Privacy Policy
Last updated: 9 September 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how The College View (“we”, “us”, or “our”) handles information in connection with the The College View mobile application (the “App”).
The College View is DCU’s independent student newspaper. The App provides access to news articles, categories, images, and other content published by The College View.
We are committed to respecting your privacy and processing personal data responsibly and transparently.
1. Data Controller
The organisation responsible for the processing of personal data described in this Privacy Policy is:
The College View
DCU’s Independent Student Newspaper
Dublin, Ireland
Email: editor@thecollegeview.ie
Website: https://thecollegeview.ie
If you have any questions about how your personal data is processed, you can contact us using the details above.
2. Information We Collect
The App does not require you to create an account, register, or log in. We do not intentionally collect information such as your name, email address, telephone number, postal address, or date of birth through the App.
However, when you use the App, some technical information may be processed automatically as part of providing and securing the service.
Technical and network information
When the App connects to our servers or other services to retrieve content, the relevant service may receive technical information associated with your request, which may include:
- IP address;
- date and time of the request;
- device type;
- operating system and version;
- requested resource or URL; and
- other standard server or network information contained in an HTTP request.
This information may be recorded in server logs for purposes such as:
- delivering content;
- maintaining and operating the App and website;
- preventing abuse and malicious activity;
- maintaining security;
- diagnosing technical problems; and
- monitoring the reliability and performance of our services.
An IP address may constitute personal data under EU data protection law. We therefore treat information that can reasonably be associated with an individual as personal data where applicable.
Locally stored information
The App may store content locally on your device, including:
- downloaded or cached articles;
- cached images; and
- app preferences or similar settings.
This information is stored on your device to improve performance and, where supported, allow content to remain available when an internet connection is unavailable.
This locally cached content is not routinely transmitted back to us as part of the App’s normal operation.
3. Legal Basis for Processing
Where EU or Irish data protection law applies, we process personal data on an appropriate legal basis under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
Legitimate interests
We may process limited technical information, such as server logs and IP addresses, where necessary for our legitimate interests in:
- operating and maintaining the App;
- keeping our systems and services secure;
- preventing fraud, abuse, and malicious activity;
- diagnosing technical problems; and
- improving the reliability and performance of our services.
When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the impact that the processing may have on individuals and take appropriate measures to protect their rights and privacy.
Consent
Where processing requires consent, we will seek consent where appropriate. You may withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
4. How We Use Information
Information processed in connection with the App may be used to:
- provide news articles, images, and other content;
- operate and maintain the App;
- provide caching and offline functionality;
- maintain the security and integrity of our services;
- investigate technical problems;
- prevent abuse or malicious activity; and
- improve the performance and reliability of the App.
We do not sell personal data.
We do not use personal data collected through the App for targeted advertising.
We do not intentionally use the App to create user profiles for advertising or behavioural tracking.
5. Data Retention
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
Server logs
Technical server logs, which may contain information such as IP addresses and request timestamps, may be retained for a limited period for security, troubleshooting, operational, and auditing purposes.
Where technically and operationally appropriate, logs are deleted or anonymised when they are no longer required.
The exact retention period may vary depending on the system involved and the security or operational requirements.
Locally stored data
Cached articles, images, and preferences remain on your device until they are removed by the App, overwritten as part of normal cache management, or deleted by you.
You can generally remove locally stored App data by clearing the App’s cache or data through your device settings, or by uninstalling the App.
6. Third-Party Services
The App may interact with third-party services in order to retrieve or display content.
WordPress
The App retrieves published articles, categories, and related content from our WordPress-powered services through the WordPress REST API.
Requests to these services may contain standard technical information, such as an IP address, request timestamp, and information contained in the HTTP request.
Our WordPress services may retain standard server logs for security, operational, and troubleshooting purposes.
Image proxy services
The App may use third-party image proxy services, including images.weserv.nl, to retrieve, transform, resize, or deliver images used within the App.
