Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 6, 2026

Affliction Digital Pty Ltd trading as Friendly News ("we", "us", or "our") operates https://friendlynews.app (the "Website") and the Friendly News mobile application (the "App"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use the Website and the App, and reflects our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

1. Information We Collect

We designed Friendly News to work without knowing who you are. You do not need to create an account, and we do not ask for your name, email address, or phone number to use the App.

Anonymous Identifier: When you first open the App, we create an anonymous profile with a randomly generated identifier. This identifier links your subscription status and preferences to your device, but does not identify you personally.

Subscription and Payment Information: Subscriptions are purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play, which process your payment under their own terms and privacy policies. We never see or store your payment card details. We receive only your subscription status (linked to your anonymous identifier) so the App knows what you have access to.

Usage Data: We collect limited analytics about how the App is used — such as which screens are viewed, device type, and operating system — to understand how the App performs and where to improve it. When you visit the Website, our hosting provider automatically logs standard technical data such as your IP address, browser type, and pages requested.

Correspondence: If you contact us, we collect the information you choose to provide, such as your email address and the contents of your message.

We do not collect sensitive information (such as health, biometric, or political information), and we do not use your information for direct marketing.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Website and the App
• Recognise your subscription and deliver what you have paid for
• Understand aggregate usage patterns so we can improve the reading experience
• Respond to your enquiries and provide support
• Comply with our legal obligations

3. Cookies and Device Identifiers

The Website does not set advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. The App uses device-level identifiers (such as an app instance identifier) to support the analytics and subscription functions described above. These identifiers are not used to build advertising profiles, and we do not serve advertising.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only with the service providers we rely on to operate Friendly News:

• Google — We use Google Cloud infrastructure (including Firebase) to host the Website, store data, authenticate your anonymous account, and provide analytics.
• RevenueCat — Manages subscription entitlements so your purchase is recognised across sessions and devices.
• Apple and Google — Process subscription payments through their respective app stores.

We may also disclose your information to law enforcement or government agencies when required by law, or to another party in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

5. Overseas Disclosure

Some of our service providers store and process data outside Australia — in particular, Google and RevenueCat host data in the United States. Where we disclose personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles it in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles, including by relying on the contractual and security commitments of our providers.

6. Security and Retention

We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest on Google Cloud infrastructure. We retain information only for as long as it is reasonably needed to operate the service, and we destroy or de-identify it when it is no longer required.

If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

7. Access, Correction, and Deletion

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of the information we hold about you at any time by contacting us at the email address below. Because most of what we hold is keyed to an anonymous identifier rather than your identity, we may ask you for information from your device to locate your records. We will respond within a reasonable period, and we will not charge you for making a request.

8. Children

Friendly News is a general-audience news service and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children beyond the anonymous, non-identifying data described above.

9. Complaints

If you believe we have mishandled your personal information, please contact us first using the details below — we take complaints seriously and will respond promptly. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on this page and updating the Effective Date above.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or would like to exercise your rights, please contact us at:

Affliction Digital Pty Ltd trading as Friendly News

Email: hello@friendlynews.app

Website: https://friendlynews.app