China Ecological Environment News Agency Limited respects the privacy of every person who reads our reporting, visits our website, contacts our newsroom or takes part in our field documentation. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we handle it, how long we keep it and what choices you have. EcoChina News is the developer name under which our digital newsboard is maintained, and the same standards apply to every page of this website.
We are an independent ecological newsroom. Most of what we do involves gathering facts about places and institutions, not about readers. Even so, running a public website and answering messages from the public means we handle some personal information, and we take that responsibility seriously. This policy is written in plain English so that any reader can understand our commitments without a legal background.
By using this website you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the practices described here, please do not use the website or send information through it.
1. Who We Are
China Ecological Environment News Agency Limited is an independent ecological newsroom and the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy. The company operates from its registered office at 12/F San Toi Building, 137-139 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (HK). The newsroom reports on environmental conditions, policy and communities across the Chinese-speaking regions of China.
When this policy refers to the Company, to we, to us or to our, it means China Ecological Environment News Agency Limited. When it refers to the website, it means the pages served from our domain, including the home page, the services page, the contact page and the legal pages.
The Company is the controller of the information collected through this website. Our contact details appear at the end of this policy and on our contact page. Enquiries about privacy may be sent to office@mgarza.mom at any time, and a member of the newsroom will respond.
2. Scope of This Policy
This policy applies to personal information collected through this website, through email correspondence with our newsroom, through our contact form, and through any newsletter or communication channel that links to this policy. It also applies to information we collect when you interact with our reporting, for example when you request a correction or submit a response.
This policy does not apply to information gathered in the course of journalistic research where different protections are required in order to protect sources and to preserve the integrity of the public record. Those protections are described in the section on journalism and source protection below.
This policy does not apply to third party websites that we link to. When you follow a link away from our website, the privacy practices of the destination site apply instead of ours. We encourage you to read the privacy notice of any site you visit.
3. Information We Collect
We collect only the information that we need to operate the website, answer messages and improve our reporting. The categories of personal information we may collect are described in the paragraphs that follow.
Information you give us directly
When you use our contact form or write to our email address, you may provide your name, your email address, a subject line and the content of your message. If you request a reply, we need a way to reach you. If you send a document or a photograph, the file may contain metadata that identifies you or the place where it was taken.
Information collected automatically
When you visit the website, our hosting infrastructure may record technical information such as the type of browser you use, the size of your screen, the pages you view, the time of your visit and an approximate region derived from your network address. This information is used in aggregate to keep the website working and to understand which reporting is read most.
Information from correspondence
If you correspond with the newsroom over time, we retain the message history so that we can follow up accurately and avoid asking you to repeat yourself. This includes requests for corrections, partnership discussions and enquiries about our reporting services.
Information we do not seek
We do not ask for government identification numbers, financial account details, medical records or precise home addresses through this website. Please do not include such information in a contact form message. If you believe you have sent sensitive information by mistake, contact us promptly so that we can help you decide what to do.
4. How We Collect Information
We collect personal information in a small number of straightforward ways. Understanding these routes helps you decide what to share with us and when.
- Directly from you when you complete the contact form on our website.
- Directly from you when you send an email to office@mgarza.mom or telephone the newsroom.
- Directly from you when you request a correction or comment on published reporting.
- Automatically from your device when you load a page, through ordinary server logging.
- From publicly available sources when we verify information for a story.
We do not buy personal information from data brokers, and we do not obtain personal information from social media platforms for advertising purposes. If we ever collect information for a purpose not described here, we will tell you before or at the time of collection.
5. Why We Use Information
We use personal information for the following purposes, each of which is connected to running a working newsroom and a public website.
- To answer the messages, questions, corrections and requests that you send to us.
- To operate, maintain and secure the website and its underlying infrastructure.
- To understand which reporting is read so that we can plan future coverage responsibly.
- To manage reporting partnerships, training enquiries and general newsroom correspondence.
- To comply with legal obligations that apply to the Company in Hong Kong and elsewhere.
- To protect the rights, safety and integrity of our sources, staff and readers.
We do not use personal information to make automated decisions about you, and we do not sell personal information to any third party. Our reporting is funded by the newsroom, not by the sale of reader data.
6. Legal Bases for Processing
Wherever data protection law requires a legal basis for processing, we rely on one or more of the following grounds. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting the newsroom.
