Privacy Policy
Who we are
Islamophobia Watch France (IWF) is an independent, non-commercial media monitoring project based in France. We monitor anti-Muslim discrimination and Muslim life in France for English-speaking audiences. This site is operated by an individual journalist and does not represent any organisation or institution.
Contact: contact form
What data we collect
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors discover and use this site. With your consent, Google Analytics may collect:
- Pages viewed and time spent on each page
- Referring website or search query that brought you here
- Approximate geographic region (country/city level — not precise location)
- Browser type, operating system, and device category
We have enabled IP anonymisation (anonymize_ip: true). This means the last octet of your IP address is masked before any data is stored by Google. We never see your full IP address.
We do not collect names, email addresses, or any directly identifying information through analytics. We do not use remarketing, cross-site tracking, or advertising features in GA4.
Cookies
If you accept analytics, Google Analytics sets first-party cookies (typically _ga and _ga_*) in your browser. These cookies:
- Distinguish between unique visitors and sessions
- Expire after 2 years (
_ga) or 24 months (_ga_*) - Are not used for advertising or cross-site profiling
If you decline or do not interact with the banner, no analytics cookies are set and no data is sent to Google Analytics.
Your preference is stored in your browser's localStorage under the key iwf_cookies. This is not a cookie and does not expire automatically — it persists until you clear your browser data.
How we use this data
Analytics data is used solely to understand which topics readers find most useful and how they discover IWF. We do not sell data, share it with third parties (other than Google, as processor), or use it for any commercial purpose.
Data retention
Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted from Google's systems. We have configured the shortest available retention period in GA4 settings.
Legal basis (GDPR)
For visitors in the European Economic Area and United Kingdom, we process analytics data only with your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). Analytics is not activated until you click "Accept" on the cookie banner. You may withdraw consent at any time (see below).
Your rights
Under GDPR you have the right to:
- Withdraw consent — clear your
iwf_cookieslocalStorage key or use your browser's "Clear site data" option. Analytics will not fire on your next visit until you consent again. - Opt out of Google Analytics — install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Access and erasure — because we collect no directly identifying information, we cannot link analytics data to a specific individual. If you have a specific concern, contact us.
Third-party links
Articles on this site link to original news sources (Le Monde, France 24, Al Jazeera, etc.). IWF is not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-party sites.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy if our practices change. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. We will not reduce your rights without providing notice.
Contact
For any privacy-related questions, please use our contact form.