Privacy policy

Last updated: 22 October 2026

This policy explains what information StarNews (starnews.website) handles, why, and the choices you have. We follow the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019. In short: we collect very little, we never sell it, and the only personal data we ask for is your email address, and only if you sign up for the newsletter.

The automatic daily briefing download

When you tap Accept on the welcome banner on your first visit, StarNews downloads a copy of that day's daily briefing to your device. If you choose Essentials only, nothing is downloaded. It is a small PDF, usually under 20 KB, that lists the day's top stories with links back to the site. Here is exactly how it works:

• When: once, right after you tap Accept. It does not repeat on later visits or other pages.
• What you see: a notice in the corner of the screen says the briefing is downloading, shows the file size, and links to this section. Your browser may also show its own download message or ask you to confirm.
• What the file contains: news text and links only. It has no tracking, no scripts, no forms and no attachments, and it does not collect anything about you when you open it.
• How we remember it happened: your browser stores one small setting called sn-briefing on your device. It never leaves your device, and we cannot see it.
• When it does not happen: when your browser has Data Saver turned on, when your browser blocks site storage (for example some private windows), or when you have turned it off below.
• How to remove it: delete the PDF from your Downloads folder like any other file.

You can turn the automatic download off on this device. You can still download the briefing any time from the menu or the footer.

Cookies and settings stored on your device

We keep a few small settings in your browser's storage (similar to cookies). They stay on your device, and we cannot read them from our servers. Google, which supplies some of our ads, also uses cookies, as explained in Advertising.

• sn-consent (essential): remembers your choice on the welcome banner, the date you made it, and which version of our terms it applies to.
• sn-theme (essential): remembers light or dark mode, if you change it.
• sn-briefing (optional, only after Accept): remembers that the briefing was already downloaded, or that you turned the download off.
• Offline copies (essential for the app): when you open stories on starnews.website, your browser keeps copies of those pages and the site's design files so you can read them without a connection. Up to 60 recent pages are kept, on your device only.

Listen: the Listen button on stories uses the voice built into your phone or browser. Depending on your browser, the story text may be sent to that browser's speech service (for example Google's) to create the audio. StarNews does not receive or keep any recording.

You can change your choice at any time with Cookie settings (also in the footer of every page), or remove everything by clearing this site's data in your browser settings. If a future change needs your consent, we will ask you again.

What we collect

• Newsletter sign-ups: if you subscribe, we collect your email address so we can send you the briefing. Nothing else is required.
• Emails you send us: news tips, corrections and other messages, and whatever details you choose to include.
• Settings on your device: see Cookies and settings above. These stay on your device.
• Technical data held by our providers: like every website, the servers that deliver our pages see your IP address and browser type when you visit (see "Who else handles data" below).
• Visitor statistics: anonymous page-view counts (see Visitor statistics).
• Advertising: when Google ads load, Google and its partners may set cookies and receive your IP address and browser details (see Advertising). Ads we sell directly collect nothing.

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data.

Advertising

StarNews is free to read because advertising pays for it. Every ad on the site is labelled Advertisement. Ads come from two places:

• Ads we sell directly to businesses. These are plain images with a link to the advertiser. They do not use cookies and do not collect anything about you. When you tap one, the link tells the advertiser's website that you came from StarNews.
• Google AdSense. Google chooses and shows these ads, as explained below.

How Google ads use cookies

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to StarNews or to other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to StarNews and/or other sites on the internet.
• If you tap Accept on the welcome banner, Google may show you personalised ads. If you choose Essentials only, or have not made a choice yet, we ask Google to show only non-personalised ads. Google may still use cookies for non-personalised ads, for example to limit how often you see the same ad, to count ads and to stop fraud.
• If you visit from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, Google shows its own consent message, where you choose how your data is used for ads.
• You can opt out of personalised advertising at any time in Google's Ads Settings, or opt out of other vendors' cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info.
• Read how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

You can change your choice at any time with Cookie settings. StarNews itself does not collect your location or build a profile of you for advertising.

Visitor statistics

To see which stories readers find useful, we use Vercel Web Analytics. It counts page views and records general information such as the page visited, the site that sent you here, your country, and your device and browser type. It does not use cookies, does not store your IP address, and does not identify you or follow you across other websites. If you choose Essentials only on the welcome banner, it is not loaded at all.

How we use it

• Your email address is used only to send the newsletter you asked for and, rarely, important notices about it.
• Messages you send are used to answer you, check facts and correct stories. We protect the identity of sources who ask us to.
• Our legal basis is your consent (newsletter, personalised advertising and the optional briefing download) and our legitimate interest in running a news website and answering readers.

Who else handles data

• Vercel hosts the website and provides our visitor statistics. Vercel is based in the United States, so this data may be processed outside Kenya.
• Google AdSense shows some of the ads on StarNews and uses cookies to do so (see Advertising). Google may process this data outside Kenya.
• Google Fonts supplies the typefaces on our pages, so Google receives your IP address when fonts load.
• When you tap a share button (WhatsApp, X, Facebook), you leave our site and that service's own privacy policy applies.

How long we keep it

We keep your email address until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it. We keep reader emails only as long as we need them for the story or query they relate to.

Your rights

Under the Data Protection Act, 2019, you can ask to see the personal data we hold about you, correct it, delete it, or object to our use of it. Email privacy@starnews.website and we will reply within 7 days. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

Children

StarNews is a general news site. The newsletter is not intended for children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy at any time, without prior notice. The date at the top shows when it last changed, so please check it from time to time. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated policy. The one exception: if a change means using your personal data in a new way that needs your consent under the Data Protection Act, 2019, we will ask for your consent before doing so.

Contact

Questions about privacy: privacy@starnews.website. See also our terms of use.