Privacy Policy

East Sussex Online (eastsussexonline.co.uk) is operated by Pure Publishing. This policy explains what information we collect when you use our service, why we collect it, and what your rights are. We've tried to write it in plain English. It should be read alongside our Terms of Use.

Who we are

East Sussex Online is a family days-out discovery service for East Sussex and Brighton, run by Pure Publishing (“we”, “us”, “our”). It is currently a website, and we plan to offer a mobile app in future — in this policy, “the Service” means our website and any mobile application we provide.

For the purposes of UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018), Pure Publishing is the “data controller” for personal information collected through the Service.

If you have any questions about this policy or your personal data, contact us at dpo@purepublishing.net.

The short version

• You can browse and search East Sussex Online without giving us any personal information or creating an account.
• We don't sell your data, and we don't show third-party advertising.
• We use privacy-friendly analytics to understand how the Service is used, and we ask for your consent before setting any non-essential cookies.
• If you choose to send us feedback about a venue, we collect only what you provide (and, if you allow it, an approximate location to help us verify the feedback).

Information we collect

Information you give us
If you submit feedback about a venue (for example, telling us a place has closed, or suggesting what's available there), we collect the information you enter in that form. These forms are optional and you can use the Service fully without them.

Approximate location (only if you allow it)
Some features — such as showing you places “near you” or letting you flag feedback from a venue — may request access to your device's location. Your device or browser will always ask for your permission first, and you can refuse. Where location is used to verify on-site feedback, it is handled only approximately (to roughly the nearest 150 metres) and helps us judge whether feedback is genuine.

Information stored on your own device
When you use “Save for later” to bookmark a venue, that list is stored locally on your device. It stays on your device, is specific to that device, and is not sent to us or linked to your identity.

Information collected automatically (analytics)
With your consent, we use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the Service — for example, which pages are popular and how people navigate. This helps us improve it. Analytics data is collected only if you accept analytics cookies via our consent banner. If you decline, we don't load analytics.

Accounts
Visitors do not create accounts. Account login exists only for our own administrators who manage the Service's content.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies:

• Essential — needed for the Service to function and to remember your cookie choices. These don't require consent.
• Analytics (optional) — Google Analytics, loaded only if you accept via the consent banner. You can change your mind at any time.

We do not use advertising cookies. Some listings may include affiliate links; if we add these, the third party concerned may set their own cookies when you follow such a link — their privacy policy will apply to that.

When you first visit, you'll see a banner letting you accept or decline non-essential cookies, in line with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

How we use your information

We use the information described above to:

• Provide and improve the East Sussex Online service;
• Show you relevant nearby places (where you've allowed location);
• Review and act on feedback you send us about venues;
• Understand how the Service is used, so we can make it better (analytics, with consent).

Our legal bases for using your data

Under UK GDPR, we rely on:

• Consent — for analytics cookies and for accessing your device location. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests — for reviewing venue feedback you choose to send us, and for keeping the Service secure and working properly. We've considered your rights and don't believe this processing is intrusive.

Who we share information with

We don't sell your personal information. We use a small number of trusted service providers to run the Service, who process data on our behalf:

• Vercel — hosting.
• Supabase — database and storage for the Service's content and any feedback submitted.
• Google — Maps and Places services (to show maps, locations and place details), and Google Analytics (with your consent).
• Resend — sending administrative emails.

These providers act as our “data processors” and may only use the data to provide their service to us. Some may process data outside the UK; where that happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the UK's International Data Transfer Agreement or equivalent) as required by law.

We may also disclose information if required to do so by law.

How long we keep information

• Venue feedback — kept for as long as it's useful for maintaining accurate listings, then deleted or anonymised.
• Analytics — retained according to our Google Analytics settings.
• On-device data (Save for later) — stays on your device until you clear it; we never receive it.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• Ask what personal data we hold about you and request a copy;
• Ask us to correct inaccurate data;
• Ask us to delete your data;
• Object to, or ask us to restrict, certain processing;
• Withdraw consent (for analytics or location) at any time;
• Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

To exercise any of these, contact us at dpo@purepublishing.net. Because we collect very little that identifies you, we may need details (such as the feedback you submitted) to locate any relevant data.

Children

East Sussex Online helps adults plan family days out. It is intended for use by adults (aged 18+) and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date at the top shows when it last changed. Significant changes will be highlighted on the Service.

Contact us

Pure Publishing — for privacy and data protection matters, email dpo@purepublishing.net. For general enquiries, see our Contact page.