Privacy Policy
OurWorld is built to be honest with you — including about your data. This policy explains, in plain English, what we collect, why, and the control you have over it.
1 Who we are
OurWorld (“OurWorld”, “we”, “us”) is a civic-engagement and discussion platform. OurWorld is a trading name of Peter Sanford, an individual based in the United Kingdom, who is the “data controller” responsible for your personal information under UK data protection law.
If you have any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at petesanford.com@gmail.com.
2 The information we collect
Account information
When you create an account or sign in — by email and password, or with Google — we collect your email address, the display name you choose or that Google provides, your profile photo (only if you sign in with Google and have one), and a unique account identifier generated by our sign-in provider. Authentication is handled by Google Firebase.
Content you create
OurWorld is a public platform. When you post an opinion, share a link, reply to others, or take part in a referendum vote, that contribution — together with your display name and photo — is visible to anyone who visits OurWorld.
Each vote records which option you chose, is shown on the site only as part of combined totals, and is linked to your account so that each person can vote only once per referendum. The underlying record (your chosen option and display name) is stored in our database to make that one-person-one-vote check possible.
Messages to the AI assistant
If you use the in-app AI chat assistant, the messages you send are passed to Anthropic (the makers of Claude) so that a response can be generated. Please don’t share sensitive personal information in those messages.
Usage and analytics
We use GoatCounter, a privacy-friendly analytics tool, to understand roughly how many people visit and which sections are used. It does not use tracking cookies and is designed not to collect information that identifies you personally.
Information stored on your device
OurWorld saves small pieces of information in your browser’s local storage — for example, to remember that you’ve already heard the welcome music on your first visit, to cache content so the site loads faster, and to keep your preferences. These are not advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
3 How and why we use your information
We use your information to:
- provide your account and let you sign in;
- display your public contributions (opinions, shares, replies and vote tallies);
- make sure each person votes only once in a referendum;
- keep the platform safe — for example, automated word-filtering that screens out abusive content;
- enable optional features you choose to use, such as live video discussion and the AI assistant;
- understand overall usage through privacy-friendly analytics.
Under UK GDPR, our legal bases are: your consent (which you give by signing in and choosing to post or use optional features, and which you can withdraw at any time); performance of a contract (providing the service you’ve signed up for); and our legitimate interests in running a safe, functioning platform and understanding how it’s used.
5 International data transfers
Some of our providers (such as Anthropic, Daily.co and Netlify) are based outside the UK, including in the United States. Where your data is transferred outside the UK, we rely on the safeguards those providers have in place, such as UK/EU-approved data transfer mechanisms, to keep it protected.
6 How long we keep it
We keep your account information and contributions for as long as your account is active. If you ask us to delete your account, we will remove your account information and aim to remove or anonymise your contributions, except where we’re required to keep something by law.
7 Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct anything that’s inaccurate;
- ask us to delete your information (“right to erasure”);
- ask us to restrict or object to how we use it;
- receive a copy of your information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent.
To exercise any of these, email petesanford.com@gmail.com. You also have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk.
8 Children
OurWorld is intended for people aged 16 and over. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
9 Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your information. Connections to OurWorld are encrypted, and access to the database is governed by security rules that prevent people from tampering with content that isn’t theirs. No online service can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we work to keep your data safe.
10 Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we’ll change the “Last updated” date at the top. If the changes are significant, we’ll make a reasonable effort to let you know.
11 Contact us
For any privacy questions or requests, email petesanford.com@gmail.com.