Effective October 9, 2026

Privacy policy

How The Dispute Index collects, uses, shares and protects information about visitors and people documented in the public record.

Information we collect

When you browse or search the site, our hosting and security infrastructure may process technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, requested pages, search terms included in a URL, referring page, timestamps and diagnostic or security events. We use third-party analytics services to measure page views, navigation, clicks and other interface interactions, and traffic sources. We also use heatmap and session recording tools to understand how visitors use public pages. These tools are configured with advertising storage and advertising signals denied, and we do not use them to deliver advertising.

The homepage and case pages include a newsletter signup field. When you submit that field, your browser sends the address you typed directly to our newsletter provider's hosted signup page, where you confirm the subscription; this site does not receive or store it. Our newsletter provider processes your email address, subscription choice, subscription status and newsletter interactions when you choose to subscribe to The Dispute Index newsletter. We can access subscriber information with the provider to administer and deliver the newsletter. That applies only to the newsletter field. Following a case or topic, described below, is separate and handled by our mail service.

The index also contains information about people and organizations discussed in published records, including names, public statements, actions and source citations. That material is collected from identified public sources and maintained as part of the site's public-interest editorial record.

Following a case or topic

You can enter your email address to follow a case or topic. Following needs no account or password. It does not add you to the newsletter or to other cases or topics, and it does not share your address with our newsletter provider.

When you ask to follow a case or topic, we store your email address, what you follow, and the time. We also store where the request came from: the page path, the referring site without its query string, and campaign parameters. When analytics is running and you have not opted out, the request can include your browser's analytics identifier. We record your IP address and browser details to help prevent abuse.

We send a confirmation email first and wait for you to confirm before sending updates. Case subscriptions cover material changes to that case. Topic subscriptions cover newly published cases and reviewed updates to cases in that topic. Every update email includes a link to manage or stop your subscriptions. You can stop one case or topic, or stop all case and topic updates.

Our mail service stores your address and subscription state and sends confirmation and update emails. It records delivery outcomes, including failed delivery and complaints, so we can stop sending to addresses that should not receive further mail.

After you ask to follow a case, your browser keeps a small note in local storage so that the page can show your request on a later visit. The note holds no email address or confirmation link and does not activate a subscription. You can remove it by clearing your site data. After you confirm, the browser also remembers your confirmed subscription so the page can show that you are following. This record expires after 90 days. Clearing site data removes it; you can still manage your subscriptions through the links in your emails. Topic requests do not store this note.

We keep subscription records while you follow. After you stop, we keep your address and subscription state to respect that choice. To request deletion, use the route described under "Your choices and requests".

Text messages

If you give us your mobile number and agree to receive text messages, we use it only to send the messages you asked for, such as updates on a case or topic you follow. We store your number, your consent and when you gave it, and your opt-out status. Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of using the site or of any purchase.

Expect up to 4 messages per week. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to stop receiving messages, or HELP for help. After you reply STOP, we send one confirmation and no further messages.

SMS opt-in data and personal information are not sold or shared with third parties for marketing or promotional purposes. Our messaging provider processes your number and message content only to deliver messages for us.

How we use information

We use information to deliver search results and pages, operate and secure the service, diagnose failures, prevent abuse, preserve the integrity of published records, respond to requests and comply with legal obligations. We do not use personal information for automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Cookies and browser signals

We do not place advertising cookies on the public site. Our analytics services may use a first-party browser identifier and local storage to associate analytics events from the same browser. Embedded media providers may receive information or store data in your browser when their players or posts load. Our newsletter provider may process browser or account information after you choose its hosted signup link. Analytics tools do not load when Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control is enabled, or when analytics is disabled using the site's analytics preference. You can disable site analytics in this browser by visiting a page with ?analytics=off in its URL.

Where the law requires opt-in consent for analytics, the site shows a consent prompt before analytics tools load at all. This applies to visitors in the European Union, the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, and wherever your location cannot be determined. Accepting loads them for your browser; declining means they never load. Your choice is stored in your browser's local storage, so the prompt asks once, and you can change it by clearing your site data. Visitors elsewhere get running analytics with no prompt, subject to the signals above. We determine the region from the country code our edge network attaches to the request; we do not profile you to decide.

Session recording and heatmap tools run without analytics cookies unless you accept through the consent prompt. Outside consent-required regions, this site does not grant them cookie-storage consent automatically. Traffic-measurement tools may set first-party analytics cookies for visitors outside consent-required regions; inside those regions they load only after you accept through the consent prompt. Advertising storage, ad user data and ad personalization signals are always denied.

Service providers and embedded media

We disclose information to service providers only as needed to run the site. Those providers support application hosting, managed database services, private media storage including Cloudflare R2, email delivery for case and topic updates, and product analytics, traffic measurement and session recording. Published pages may load embedded X posts, privacy-preserving YouTube players or Vimeo players. Newsletter signup fields hand the address you enter to our newsletter provider's hosted signup page. The provider administers newsletter enrollment and uses its payment processor for paid subscriptions; we do not receive your full payment-card details. Those companies process information under their own privacy policies.

We may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect the service or others, investigate abuse, or complete a reorganization or transfer of the service. We do not sell personal information or share it with third parties for their marketing, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Retention and security

Technical logs and account records are kept only as long as reasonably necessary for operations, security, dispute resolution and legal compliance. Published editorial records and their source history may be retained for archival integrity; verified errors are handled through the visible correction process. Backups may retain information for a limited period after it is removed from active systems.

We use administrative, technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.

Your choices and requests

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to request access to, correction of or deletion of personal information, or to object to or restrict certain uses. Applicable law may permit exceptions, including for legal obligations, security, freedom of expression and public-interest or journalistic records. We will verify and respond to requests as required.

To make a privacy request or raise a concern about information in a published record, use the email address and instructions on the Corrections page. You may also contact your local data-protection authority where that right applies.

Children's privacy

The service is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 through the public site.

International processing

Our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries whose data-protection laws differ from those where you live. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards for international transfers.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service or applicable requirements change. We will post the revised policy here and change the effective date above. Material changes will receive additional notice when appropriate.