When the App requests an image through such a service, technical information associated with the request, including an IP address, may be processed by the third-party service.
Third-party services operate independently from The College View and may have their own privacy policies and data-processing practices. You should review the relevant third party’s privacy policy for further information.
External websites and applications
The App may contain links to websites and services operated by third parties, including:
- The College View website;
- social media platforms;
- messaging services; and
- other external websites.
When you follow an external link, you may leave the App and interact directly with that third party.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of third-party websites and services. We recommend reviewing their privacy policies before providing them with personal information.
7. Notifications
If notification functionality is available and you enable notifications, the App may send notifications about new articles or other content.
You can disable notifications at any time through your device’s notification settings.
If a third-party push notification service is used to deliver notifications, information about that service will be added to this Privacy Policy.
8. Device Permissions
The App is designed to operate without requiring access to sensitive device features.
The App does not request access to:
- your camera;
- microphone;
- precise location;
- contacts;
- health information; or
- your photo library.
The App may require or request permissions necessary for normal operation, including:
Internet access
Internet access is required to retrieve articles, images, and other online content.
Notifications
Notification permission may be requested where the App provides push notifications. Notifications are optional and can be disabled through your device settings.
Opening external applications
The App may request the operating system to open links in a web browser or another application installed on your device.
9. Children’s Privacy
The App is intended for a general audience.
The App does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without an appropriate legal basis, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.
Nothing in this section is intended to limit any rights or protections provided to children under applicable Irish or EU law.
10. Data Sharing
We do not sell or rent personal data.
We may disclose limited information to third-party service providers where this is necessary to operate, secure, maintain, or provide the App and its services.
Such providers may process technical information, including IP addresses, when handling requests made by the App.
We may also disclose information where required to do so by law, legal process, or a valid request from a competent authority.
Where required by applicable data protection law, we take appropriate steps to ensure that third-party processors provide appropriate safeguards for personal data.
11. International Data Transfers
Some third-party service providers may process information outside Ireland or the European Economic Area (EEA).
Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection law, including where required the use of an adequacy decision, Standard Contractual Clauses, or another legally recognised transfer mechanism.
12. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information processed through the App and our associated services.
These measures may include appropriate access controls, secure communications, system security measures, and measures designed to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure.
However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
13. Your Rights Under GDPR
If the GDPR applies to the processing of your personal data, you may have the following rights, subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions:
- Right of access — to request a copy of personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to erasure — to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Right to restriction — to request that processing of your personal data is restricted in certain circumstances.
- Right to object — to object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests.
- Right to data portability — where applicable, to receive certain personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
- Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
Because the App does not require an account or registration, we may hold very little information that can be directly associated with an individual user. This may affect what information we can identify or provide in response to a request.
To exercise your rights, contact us at:
We may need sufficient information to verify and process your request, but we will not request unnecessary information.
14. Right to Complain
If you believe that your personal data has been processed unlawfully or that your data protection rights have been infringed, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority responsible for data protection in Ireland:
Data Protection Commission (DPC)
Ireland
Website: https://www.dataprotection.ie/
You may also contact us first so that we can attempt to resolve your concern.
15. App Store and Google Play Privacy Information
The privacy information provided through the Apple App Store and Google Play may contain additional disclosures about the App’s data practices.
We aim to ensure that our App Store privacy information, Google Play Data Safety information, and this Privacy Policy accurately reflect the App’s actual data processing practices.
If the App’s functionality or third-party services change, we may update these disclosures accordingly.
16. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the App, our services, third-party providers, or applicable legal requirements.
When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the beginning of this Privacy Policy.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
17. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, the App, or the way we handle personal data, please contact:
The College View
DCU’s Independent Student Newspaper
Dublin, Ireland
Email: editor@thecollegeview.ie
Website: https://thecollegeview.ie
This Privacy Policy is effective as of 9 September 2026.