Consent
When you voluntarily send a message through the contact form or subscribe to a newsletter, you consent to our use of the information you provide for the purpose of responding to that request.
Legitimate interests
We have a legitimate interest in operating a secure website, understanding audience engagement and conducting journalism in the public interest. We balance those interests against your rights and take steps to minimise any impact on you.
Legal obligation
We may process information where the law requires it, for example to respond to a valid legal request or to keep records that applicable regulations demand.
Vital interests and public interest
In rare circumstances we may process information to protect someone from harm, or because processing is necessary for journalism carried out in the public interest. Any such processing is undertaken with care and is limited to what the situation requires.
8. Journalism and Source Protection
Independent ecological journalism depends on people being able to speak to reporters without fear. Source protection is therefore a first principle of this newsroom, not a courtesy extended where convenient. When someone provides information for a story, we take steps to keep that person safe and to keep the material secure.
Information gathered in the course of journalistic research is held under stricter controls than ordinary website correspondence. Access is limited to the reporters and editors working on the story. Field notes may be stored offline, encrypted, or held in a form that does not link a source to an identifying detail. Where a source faces risk, we may agree in advance never to record certain details at all.
We resist requests to disclose source material unless we are legally compelled to do so, and we will inform affected persons where it is lawful and safe to do so. If you are considering providing information of a sensitive nature, you may contact us first to discuss how your identity can be protected before you share anything.
The public interest in environmental accountability is closely tied to the ability of people to report what they see. Protecting sources is therefore inseparable from our mission, and it shapes how we handle every piece of information that reaches the newsroom.
10. Service Providers
Running a modern news website requires a small number of trusted suppliers. These may include a hosting provider, an email provider, a content delivery network and a provider of analytics that respects privacy. Each of these suppliers processes information on our instructions.
We choose suppliers that can demonstrate appropriate security measures and a commitment to data protection. Before engaging a provider that will handle personal information, we review the contract to confirm that the provider will act only on our documented instructions, will apply suitable safeguards, and will return or delete information when the engagement ends.
At the date of this policy the newsroom keeps its core infrastructure minimal. The contact form does not transmit data to a third party marketing platform. Where a message is sent by email, the message travels through the ordinary email infrastructure of the sender and of the newsroom.
11. International Transfers
China Ecological Environment News Agency Limited is based in Hong Kong, and our newsroom operations, reporting network and technical infrastructure may involve the handling of information in more than one jurisdiction. When information moves across borders, whether within the newsroom or to a service provider, we take steps to ensure it remains protected.
Those steps may include contractual commitments from the recipient, limiting the transfer to what is necessary for the purpose, and applying technical measures such as encryption in transit. Where the law requires a specific transfer mechanism, we put that mechanism in place before the transfer occurs.
If you would like more detail about how a particular transfer is protected, you may contact the newsroom and we will explain the safeguards that apply to the type of information you are concerned about.
12. Data Retention
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected, plus any period required by law or by the practical needs of a working newsroom. Retention is reviewed periodically, and information that is no longer needed is securely deleted or rendered anonymous.
- Contact form messages are kept while the enquiry is active and for a reasonable follow up period.
- Correspondence about corrections is kept so that the public record remains accurate and traceable.
- Server logs are kept for a short period for security and troubleshooting purposes.
- Journalistic source material is retained according to the needs of the story and source safety.
- Records required by law are kept for the period the law specifies and no longer.
When a retention period ends, we delete or anonymise the information. Where deletion is not immediately possible, for example because a backup must age out, we isolate the information and delete it once that becomes technically feasible.
13. How We Protect Information
Protecting information is a practical discipline, and we apply it at every level of the newsroom. Technical measures are matched by editorial habits, because most risks to a newsroom begin with human judgement rather than with machinery.
- Encryption in transit for data moving between your browser and our website.
- Access controls that limit sensitive material to staff who need it for their work.
- Secure storage for field material and source records, including offline options.
- Regular review of the software and infrastructure that keeps the website running.
- Clear newsroom rules about handling documents, images and personal details.
No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, and we cannot promise absolute security. What we can promise is that we take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect the information entrusted to us, and that we respond quickly and openly if something goes wrong.
14. Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights over the personal information we hold about you. We honour these rights for all readers in so far as the law allows, and we will explain if a particular right does not apply to a particular request.
- The right to be informed about how we use your information, which this policy provides.
- The right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- The right to ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
- The right to ask us to delete information that we no longer need to keep.
