This privacy policy (“policy”) will help you understand how Baltimore Witness uses and protects the data you provide to us when you visit and use dcwitness.org. We reserve the right to update this policy at any time. We advise you to check this page periodically to stay informed of any changes. The date of the most recent revision will always be noted at the bottom of this page.
What Data We Collect
When you visit our website, we may collect the following data:
Your IP address and general geographic location. Your contact information, including your email address, if you choose to provide it. Information about your interests and preferences where voluntarily shared. Data relating to your browsing behaviour on our website, including pages visited, time spent on pages, and how you arrived at our site.
Why We Collect Your Data
We collect your data for the following reasons: to better understand how our audience uses our website and to improve the content and services we provide; to respond to enquiries or correspondence you send us; to send you updates or newsletters where you have opted in to receive these; and to analyse site performance and user behaviour in aggregate to inform editorial and technical decisions.
Google Analytics and Data Collection
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google LLC (“Google”), to help us understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics collects data using cookies and similar tracking technologies.
The information collected by Google Analytics on our behalf includes your IP address (which is anonymised before storage), your approximate geographic location (country, region, and city level), the device and browser you are using, the operating system you are using, the pages you visit on our site and the time you spend on them, how you arrived at our site (for example, via a search engine, social media, or a direct link), and interactions such as clicks, scrolls, and downloads where we have configured tracking for these.
This data is transmitted to and stored on Google’s servers, which may be located outside of the United States, including outside of Maryland and the District of Columbia. Google processes this data on our behalf under a data processing agreement and is contractually prohibited from using it for its own advertising purposes without your consent.
We use this data solely to understand and improve our website. We do not use Google Analytics data to personally identify individual visitors.
For more information on how Google handles data collected through Analytics, please visit google.com/policies/privacy.
Google Signals and Cross-Device Tracking
We have enabled a feature of Google Analytics called Google Signals. If you are signed in to a Google account and have enabled the “Web & App Activity” setting, Google may associate your visits to our site with your Google account. This allows Google Analytics to provide us with aggregated, anonymised reports on cross-device behaviour — for example, whether the same person visited our site on both a phone and a laptop.
Google Signals also enables features related to advertising personalisation, including remarketing audiences. We want to be transparent that enabling Signals means Google may use data from your visit in connection with data Google holds about you from other sources, subject to your Google account settings and Google’s own privacy policy.
You have the right to opt out of Google Signals tracking on this website. See the “Your Choices and Opt-Out Options” section below for details.
Your Choices and Opt-Out Options
We respect your right to control how your data is used. You have several options available to you.
Opt out of Google Signals on this website: We have implemented an opt-out tool directly on this website. By clicking the button in the footer, we will record your preference in your browser’s local storage and instruct Google Analytics to disable Signals and advertising personalisation features for your visits to this site. This will limit the data available to us about your browsing behaviour and will prevent your visits from being associated with your Google account for cross-device reporting purposes.
Please note that this opt-out is stored locally in your browser. It applies only to this device and this browser. If you clear your browser data, or visit our site from a different device or browser, you will need to opt out again.
Opt out of Google Analytics entirely: You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting your data across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Manage your Google account settings: If you are signed in to a Google account, you can review and manage your Web & App Activity settings, including whether Google Signals can associate your browsing with your account, at myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy.
Disable cookies in your browser: You can disable or restrict cookies through your browser settings. Please be aware that doing so may affect the functionality of some parts of our website. Instructions for managing cookies vary by browser and are available in your browser’s help documentation.
Your Privacy Rights
Maryland residents: Under the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (MODPA), which takes effect on October 1, 2025, Maryland residents have the right to know what personal data we collect and why, to access and correct personal data we hold about you, to request deletion of your personal data, and to opt out of the processing of your personal data for targeted advertising purposes. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details at the bottom of this policy.
Washington, DC residents: Washington DC does not currently have a standalone comprehensive consumer privacy law. However, DC residents may have rights under applicable federal law. We are committed to handling all user data responsibly regardless of jurisdiction and will honour reasonable data requests from DC residents on the same basis as Maryland residents.
Our Cookie Policy
Our website uses cookies — small text files stored in your browser — to help us understand how visitors use our site. Cookies allow us to recognise returning visitors, analyse traffic patterns, and improve the website experience.
The data collected through cookies is used for statistical and analytical purposes. We use Google Analytics cookies for this purpose, as described above. We do not use cookies to gain access to your computer or device beyond what is necessary for the purposes described in this policy.
You can disable cookies at any time through your browser settings, or use the opt-out options described in the “Your Choices and Opt-Out Options” section above.
Data Sharing and Third Parties
Baltimore Witness does not sell, lease, or distribute your personal information to third parties for commercial purposes. Data collected through Google Analytics is shared with Google as our analytics provider, as described above. We may disclose your information where required to do so by law or in response to valid legal process.
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. If you follow these links, your data and privacy will be governed by those websites’ own policies, not this one. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit.
Data Security
Baltimore Witness is committed to keeping your data secure. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the information we collect from unauthorised access, disclosure, or loss. However, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Restricting Collection of Your Personal Data
If you wish to restrict how we collect and use your personal data, you can use the opt-out options described above, contact us by email to request that we amend or delete any personal data you have previously provided to us, or where you have consented to receiving communications from us, withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe option in any email we send.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, or if you wish to exercise any of your privacy rights, please contact us.
This policy was last updated on February 22nd, 2026.