Privacy Policy
Effective March 31, 2026 — Last updated March 31, 2026
1. Who We Are
Arsi is a news analytics platform based in Tbilisi, Georgia. We aggregate and analyze coverage from Georgian media sources to help readers understand how news is being framed across the media landscape. We deliver this analysis through our website (arsinews.ge) and a free weekly newsletter.
This Privacy Policy, together with our Terms and Conditions, governs your use of the Service as defined in those Terms.
Data controller:
ARSI
Tbilisi, Georgia
Email: hello@arsinews.ge
2. What Data We Collect
Data you provide directly
- Email address — when you subscribe to the ARSI Weekly newsletter
Data collected automatically
- IP address and approximate geographic location — recorded when you visit our website
- Device and browser information — browser type, operating system, screen resolution
- Usage data — pages viewed, time on site, referral source
- Email engagement data — whether a newsletter email was opened and which links were clicked, collected via tracking pixels and link redirects provided by our email delivery service (Resend)
We do not collect sensitive personal data such as political opinions, health data, or biometric data.
3. How and Why We Use Your Data
We process personal data only when we have a valid legal basis under both Georgian data protection law and the GDPR.
Newsletter subscription (consent)
When you sign up for ARSI Weekly, you give explicit consent for us to store your email address and to send you our weekly newsletter. You can withdraw this consent at any time by unsubscribing.
Website operation (legitimate interest)
We process IP addresses and technical data to serve web pages, maintain security, and prevent abuse. This is necessary for the basic functioning of the site.
Email engagement tracking (legitimate interest)
We track whether newsletter emails are opened and which links are clicked. This helps us understand what content is useful and improve the newsletter.
Legal obligations
In limited circumstances, we may process data to comply with a legal obligation under Georgian law, for example, responding to a lawful request from a Georgian regulatory authority.
4. Newsletter Communications
- What we send: ARSI Weekly, a regular analysis of the Georgian media landscape, plus infrequent service-related communications (updates to terms, changes to the service, new product announcements).
- Frequency: Once per week (typically Monday), plus occasional service communications.
- Opt-in: Explicit opt-in only. We do not purchase email lists or subscribe users without consent.
- Unsubscribe: Every email contains a one-click unsubscribe link. You can also email hello@arsinews.ge. We process requests within 48 hours.
- After unsubscribe: Your email is removed from the active list. A hashed record is retained for 30 days to prevent accidental re-enrollment, then permanently deleted.
5. Legal Basis Summary
| Data | Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Newsletter delivery | Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)) |
| Email engagement | Improving newsletter content | Legitimate interest (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| IP, device info | Website operation and security | Legitimate interest (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Any personal data | Compliance with legal obligations | Legal obligation (GDPR Art. 6(1)(c)) |
6. Cookies and Tracking
Essential cookies — Required for the website to function (e.g., security tokens, load balancing). These do not require consent.
Non-essential cookies — We do not currently use analytics cookies, advertising cookies, social media tracking, or third-party marketing cookies.
If we introduce non-essential cookies in the future, we will update this policy and implement a cookie consent mechanism for EU/EEA visitors. You can always control cookies through your browser settings.
7. Data Sharing and Third Parties
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
We share data with a limited number of service providers who help us operate ARSI:
| Category | Provider | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email delivery | Resend | Sending ARSI Weekly and tracking engagement | Email address, engagement data |
| Hosting | Railway | Serving the ARSI website | IP address, usage data |
| Database | Supabase | Storing subscriber data | Email address |
| AI processing | Anthropic | Analyzing article framing | No personal data |
| Embeddings | Voyage AI | Article clustering | No personal data |
We may also disclose personal data if required by Georgian law, a court order, or a binding legal obligation.
8. International Data Transfers
ARSI is based in Georgia. Your data may be processed in Georgia and in other countries where our service providers operate (including the United States).
Georgia does not currently have an EU adequacy decision under GDPR Article 45. To safeguard data transferred from the EU/EEA, we rely on:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) — EU-approved contractual terms that bind data importers to GDPR-equivalent protections.
- Supplementary measures — Additional technical safeguards such as encryption in transit and at rest.
You have the right to request information about the safeguards we have in place for any international transfer of your data.
9. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Email address | Until you unsubscribe, plus 30 days |
| Email engagement data | 12 months, then deleted or anonymized |
| Server logs (IP, device) | 90 days, then deleted |
| Unsubscribe records | Hashed email for 30 days, then permanently deleted |
10. Your Rights
Under Georgian law
You have the right to request access to, correction of, and deletion of your personal data. You may also request information about who has received your data.
Under the GDPR (EU/EEA residents)
You have the right to: access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, objection to processing based on legitimate interest, and withdrawal of consent at any time.
You may lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. EU/EEA residents can contact their local data protection authority via edpb.europa.eu.
How to exercise your rights
Send your request to hello@arsinews.ge. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days.
11. Children’s Privacy
ARSI is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 16. If we learn that we have collected data from a child under 16, we will delete it promptly. Contact hello@arsinews.ge if you believe a child has provided us with personal data.
12. Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL), access controls, and secure storage with our database provider. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will post the updated policy with a revised date. For significant changes affecting how we use your data, we will notify active subscribers by email before the changes take effect.
14. Contact
For questions about this policy, your data, or to exercise your rights:
Email: hello@arsinews.ge
Website: arsinews.ge
We aim to respond to all inquiries within 30 days.