. How We Use Information
Technical information is used to operate the website, deliver content, diagnose errors, prevent abuse, and protect our infrastructure.
Analytics information helps us assess overall website traffic and performance.
Browser preferences allow us to remember your settings and support convenient navigation, including returning to your previous position in the news feed.
Email correspondence is used to review inquiries, address reported errors, communicate with rights holders, and respond to other matters relating to our publication.
We do not use this information for personalized advertising, and we do not sell visitors' personal data.
4. Legal Bases for Processing
Where the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to the processing of personal data, the legal bases depend on the nature and purpose of the processing.
Operating and securing the website, diagnosing technical problems, and preventing abuse serve legitimate interests in providing and protecting an information resource available to readers.
Handling ordinary inquiries serves legitimate interests in maintaining communication with readers, correcting errors, and protecting the rights of those involved.
Where required or permitted under applicable law, certain processing may be necessary to comply with legal obligations or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Personal data processed for journalistic purposes is considered separately, taking into account freedom of expression, the public's right to information, privacy rights, and relevant provisions of applicable law.
The use of cookies and browser storage is also subject to applicable rules governing access to information stored on users' devices.
5. Cookies and Browser Storage
Potok.media uses cookies and browser storage to maintain website security, remember user preferences, and support convenient navigation.
Functional preferences
The potok_tz cookie stores time zone information used to display publication times in the reader's local time. Under the configuration reviewed, this cookie has a lifetime of approximately one year.
The website uses localStorage to remember the selected appearance theme (potok-theme) and reading preferences (potok-accessibility), including text size, font settings, line spacing, contrast, and reduced-motion preferences.
These settings may remain available between visits until you change them, clear your browser storage, or they are otherwise removed.
Navigation restoration
The website uses sessionStorage to temporarily store navigation state, including current and previous page paths, the number of news items loaded, and information needed to restore your position in the news feed.
This allows you to return to your previous position after opening an article.
These records are intended for use within the browser session and may include the addresses of recently viewed articles. They are generally removed when the relevant session ends, although some browsers may restore the state of previously open tabs.
Cloudflare security
Cloudflare may use technical cookies, including cf_clearance, to help protect the website.
This cookie is used to record the outcome of security checks and reduce the need for repeated challenges.
In the browser configuration reviewed, the cf_clearance cookie had an expiration date approximately one year in the future. This represents the observed cookie expiration period and does not guarantee that the security clearance itself will remain valid throughout that time.
Website analytics
Cloudflare Web Analytics does not use cookies, localStorage, or sessionStorage to track individual visitors.
The storage mechanisms described above are intended to support website operation and security, remember preferences, and improve the reading experience rather than deliver personalized advertising.
6. Third-Party Content and External Links
Potok.media articles may contain links to external websites and embedded content from YouTube, Telegram, Instagram, X, Facebook, and other platforms.
Third-party content may be presented with a reader-activated loading option. When embedded content is activated, the relevant platform may receive technical information about your device and connection and may use its own cookies or other technologies.
Personal data processing by third-party platforms is subject to their own rules and privacy policies.
Following an external link takes you away from Potok.media.
7. Infrastructure and Service Providers
We use the following services to operate the website and handle correspondence:
- Cloudflare for content delivery, website security, and web analytics.
- Hetzner for hosting our primary server in Germany.
- Proton Mail for receiving and storing email correspondence.
- Google Search Console for analyzing our website's visibility in search results.
The type and amount of information processed depend on the functions performed by each service.
Cloudflare and our hosting infrastructure may process technical information associated with website requests. Proton Mail is used to handle incoming email correspondence.
Google Search Console provides information about search visibility and how our website interacts with Google's search services. We do not use it as an on-site system for tracking individual visitors.
8. International Data Processing
Potok.media is operated from the United States, its primary server is located in Germany, and its technology providers may process information in multiple countries.
Depending on the nature of an inquiry, network routing, and the services involved, information may be processed outside a visitor's country of residence, including in countries outside the European Economic Area.
The legal requirements governing international transfers of personal data depend on applicable law, the providers involved, and the specific circumstances of the processing.
9. Data Retention
We follow the principle of limiting the retention of personal data to what is necessary for the relevant purpose.
Web server logs. Nginx logs are automatically rotated. Under the current configuration, 14 daily archives are retained per log, corresponding to approximately two weeks of retention.
System logs. Certain system logs are subject to time-based or storage-size limits. Actual retention periods may therefore vary.
Cloudflare. The availability and retention of analytics and security data depend on the services used, their settings, and the provider's retention policies.
Browser preferences. Appearance and reading settings may persist between website visits. Temporary navigation data is intended for the browser session. The expiration periods of known cookies are described in Section 5.
Email correspondence. For routine inquiries, our policy is to delete correspondence once the inquiry has been resolved and continued retention is no longer necessary. There is no single automatic deletion period for all emails.
Certain messages and materials may be retained for longer where justified by legal or editorial needs, including the resolution of disputes.
Deleting information from active systems does not necessarily mean that it is immediately removed from backups or external providers' systems.
10. Data Security
Technical and organizational measures are used to reduce the risks of unauthorized access, loss, and misuse affecting the website and the information we process.
However, no method of transmitting or storing information over the internet can guarantee absolute security.
Ordinary email does not guarantee complete confidentiality or sender anonymity.
Please do not email sensitive documents or information whose disclosure could put you or others at risk.
11. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on applicable law and the nature of the processing, you may have the right to request access to your personal data, correction or deletion, restriction of processing, or to object to processing.
Additional rights may apply where provided by law, including data portability and the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data protection authority.
To submit a request, please contact:
Requests are reviewed in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Reasonable verification of a requester's authority may be necessary to protect personal information without collecting excessive additional data.
Rights to delete or change information are not absolute. Requests concerning journalistic publications are assessed in light of the public interest, freedom of expression, the rights of others, and applicable legal provisions.
12. Personal Data in Journalistic Content
As part of its editorial activities, Potok.media may process information about people, organizations, and events of public interest.
Our Editorial Standards govern the handling of such information, including accuracy, protection of confidential sources, and minimization of unjustified harm.
Requests to correct or remove personal information from published articles are assessed individually, taking into account the public interest, personal safety, and applicable law.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when website features, data processing practices, or applicable legal requirements change.
The current version will be published on this page.