UFO Atlas operates a minimal-data privacy practice. We do not collect personally identifiable information from visitors, we do not use third-party tracking cookies, and we do not sell or share visitor data. This page describes what limited information is collected through standard server operations.
Information we do NOT collect
UFO Atlas does NOT collect or process:
- Your name, email address, postal address, or phone number (unless you voluntarily provide it via correspondence)
- Your IP address in any persistent or identifiable form
- Your browsing history beyond this site
- Demographic information about you
- Financial information about you
- Geolocation data beyond approximate country-level analytics
- Behavioural tracking data linked to your identity
- Information from social media accounts
We do not maintain user accounts. We do not require login. We do not run advertising. We do not use third-party tracking pixels, retargeting tags, behavioural analytics, or persistent identifiers.
Information that is automatically collected
Like virtually all websites, UFO Atlas's hosting infrastructure (Netlify) automatically collects standard server logs when you visit. These logs typically include:
- The pages you visited and the time of visit
- Your browser type and version
- Your operating system
- The referring site (the page that linked you here, if any)
- Aggregate country-level location data (based on IP geolocation, used only for aggregate analytics)
This information is used solely for technical diagnostics (identifying broken pages, server errors) and aggregate analytics (understanding which articles are most read, which countries our readers come from in aggregate). It is not linked to your identity. We do not attempt to match this data to other databases or to deanonymize individual visitors.
Cookies
UFO Atlas uses only a single technical cookie: a session preference indicating whether you have dismissed the privacy notice on your first visit. This cookie contains no personally identifiable information and is used only to avoid showing you the notice on every subsequent visit. You can decline this cookie via the notice when it appears, or by clearing your browser cookies for this site.
UFO Atlas does not use third-party advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or analytics cookies. Specifically, we do not use Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, Meta/Facebook pixels, or similar third-party tracking infrastructure.
Third-party services
The site uses Google Fonts to load typography (the Newsreader, Inter Tight, and JetBrains Mono font families). When you load a page, your browser may make a request to fonts.googleapis.com. This connection is governed by Google's privacy policy. The connection is used to retrieve font files only; no behavioural data is transmitted to Google through this connection.
The site also loads chart libraries (D3.js, TopoJSON) from cdnjs.cloudflare.com. These requests are necessary for the interactive map and timeline features to function. The Cloudflare CDN may log these requests as part of normal CDN operations.
Correspondence
If you contact us via email at contact@ufoatlas.com, your email address and the content of your message will be received and may be retained for the purpose of responding to your inquiry. We do not add correspondence email addresses to mailing lists, do not share them with third parties, and do not use them for marketing.
Children's privacy
UFO Atlas is intended for an adult audience interested in serious analytical content. We do not knowingly collect any information from children under thirteen. The site does not contain material directed at children.
Your rights
Because we do not collect personally identifiable information, the standard data-subject rights (access, deletion, correction, portability) generally do not apply in the form they would for a service that maintains user accounts and personal data. However:
- If you have corresponded with us by email, you may request deletion of your email correspondence by contacting contact@ufoatlas.com.
- You may clear all browser cookies for this site at any time through your browser settings, which will remove the technical preference cookie noted above.
- You may visit the site without accepting the privacy notice; only the technical preference cookie is affected.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS encryption. We do not maintain user account systems that would create surface area for credential-related security incidents. The hosting provider (Netlify) maintains industry-standard security practices for its infrastructure.
Changes to this policy
This privacy policy may be updated to reflect changes in our practices, in technical infrastructure, or in applicable regulations. Significant changes will be noted with an updated revision date. The current version of this policy always governs your use of the site.
Jurisdiction
UFO Atlas is an English-language publication directed at an international, predominantly North American readership. It is not specifically directed at residents of any single national jurisdiction and is not designed to comply with the specific regulatory frameworks of any particular jurisdiction outside the United States. If you are a resident of the European Union, United Kingdom, or other jurisdiction with specific data protection regimes (such as the GDPR), you should be aware that this site's data practices are designed for an international audience and may not address every specific requirement of your local jurisdiction. The minimal-data approach described above is intended to be conservative relative to the requirements of all major data protection frameworks.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy may be directed to:
contact@ufoatlas.com