Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-05-18

This is the privacy policy for Factsmania (the "Site"). It explains what personal information we collect about you when you use the Site, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you have under UK data protection law.

Factsmania is aimed at children aged about 8 to 14, as well as their parents, carers and teachers. We want this policy to be as clear and short as we can make it. If anything is unclear, please get in touch using our contact form.

Who we are

The Site is operated and maintained by the Factsmania team, based in the United Kingdom. For the purposes of UK GDPR, the Factsmania team is the "data controller" for the information described in this policy.

What information we collect

We try to collect as little personal information as we possibly can. The categories below cover everything we may receive when you use the Site.

  • Information you give us: if you fill in our contact form or our report-an-error form, we receive whatever you type into those forms (typically a message and, if you choose to provide it, your email address).
  • Information collected automatically: when you visit a page on the Site, our analytics tool (Google Analytics, see below) automatically receives some technical information about your visit. This includes the page you visited, the rough region (city level only) you visited from, the type of device you used (mobile or desktop), your browser type and language, and how you arrived at the Site. Your full IP address is not stored, because we use Google's IP anonymisation feature.
  • Cookies: we use a small number of cookies. They are described in detail in our cookies policy.

What we DO NOT collect

  • We do not ask you to create an account or log in.
  • We do not ask for your name, date of birth, address or phone number.
  • We do not run quizzes or competitions that collect personal data from children.
  • We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to anyone.

How we use your information

  • To reply to messages you send us through the contact and error-report forms.
  • To understand which pages on the Site are popular and which need improving (using anonymised analytics data).
  • To display adverts on the Site so that we can keep it free to use (see "Advertising" below).
  • To keep the Site secure and working properly (for example, basic fraud and abuse prevention).
  • To comply with our legal obligations.

Our lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR we have to tell you the legal grounds we rely on to process your information. We rely on:

  • Legitimate interests, for basic anonymised analytics and for keeping the Site secure. Our interest in understanding how the Site is used is balanced against the very limited and de-identified nature of the data collected.
  • Consent, for any non-essential cookies and for any personalised advertising. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the cookie controls in your browser or your Google ad settings.
  • Performance of a contract or steps before entering one, when you message us through the contact or error-report forms (we need to read your message in order to reply).
  • Legal obligation, where we have to keep certain records by law.

Third parties we share data with

We use a small number of trusted third-party services to run the Site. Each of them has its own privacy policy that you can review.

  • Google Analytics for anonymised page-view statistics. IP addresses are truncated before being stored. Google's privacy policy.
  • Google AdSense for displaying adverts. Behaviour depends on your location and your ad settings (see Advertising section below). Google's privacy policy.
  • Our hosting provider, who stores and serves the Site. They process basic server access logs in order to deliver the Site to you, the same as any web host.

Advertising

Adverts on the Site are served by Google AdSense. Adverts help to keep the Site free for everyone.

  • If you are visiting from the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA), you will see non-personalised adverts only. These ads are picked based on the page you are reading, not on your personal browsing history.
  • If you are visiting from outside the UK and EEA, you may see a mix of personalised and non-personalised adverts. You can change your preferences in your Google Ad Settings.

Because Factsmania is directed at a general audience that includes children, we ask our advertising partners to treat the Site as "child-directed" where required by their policies. This means the ads should be suitable for a young audience and should not use behavioural tracking of children.

Children's privacy

We have read the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) Age Appropriate Design Code and have tried to build the Site so it follows it.

  • The Site does not require you to sign in or create an account.
  • We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
  • We do not use "nudge" techniques (such as fake countdowns or guilt-trips) to get children to give us information they shouldn't.
  • If you are a parent or carer and you believe your child has sent us personal information through a form, please contact us through the contact form and we will delete it.

How long we keep your data

  • Messages sent via the contact and error-report forms are kept for up to 24 months and then deleted, unless we still need them to deal with the issue you raised.
  • Anonymised analytics data is kept for up to 26 months by Google Analytics, then automatically deleted.
  • Server access logs are kept for up to 30 days for security and fraud prevention.

International data transfers

Some of our service providers (notably Google) store data on servers outside the UK and EEA. Where this happens, those providers use safeguards approved under UK GDPR, such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, to keep your data protected to UK standards.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have several rights over the personal data we hold about you. You can:

  • Access your data and receive a copy of it.
  • Ask us to correct any inaccurate information.
  • Ask us to delete your data (the "right to be forgotten").
  • Ask us to restrict how we use your data.
  • Object to us using your data (for example, for analytics).
  • Ask us to provide your data in a portable, machine-readable format.
  • Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent.
  • Complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk if you think we have mishandled your data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the contact form. We will respond within one calendar month.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top will tell you when we last did so. For significant changes, we will add a notice to the home page for a short while.

How to contact us

The easiest way to contact us about anything in this policy is our contact form. We aim to reply within a few working days.