- The right to ask us to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances.
- The right to object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests.
- The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
- The right to complain to a supervisory authority in your jurisdiction.
To exercise a right, contact us at office@mgarza.mom with enough detail for us to understand your request. We may ask you to confirm your identity so that we do not disclose information to the wrong person. We aim to respond within thirty days, and we will tell you if a request needs more time and why.
Some requests may be limited by the need to protect source identity or by other legal obligations. Where we cannot fully comply, we will explain the reason as clearly as we can without undermining a protection that exists for someone else.
15. Privacy for Children
This website is a news publication intended for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children below the age at which they can consent to data processing in their jurisdiction. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child has sent personal information to the newsroom, please contact us so that we can review and, where appropriate, delete it.
Our reporting may describe conditions affecting young people, and our field work may involve visiting communities where children live. In those situations reporters follow strict rules to avoid identifying a child without the informed consent of a parent or guardian, and to avoid publishing material that could place a young person at risk.
Educational use of our published reporting by students is welcome. That use does not require sending personal information to us, and no account is needed to read the newsboard.
16. Third Party Links and Services
Our reporting may link to external websites, public documents, data portals and partner organisations. Those destinations are operated by other parties, and their privacy practices are governed by their own policies rather than by this one.
We link to third parties because the sources behind a story should be checkable. A link is not an endorsement of everything on the destination site, and it is not a promise about how that site handles information. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice you find there.
If you believe a link on our website points to material that is inaccurate, unsafe or inappropriate, tell us and we will review it promptly.
17. Newsletters and Communications
If the newsroom offers a newsletter or a similar update, it will be described on the page where you sign up, together with the type of messages you can expect and how often they are sent. We send such messages only where we have a lawful basis to do so.
Every update includes a simple way to stop receiving it. When you unsubscribe, we keep only the minimum record needed to honour your choice and to prevent accidental future contact. You may also write to the newsroom at any time and ask to be removed from a list.
We do not rent, sell or share contact lists with advertisers. If we ever send a message on behalf of a partner, we will say so clearly and we will not disclose your details to that partner without a separate lawful basis.
18. Automated Decisions and Profiling
We do not use personal information to make automated decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects for you. We do not build advertising profiles, and we do not track readers across other websites in order to target them.
We may use aggregate statistics to understand which reporting is read and which regions show interest in particular topics. These statistics are used to plan coverage, not to evaluate individuals. Where analysis is performed, it is designed to work with grouped data rather than with identifying details.
If we ever introduce a feature that makes an automated decision about an individual, we will describe it in this policy, explain the logic in plain terms and provide a way for you to request human review.
19. Data Breach Response
We maintain procedures to detect, investigate and respond to a personal data breach. A breach may involve unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration or disclosure of information. Our first priorities are to contain the incident, to protect the people affected and to restore secure operations.
If a breach is likely to result in a risk to your rights or freedoms, we will notify you and any relevant authority without undue delay, and we will explain what happened, what we are doing about it and what steps you may wish to take. We do not conceal incidents in order to protect reputation, because trust is the foundation of a newsroom.
After an incident we review our practices and strengthen the controls that failed. A breach is a failure to be corrected and learned from, not merely an event to be announced.
20. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, in the services we offer, or in the law that applies to us. When we make a material change we will revise the effective date at the top of the page and, where appropriate, provide a more prominent notice on the website.
We encourage you to review this page occasionally so that you remain aware of how the newsroom protects personal information. Continued use of the website after an updated policy takes effect indicates that you accept the revised terms.
Earlier versions of this policy are retained so that readers can see how our commitments have evolved over time. A copy of an earlier version may be requested through the contact details below.
21. How to Contact Us
If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise a right, or want to raise a concern about how the newsroom has handled your information, please contact us using the details below. A member of the team will review your message and respond.
China Ecological Environment News Agency Limited
12/F San Toi Building, 137-139 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (HK)
Email office@mgarza.mom
Telephone +12245767988
We take every privacy enquiry seriously. If you are unhappy with our response, you may have the right to complain to the data protection authority in your jurisdiction, and we will not treat a good faith complaint as a reason to restrict your access to our reporting.
This Privacy Policy forms part of our public commitments alongside our Terms of Service. Both are written to be read by ordinary readers, because the rules that govern a newsroom should be as open as the reporting it publishes.