This policy explains what personal data DESERT collects, why, and what you can do about it. We've kept it plain and specific to how this site actually works. If anything here is unclear, email privacy@desert.com and we'll explain it properly.
On this page
1. Who we are
DESERT is an independent editorial project published at desert.com. For anything to do with your personal data, we are the "data controller" — meaning we decide what is collected and why. You can reach us at privacy@desert.com for any privacy request or question. We'll usually reply within a few days.
2. What we collect
We collect only what you choose to give us through the forms on this site, plus the minimal technical logs any website generates. Specifically:
- Newsletter sign-up. Your email address (required) and your first name (optional, only if you enter it). We also record that you ticked the consent box, and roughly when.
- Contact form. Your email address, your message, and your name if you choose to provide it.
- Unsubscribe form. The email address you enter, used only to remove you from the list.
- Basic server logs. Like almost all websites, our hosting keeps standard technical logs — things like IP address, browser type, and the page requested — generated automatically when your browser loads a page. We use these only to keep the site running and secure.
We do not ask for, or want, sensitive personal information. Please don't send it to us through the contact form.
Our forms also include a hidden "honeypot" field that ordinary visitors never see or fill in. It exists only to catch automated spam bots. If you're a person, you can ignore it — it collects nothing about you.
3. Why we collect it
- To send you the newsletter you asked for, and nothing else.
- To reply to you when you write to us through the contact form.
- To remove you from the list when you unsubscribe.
- To keep the site working and secure — using server logs to diagnose problems and prevent abuse.
We do not build advertising profiles, and we do not use your data to track you around the web.
4. Our legal basis
For the newsletter, our basis is your consent: you actively tick an unchecked box before subscribing, and you can withdraw that consent at any time (see Opting out). For replying to a contact message, our basis is our legitimate interest in answering people who write to us — and you gave us the message specifically so we could respond. For keeping the site secure, our basis is our legitimate interest in running a safe, functioning website.
5. Cookies & local storage
We keep this simple: DESERT does not use tracking or advertising cookies. We don't set analytics cookies, and we don't embed third-party trackers or social "like" pixels. The site does not store personal information in your browser's local storage. If we ever add anything beyond strictly necessary technology, we'll update this policy and, where required, ask first.
6. Sharing & processors
We do not sell your personal data. We never have and we don't intend to. We also don't rent, trade, or share it for anyone else's marketing.
To actually operate the site and send the newsletter, we rely on a small number of service providers who process data strictly on our instructions — generally a website hosting provider and an email delivery provider. They may handle your data only to provide those services to us, and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes. We may also disclose information if the law genuinely requires it, or to protect the rights and safety of our readers and our project.
7. How long we keep it
- Newsletter data is kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it. When you unsubscribe, we remove your address from the active list.
- Contact messages are kept only as long as needed to handle your enquiry and any reasonable follow-up, then deleted.
- Server logs are kept for a short period for security and troubleshooting, then routinely discarded.
8. Security
We take reasonable, sensible measures to protect the limited data we hold — serving the site over an encrypted connection (HTTPS), limiting who can access the mailing list, and keeping the amount of data we collect deliberately small. No method of transmission or storage is ever completely secure, but collecting little is our first line of defence: we can't lose what we never asked for.
9. Your rights
You have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Correct anything that's wrong (for example, fixing your name or email).
- Delete your data — ask us and we'll remove it.
- Withdraw consent to the newsletter at any time.
- Object to or restrict certain uses of your data.
To exercise any of these, email privacy@desert.com. We won't charge you or make it difficult. Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
10. Opting out of the newsletter
You can leave the list at any time, for any reason or none. Two ways:
- Use the one-click unsubscribe link at the bottom of every newsletter email. Every issue we send has one.
- Or visit our unsubscribe page and enter your address.
Once you unsubscribe, we stop sending and remove your address from the active list. No confirmation call, no "are you sure" maze.
11. Children's privacy
DESERT is made for adults and is not directed at children. We don't knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us their information, email privacy@desert.com and we'll delete it promptly.
12. International readers
DESERT can be read from anywhere, and the providers who host our site and deliver our email may process data in a country different from your own. Wherever your data is handled, this policy applies and we take care to protect it. By subscribing or contacting us, you understand your information may be processed in another country for these purposes.
13. Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data, we'll update this page and change the "last updated" date at the top. If a change is significant — for instance, a new way of collecting data — we'll make a clear effort to tell subscribers. Continuing to use the site or stay subscribed after an update means the current version applies.
Questions about any of this? Write to privacy@desert.com. See also our Terms of Use.