Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2025

The Register ("The Register", "our", "we") is owned and operated by Situation Publishing Limited (a company registered in England with registered number 03403653) ("we", "us", "our"). We are the controller of your personal data collected through our website. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This privacy policy (the "Policy") explains what personal data we collect when you access and visit www.theregister.com (the "Website") or its subdomains, how we use it, and what rights you have.

Scope and Additional Notices

This Policy applies to all users globally and is supplemented by our Cookie Policy and, if you are a California resident, by our California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Statement. For specific rights and disclosures under the CCPA, please see our separate CCPA Statement linked below.

By using our Website, you agree to this Policy. If you do not agree, please stop using the Website.

What Information We Collect

We collect personal data you provide directly and data collected automatically through your use of the Website, including:

• Identity Data: Your name, date of birth, gender
• Contact Data: Email address, phone number, billing address, delivery address
• Device Data: Information about the device(s) on which you visit the Website, such as mobile operating system, unique device ID
• Financial Data: Bank account and payment card details (where provided)
• Transaction Data: Details about payments and products/services related to those transactions
• Technical Data: IP address, login data, time zone, location, operating system, browser type and version
• Profile Data: Username, password, interests, preferences, feedback, survey responses
• Location Data: Data about where you access the Website from
• Usage Data: Information about how you use and engage with the Website
• Marketing and Communications Data: Your preferences for receiving marketing communications

We do not generally collect or process special category personal data (such as information about your race, ethnic origins, political opinions, religious beliefs, health information, or biometric data). If we need to process such data, we will only do so where we have a valid reason, the law allows us to, and we will request your explicit consent where required.

How We Collect Data

Direct interactions with us

When you use the Website, you provide personal data through various forms as part of creating an account and populating your profile. We also collect data you provide when subscribing to services, requesting marketing materials, participating in surveys, or contacting us.

Use of the Website

When you interact with content or other users, we collect both data that you upload and data about how you interact with the Website.

Automated technologies or interactions

We collect personal data through technologies such as cookies and server logs when you visit the Website, including:

• Information about your device and browser
• Your IP address
• Links clicked and pages viewed
• Visit duration and interaction information
• Navigation paths to and from the Website

For more information on cookies used on the Website, please see our Cookie Policy.

Third parties or publicly available sources

We may receive information about you from third parties (including business partners, advertising networks, analytics providers, and search information providers). We may receive information through cookie technologies used to personalize advertisements.

How and Why We Use Your Data

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in these circumstances:

• Where you have asked us to do so, or consented to us doing so
• Where we need to do so to perform a contract with you
• Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your rights do not override those interests
• Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation

Examples of how we use your data:

Activity	Types of personal data	Lawful basis for processing
Providing products/services and registration	Identity, contact, financial, transactional data	Performance of a contract
Processing orders and payments	Identity, contact, financial, transactional data	Performance of a contract; Legitimate interests (debt recovery)
Testing and developing products/services	Identity, contact, profile data	Performance of a contract; Legitimate interests (business growth)
Regulatory compliance and risk management	Identity, contact, financial, usage data	Legal obligation; Legitimate interests (business protection)
Managing customer relationships	Identity, contact, profile data	Contract preparation; Performance of a contract; Legal obligations; Legitimate interests (record keeping)
Administering prize draws or surveys	Identity, contact, profile, usage data	Performance of a contract; Legitimate interests (understanding customers)
Website management and protection	Identity, contact, technical data	Legitimate interests (business administration, IT services, network security, fraud prevention); Legal obligations
Content and advertisement delivery	All types of data	Legitimate interests (promoting our products/services and understanding customer preferences)
Analytics to improve the Website	All types of data	Legitimate interests (optimizing Website content and functionality)
Responding to inquiries	Identity, contact, technical data	Legitimate interests (customer service)
Developing new services	All types of data	Legitimate interests (business growth and development)

Artificial Intelligence and Automated Processing

We may use AI and automated systems to improve your experience on our Website and personalize content delivery. These systems may analyze your usage patterns and preferences to provide more relevant content and better user experience.

You have the right to human review of any significant decisions made using automated processing. Please contact us if you wish to exercise this right.

Marketing and Advertising

We may use your personal data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. You will only receive marketing communications from us if you have requested information or purchased products/services from us and have not opted out of receiving marketing.

