Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) believes Internet users have a right to personal privacy and unmonitored navigation of the Internet.

In the course of providing the best Internet news service possible to our users, we collect two types of information about our visitors: e-mail addresses provided to us by visitors wishing to subscribe to RFE/RL publications via e-mail, and aggregate statistical data used to track site usage.

Here at RFE/RL, we take the privacy of our subscribers seriously. We want to be fully transparent when it comes to how we handle your personal data.  

We do not store any personal data about you besides your e-mail address. We only use your e-mail address to send you the newsletters to which you have subscribed—your e-mail address is protected with us, and it will never be used for any other purposes.  

E-mail Addresses

Subscribers to RFE/RL e-mail newsletters voluntarily supply their e-mail addresses to receive newsletters. RFE/RL will under no circumstances make e-mail addresses collected and used for this purpose available to any third party, nor will subscriber lists be shared internally for any purpose other than distributing the newsletters. Newsletter subscribers may unsubscribe from any newsletter at any time by following the directions published in the newsletter and posted on the website.

We have an external partner — Goolara, LLC (located in California, USA) — helping us with e-mail newsletters. We have signed appropriate agreements with Goolara, LLC ensuring that they take data protection as seriously as we do. Another external partner helping us with the e-mail newsletters is Intuit MailChimp, a marketing automation and email marketing platform (located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA).  

MailChimp (as an entity covered through Intuit) participates in the EU-U.S. DATA PRIVACY FRAMEWORK as well as in the SWISS-U.S. DATA PRIVACY FRAMEWORK, which guarantees a sufficient level of personal data protection. Although Goolara has participated in the EU-U.S. PRIVACY SHIELD FRAMEWORK since August 2018, it is not participating in current EU-U.S. DATA PRIVACY FRAMEWORK.  

Statistical Data

RFE/RL aggregates data when users visit the RFE/RL website. The purpose of this data collection is simply to count how many people come to the site, which countries they come from, which pages they view, etc. This data-collection process does not enable RFE/RL to discern who you are, only that a computer with a specific number is accessing the web server. The software we use to create reports from these data relies on a standard browser feature called a cookie to track which web pages visitors view on the site. These cookies are assigned at random with each newly created visitor session and are deleted after the visitor leaves the site. Reports generated by this data collection are used internally to improve the site and provide better value to our users based on their news-consumption patterns. 

Links to External Sites

RFE/RL occasionally provides links to sites maintained by persons or entities not affiliated with RFE/RL on its websites. In deciding whether to allow a link to an external site on its own websites, RFE/RL gives preference to non-profit, non-partisan entities devoted to public service. RFE/RL has no control over these external sites and does not endorse their content, operators, products, or services. Furthermore, RFE/RL is not responsible for or liable for the content, operators, availability, accuracy, quality, advertising, products, services, or other materials on or available from such sites. RFE/RL shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, products or services available on or through such sites. 

If you have any questions regarding your data privacy, please do not hesitate to contact us.