WSentinel Privacy Policy
1. Introduction
WSentinel ("WSentinel", "we", "our", "us") operates the website located at wsentinel.com (the "Site") and provides related editorial and commercial media services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information about you when you visit the Site, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a story tip, contact us, or engage our commercial media services.
This Privacy Policy is issued in compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 ("NDPA"), the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, 2019 ("NDPR"), and directives issued by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission ("NDPC"). Where you are a resident of the European Union, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with applicable data protection laws, we will respect the additional rights those laws provide to you.
By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.
2. Who we are
AFRIMEL WARRI SENTINEL MEDIA LTD, trading as WSentinel Media, is a company incorporated in Nigeria under RC Number 7319753.
We publish daily news from Warri, Delta State and the Niger Delta, and offer commercial media production and coverage services through our Media Services division.
For privacy-related inquiries, contact us at legal@wsentinel.com.
For the purposes of the NDPA, we are the "data controller" of the personal information described in this Privacy Policy.
3. Information we collect
3.1 Information you provide directly
Newsletter subscription. When you subscribe to The WSentinel Brief, we collect your email address. We use this only to send you the newsletter and, occasionally, related editorial updates.
Contact form and story tips. When you submit a message through our contact form or send a tip via email or WhatsApp, we receive your name, email address, phone number (if provided), the content of your message, and any files or attachments you include. We use this to respond to your inquiry, follow up on tips, and, where relevant, maintain records of our correspondence.
Media Services inquiries. When you inquire about our commercial media services, we collect the information you submit including your name, organisation, contact details, and the details of your inquiry. We use this to respond, prepare quotes, and manage the commercial engagement.
Correspondence. If you contact us by any means (email, phone, WhatsApp, postal mail, social media), we may keep records of that correspondence for our records and to improve our service.
3.2 Information we collect automatically
When you visit the Site, we and our service providers collect certain information automatically, including:
- Device and connection data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen size, and general geographic location (typically city or region, not precise location)
- Usage data: pages viewed, time spent on pages, referring URLs, links clicked, scroll depth, and interactions with the Site
- Session recordings and heatmaps: as described in Section 7.3 below
- Error reports: technical data about errors you encounter while using the Site
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies: see Section 6 below
3.3 Information from third parties
When you interact with content embedded from third-party services (for example, YouTube videos or social media embeds), those services may collect information directly from your browser. We do not control this collection. Please refer to those services' own privacy policies.
4. How we use your information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To provide, maintain, and improve the Site and our journalism
- To deliver the newsletter you subscribed to
- To respond to your inquiries, tips, and messages
- To manage commercial engagements for our Media Services
- To analyse how the Site is used and improve content, performance, and user experience
- To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, security incidents, and unlawful activity
- To comply with legal obligations, court orders, and regulatory requirements
- To enforce our Terms of Service and protect our rights, property, and safety, and that of our readers, staff, and sources
5. Legal basis for processing
Under the NDPA and comparable laws (GDPR, UK GDPR), we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:
- Consent: for newsletter subscriptions, non-essential cookies, and marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Contract: where processing is necessary to fulfil a service you have requested (for example, a Media Services engagement).
- Legitimate interests: for operating and improving the Site, understanding our audience, responding to your inquiries, and maintaining the security of the Site, provided our interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
- Legal obligation: where we are required to process data under Nigerian or other applicable law.
- Public interest and journalism: processing carried out for journalistic purposes benefits from specific exemptions under the NDPA and other data protection frameworks. We rely on this basis where relevant to our reporting.
7. Analytics, monitoring, and session recording
We use the following third-party tools to understand and improve how the Site is used and to identify technical issues:
7.1 Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 ("GA4") is a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. GA4 uses cookies and similar technologies to help us analyse how visitors use the Site. Information generated (including your IP address, which is truncated by GA4 to protect your privacy) is transmitted to and stored by Google on servers that may be located outside Nigeria.
To learn more, see Google's Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of GA4 tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
7.2 Sentry
Sentry is an error monitoring service provided by Functional Software Inc. When you encounter a technical error on the Site, Sentry captures diagnostic information including the URL, browser type, device details, error stack trace, and (in rare cases) form data that was being submitted when the error occurred. This information helps us identify and fix bugs.
