Privacy Policy

shortnews.be ("we", "the app") is a Belgian news aggregator. This page explains what information we collect, why, and how to control it. Login is optional — most of what's below only applies if you choose to create an account.

What we collect

• Account information (optional): if you sign up, we store your email address and a securely hashed password, or an identifier from Google/Apple if you sign in that way. We never see or store your Google/Apple password.
• Language preference: which of French, Dutch, or English you've chosen — stored locally on your device, and on our servers if you have an account.
• Push notification token: a device identifier used to deliver breaking-news alerts, via Apple/Google's push services (Firebase Cloud Messaging). This is stored even if you don't have an account, since breaking-news alerts aren't gated behind login — it cannot be used to identify you personally.
• Advertising identifiers: the app shows ads via Google AdMob, which may collect your advertising identifier. On iOS this only happens after you grant permission via Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt; a GDPR consent form (Google's consent management platform) is also shown first, in line with EU requirements.
• Standard server logs: our hosting provider (Railway) and database provider may log IP addresses and request metadata for security and reliability purposes, as is standard for any web service.
• Website analytics: pages on shortnews.be use Google Analytics, which sets cookies and records page views, approximate location derived from your IP address, and basic device and browser details, so we can see which pages people read. This applies to the website only, not to the iOS or Android app.
• Language preference: if you pick a language with the EN · FR · NL switch on the website, a cookie named snb_lang remembers that choice for a year. It contains only the language code, is not set unless you use the switch, and is not shared with anyone.

What we don't collect

• The app does not collect or request your precise location.
• The iOS and Android apps contain no analytics SDK — your in-app behavior is not tracked. (The website is separate; see Google Analytics above.)
• We do not sell your personal information.

Third-party services we use

• Firebase (Google): push notification delivery.
• Google Sign-In / Sign in with Apple: optional authentication — only an account identifier and email are shared with us.
• Google AdMob: advertising, only once/if enabled, gated by consent.
• Google Analytics: traffic measurement on the shortnews.be website. Not used in the app.
• OpenAI: used server-side to generate article summaries and translations from publicly available news headlines/snippets. No personal user data is sent to OpenAI.

News content

Article summaries are AI-generated from publishers' publicly syndicated RSS feeds; we link every article back to its original source. See the app for source attribution on every card.

Your rights

You can delete your account and associated data at any time by contacting us at the email below. If you're in the EU/EEA, you have rights under GDPR to access, correct, or delete your personal data.

Children

shortnews.be is not directed at children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect data from them.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected here with an updated date.

Contact

Questions or data requests: anmldubey@gmail.com