Who we are
This website is operated by the Department of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Liberia. References to “we”, “us” and “the department” mean that department. For privacy questions, use the contact page.
Information we collect
- Newsroom analytics. We record page views and basic interaction events to understand which stories are read. We use a first-party system, not third-party advertising trackers. We store the page path, the referring page, a coarse device category, the time of the visit and a random session identifier kept in your browser's session storage. IP addresses are hashed with a secret salt and are not stored in raw form.
- Comments. If you submit a comment, we store your display name, email address, comment text and the time of submission. Your email is used for moderation and is not published.
- Contact messages. If you use the contact form, we store your name, email address, subject, message and basic technical information (a hashed IP address and browser user agent) to manage and protect the service.
- Newsletter. If you subscribe, we store your email address and confirmation status. Subscriptions use a confirmation email. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- Staff accounts. Authorised staff have accounts for the editorial system. Authentication uses secure, HTTP-only cookies and, for privileged roles, two-factor authentication. Staff account data is used to operate the publishing workflow and audit trail.
Cookies and similar technologies
The public site does not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. Staff authentication uses essential cookies. Analytics uses a session identifier in session storage rather than a persistent cookie. You can block or clear these through your browser, though staff cannot sign in without essential cookies.
Why we use information
- To publish and improve the department's reporting and public information.
- To moderate comments and respond to enquiries.
- To send newsletters to people who have confirmed they want them.
- To operate the editorial system securely and keep an audit trail.
- To understand aggregate readership without profiling individuals.
Legal basis and consent
We rely on consent for newsletters, on legitimate interests for operating and securing the site and understanding aggregate readership, and on the necessity of processing for staff accounts. You may withdraw consent for the newsletter at any time.
Retention
Analytics data is retained for a limited period set by the department and then deleted or aggregated. Comments, contact messages and newsletter records are retained only as long as needed for moderation, correspondence, legal obligations or archival purposes. Staff audit records are retained to maintain accountability for publication decisions.
Sharing
We do not sell personal information. We may use service providers for hosting, email delivery and media storage. Those providers process information on our instructions. We may disclose information where required by law or to protect the safety and rights of others.
Your choices and rights
You may ask for access to personal information we hold about you, request correction or deletion, object to processing, or ask us to stop sending newsletters. Use the contact page and describe your request. We may need to verify your identity before acting. Some records, such as published corrections or audit trails, may be retained for accountability.
Security
We use access controls, role-based permissions, password hashing, two-factor authentication for privileged accounts, audit logging and encrypted connections where available. No system is completely secure; if we become aware of a breach affecting personal information, we will investigate and notify affected people where appropriate.
Children
This site is intended for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children for marketing. Student work may name students where appropriate and with editorial consideration.
Changes
We may update this notice as the site changes. The current version always applies. Material changes will be described on this page.