To learn more, see Sentry's Privacy Policy at sentry.io/privacy.
7.3 Microsoft Clarity (session recording and heatmaps)
Microsoft Clarity is a user behaviour analytics tool provided by Microsoft Corporation. Clarity records your interactions with the Site, including mouse movement, clicks, scrolling, and pages viewed, as playable session recordings and aggregated heatmaps. Clarity attempts to mask sensitive fields (such as passwords and payment information) but text you type into open form fields may be captured.
We use Clarity to understand how readers navigate our journalism, identify usability issues, and improve the reading experience. Recordings are pseudonymised (they are not directly linked to your name or email unless you submit those in a form).
To learn more, see Microsoft's Privacy Statement at privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement. To opt out of Clarity, use browser Do-Not-Track settings or a privacy-preserving browser extension.
9. Story tips and source confidentiality
Where you submit a story tip or otherwise contact us as a source, we treat that information with the confidentiality expected of journalism. We will not disclose your identity to third parties except:
- Where you have given us explicit consent, or
- Where we are compelled by a lawful court order (in which case, where legally permitted, we will notify you and seek to challenge the order in accordance with journalistic privilege)
Note that standard email, web forms, and WhatsApp are not end-to-end encrypted between you and us. Metadata (the fact that you contacted us, the time, and your contact details) may be visible to intermediary providers, network operators, or, in some cases, authorities with legal access.
For sensitive tips, we plan to provide a dedicated secure tips form on the Site. Details will be published on the Site when available.
10. Data retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law:
- Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe
- Contact form messages and inquiries: up to 24 months after last correspondence, unless the matter remains ongoing
- Media Services engagement records: for the duration of the engagement and for 7 years thereafter, as required for tax and financial record-keeping under Nigerian law
- Story tips and source correspondence: as required for the reporting, our records of published stories, and journalistic accountability
- Analytics and session recording data: for the retention period configured with each analytics provider (GA4 default is 14 months; Clarity default is up to 3 months; Sentry default is 90 days). We may retain aggregated, non-identifying data indefinitely.
- Legal, tax, and regulatory records: as required by applicable Nigerian law
Where retention is no longer necessary, we securely delete or anonymise the data.
11. Data security
We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These include encryption in transit (HTTPS), access controls, secure hosting infrastructure, and periodic review of our systems.
No method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure. While we take security seriously, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You use the Site at your own risk.
If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the NDPC in accordance with the NDPA.
12. Your rights
Under the NDPA and other applicable data protection laws, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- Right of access: request confirmation of whether we process your data and a copy of that data
- Right to rectification: request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data
- Right to erasure: request that we delete your data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to legal exceptions including our right to retain material for legitimate journalistic purposes and legal record-keeping
- Right to restrict processing: limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
- Right to data portability: receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
- Right to object: object to certain processing, including direct marketing
- Right to withdraw consent: withdraw any consent you have given, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal
- Right to lodge a complaint: with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission at ndpc.gov.ng or, if you are in the EU/UK, with your local supervisory authority
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at legal@wsentinel.com. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request. We may need to verify your identity before acting on the request.
13. Children's privacy
The Site is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are under 18, please do not submit any personal information through the Site. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
14. International data transfers
Some of our service providers are located outside Nigeria. This means personal information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in countries such as the United States, Ireland, Norway, and other jurisdictions where our service providers operate.
Where we transfer personal data outside Nigeria, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, in line with NDPA requirements for cross-border data transfers, including contractual protections with our service providers.
15. Third-party links and content
The Site may contain links to third-party websites, and may embed content from third parties (including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and others). We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or actions of those third parties. We recommend reviewing their privacy policies before engaging with them.
16. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top. For material changes, we will provide additional notice through the Site (for example, a banner or prominent notice) and, where reasonable, by email to newsletter subscribers.
Your continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
17. Contact us
For any questions, requests, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data:
AFRIMEL WARRI SENTINEL MEDIA LTD (trading as WSentinel Media)
RC 7319753
Email: legal@wsentinel.com
Phone / WhatsApp: +234 705 656 4603