All users will see advertisements on the Website, but the content of these adverts will differ depending on user behavior. These adverts are delivered based on analysis of your behavior on the Website. Advertising servers may set cookies on your device solely for advert delivery, recording, and segmentation purposes.

Opting Out of Marketing

To unsubscribe from marketing messages, click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any marketing message or contact us directly. We will retain your contact details on an opt-out list to ensure we respect your preferences.

Sharing Your Personal Data

Depending on how and why you provide us with your personal data, we may share it in the following ways:

• With our company group members (subsidiaries and holding companies)
• With official bodies to prevent fraud or comply with legal requirements (government bodies, tax authorities, law enforcement)
• With service providers who help us operate the Website and provide services
• With analytics and search engine providers
• With third parties whose content you have viewed or engaged with
• With professional service providers (insurers, accountants, auditors, lawyers)

We will not share your personal data with third parties for their direct marketing unless it relates to a specific activity you've consented to (e.g., sponsored webinars or whitepapers).

We reserve the right to publish correspondence sent to us unless you specifically ask us not to reveal your identity. We will never knowingly publish a private email address unless you ask us to.

We may also disclose your personal data:

• To comply with legal obligations
• To enforce our terms and conditions
• To protect rights, property, or safety

Service Providers

Our service providers provide administrative, statistical, and technical services. We provide only the minimum data necessary and require them to protect this data and not use it for other purposes. All data processors sign contracts committing to respect individual rights and assist us in helping you exercise your rights.

International Data Transfers

We may transfer your data to service providers based outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA). Where we do this, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data:

• Transfers to countries recognized by the European Commission as providing adequate protection
• Transfers governed by Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Other appropriate cross-border transfer solutions that provide adequate protection

By using our Website, you consent to these transfers. If you would like more information about our transfer mechanisms, please contact us.

Data Retention

We hold your personal data only as long as required to provide services and satisfy legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine appropriate retention periods, we consider:

• The amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data
• Potential risk of harm from unauthorized use
• Processing purposes and alternative means to achieve those purposes
• Legal and regulatory requirements

You should expect us to keep your data for as long as you have a registered account. If you delete your account, we may need to keep some data for up to six years for compliance purposes.

By law, we must keep basic customer information (contact, identity, financial, transaction data) for six years after they cease being customers. You can ask us to delete your data earlier in some circumstances (see 'Your Rights').

We may anonymize your data for research or statistical purposes, in which case we may use this information indefinitely.

Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your data, including:

• Secure servers (on our premises or in secure third-party data centers)
• Encryption (SSL)
• Password protection
• Access limitations to employees, agents, and contractors on a need-to-know basis
• Confidentiality obligations for those who access your data
• Data breach procedures

If you have a password to access parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping it confidential.

Your Rights

If you are based in the UK or European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights:

Right of Access

You can request access to your personal data that we hold (sometimes called a "subject access request").

Right to Rectification and Erasure

You can request that we correct inaccurate data or erase data that is no longer necessary to retain.

Right to Restrict Processing

You can ask us to stop processing your data in certain circumstances, such as:

• If you contest the accuracy of the data
• If our processing is unlawful but you don't want us to erase the data
• If you need us to hold the data for legal claims even though we no longer need it

Right to Data Portability

You can request that we provide your data in a machine-readable format to transfer to another service provider.

Right to Stop Receiving Communications

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time using the 'unsubscribe' link or by contacting us directly.

Right to Object to Automated Decision Making and Profiling

You can request information about and object to automated decision making that significantly affects you.

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please write to us with clear details of your request. We may ask for ID verification. We normally respond to legitimate requests within one month, though complex requests may take longer.

There is no fee for these requests unless they are clearly unfounded, repetitive, or excessive.

If you are unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to your local data protection authority, though we would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

For full details of your California rights, see our CCPA Statement.

Business Card Data

The Register may share personal information, such as business card data (name, job title, company, email address), with carefully selected third parties for marketing or commercial purposes only when you have explicitly opted in — for example, by downloading sponsored content or registering for a sponsored webinar. Where required, we rely on your explicit consent for sharing personal information with third parties, in line with Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.

Contact Details

If you have any questions about this Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

Email: readerservices@situationpublishing.com

Postal address UK
Situation Publishing Limited,
27 Old Gloucester St
London
WC1N 3AX

Postal address USA
Situation Publishing Ltd Inc
447 Suter Street Ste 405 #1091
San Francisco CA 94108

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Any significant changes will be notified to you. The latest version will always be posted on this page with an updated effective date.