Legal Basis for Processing

1. Introduction & Scope

At Aevum News, we process personal data strictly in compliance with legal requirements. We do not collect or use your information arbitrarily. Every processing activity is mapped to a specific legal basis under Article 6 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and equivalent local statutes. This page provides transparency regarding why and how we process your data.

Note: If you are unsure which basis applies to a specific interaction with our services, please contact our Data Protection Officer via privacy@aevumnews.com.

2. Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR)

Consent is the primary basis when you voluntarily opt in to specific services or communications. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

Where We Rely on Consent:

Newsletter & Marketing Subscriptions: When you sign up for daily briefs, editorial alerts, or promotional updates.
Cookies & Tracking Technologies: Non-essential cookies (analytics, personalization, advertising) require explicit opt-in via our cookie consent manager.
Event Registrations: Webinars, press conferences, and reader forums where participation is voluntary.
Comment & Community Features: Posting on public articles or joining moderated discussion boards.

3. Contractual Necessity (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR)

Processing is required to fulfill a contract with you or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

Where We Rely on Contractual Necessity:

Subscriber Accounts: Managing paid or free accounts, billing, payment processing, and subscription lifecycle.
Content Delivery: Providing access to articles, multimedia reports, and exclusive subscriber-only features.
Customer Support: Handling inquiries, technical issues, and account modifications.
Gift Subscriptions & Corporate Plans: Processing recipient details and organizational billing arrangements.

4. Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR)

We process data when required to comply with statutory duties, regulatory frameworks, or lawful requests from authorized bodies.

Where We Rely on Legal Obligation:

Tax & Financial Compliance: Retaining transaction records, invoices, and payment data as required by commercial law.
Media & Press Regulations: Archiving editorial content and contributor metadata per press freedom and media law standards.
Law Enforcement & Judicial Requests: Disclosing data in response to valid subpoenas, court orders, or anti-fraud investigations.
Age Verification & Safeguarding: Complying with digital safety and minor protection regulations where applicable.

5. Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR)

We may process data where it is necessary for purposes that are legitimately pursued by Aevum News, provided your fundamental rights do not override those interests. We conduct regular Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to ensure fairness.

Where We Rely on Legitimate Interests:

Website Optimization & Analytics: Aggregated usage data to improve site performance, content delivery, and user experience.
Fraud Prevention & Security: Monitoring for unauthorized access, payment fraud, account sharing violations, and bot activity.
Editorial Research & Fact-Checking: Managing contributor credentials, source verification, and archival research metadata.
Business Operations: Internal HR, finance, IT infrastructure management, and third-party vendor coordination.

Right to Object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests at any time. We will honor your request unless overriding legitimate grounds apply or rights/freedom are at stake.

6. Vital Interests & Public Task

Vital Interests (Article 6(1)(d)): Applied only in emergency situations where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life (e.g., medical emergencies during event coverage or crisis reporting).

Public Task (Article 6(1)(e)): Not routinely applicable to Aevum News as an independent digital media publisher. However, when commissioned by public broadcasters or government educational initiatives, processing may fall under this basis.

7. Data Subject Rights & Enforcement

Regardless of the legal basis applied, you retain the following rights under applicable data protection law:

Right to access, rectify, or erase your personal data
Right to restrict or object to processing
Right to data portability (where automated processing applies)
Right to withdraw consent without affecting prior lawfulness
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

To exercise any right, submit a verified request to privacy@aevumnews.com. We respond within 30 days, or within statutory timeframes where shorter periods apply.

8. Contact & Governance

Questions regarding this legal basis document, data processing activities, or your privacy rights should be directed to:

Data Protection Officer: DPO Team, Aevum News
Email: privacy@aevumnews.com
Postal: Aevum News Data Governance, 42 Editorial Way, Media District, London EC2A 4PX, United Kingdom

Last Updated: February 2025 | Document Version: 2.1