Information collected
Brightfield Research collects a limited set of information as a result of operating a public research website. This section describes what information is collected, through what mechanisms, and for what purposes.
Email addresses from submissions
When a person submits a correction, submits evidence, applies to become a reviewer, or contacts the editorial team by email, that person's email address is collected as part of the submission or communication. Email addresses collected through submissions are used only for the purpose of responding to the submission. They are not added to marketing lists, shared with third parties, or used for any purpose other than responding to the specific communication that generated the collection.
Brightfield Research does not operate an email newsletter or subscription service. There is no mechanism by which providing an email address to Brightfield Research results in ongoing unsolicited communications. If a person contacts the editorial team and does not receive a response, they may follow up at [email protected].
Hosting logs via Cloudflare
Brightfield Research is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Cloudflare's infrastructure generates server logs as a standard technical function of serving web pages. These logs may include IP addresses, request URLs, HTTP status codes, browser user agent strings, and timestamps. These logs are generated and retained by Cloudflare under Cloudflare's privacy policy and data processing terms. Brightfield Research does not independently collect or store IP addresses or individually identifiable connection data.
Voluntary submissions
Brightfield Research receives voluntary submissions through several pathways: correction requests, evidence submissions, reviewer applications, and general editorial inquiries. Each pathway collects only the information necessary to respond to the submission.
Correction requests require only the information needed to identify the claim being challenged, the evidence supporting the correction, and contact information for the submitter. Evidence submissions require a description of the evidence being submitted and contact information for the submitter. Reviewer applications require professional background information, credential documentation, and conflict disclosure information necessary for the editorial team to assess the application.
All information submitted through these pathways is used only to respond to and process the specific submission. It is not used to build profiles of submitters, is not shared with third parties except where required by law, and is not retained beyond the period necessary to process and respond to the submission and to maintain records for editorial accountability purposes.
Where a submission is incorporated into the editorial process in a way that results in its publication or reference in a published output, the submitter is notified where contact information is available, and the nature of the information used is disclosed consistent with the source notes policy described in the editorial policy.
Hosting and infrastructure
The Brightfield Research website is hosted on Cloudflare Pages, a static site hosting service operated by Cloudflare, Inc. Cloudflare processes web requests on behalf of Brightfield Research as part of the standard hosting arrangement. Cloudflare's privacy practices are described in Cloudflare's published privacy policy, available at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.
Brightfield Research uses Supabase for database operations related to the internal administrative functions of the publication. Supabase is not used to collect, store, or process data about public visitors to the Brightfield Research website. Database operations through Supabase are limited to editorial workflow management and are not accessible to or associated with public website visitors.
Brightfield Research does not use third-party advertising networks, behavioral tracking services, data brokers, or data sharing arrangements that would result in visitor information being transmitted to parties other than the infrastructure providers described in this section.
Analytics
Brightfield Research may use privacy-respecting aggregated analytics to understand general patterns of website use, such as which pages are most frequently visited, what geographic regions visitors come from in aggregate, and what time periods see the highest traffic. Any analytics used by Brightfield Research are aggregated and do not involve tracking individual visitors across sessions, across websites, or over time.
Brightfield Research does not use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or other behavioral tracking tools that identify individual visitors, build cross-site profiles, or transmit visitor behavior data to advertising platforms. Where analytics tools are used, they are selected specifically for their privacy-preserving design.
Aggregate analytics data is used only for understanding the publication's reach and adjusting the editorial program accordingly. It is not used for advertising targeting, is not sold or shared with third parties, and does not involve individual visitor identification.
Third-party services
Brightfield Research uses Google Fonts to serve the typography used on the website. Google Fonts delivers font files from Google's servers when a visitor loads a page on brightfieldresearch.com. This request includes the visitor's IP address as part of the standard web request. Google's handling of data from Google Fonts requests is described in Google's privacy policy and the Google Fonts privacy FAQ.
Google Fonts is the only third-party service currently embedded in Brightfield Research pages in a way that results in requests to third-party servers when visitors load pages. Brightfield Research does not embed social media tracking pixels, advertising network scripts, or third-party analytics that transmit visitor data to external parties beyond those described in this section.
Retention
Email addresses and contact information collected through voluntary submissions are retained for the period necessary to process and respond to the submission, plus a reasonable editorial accountability period to allow follow-up if questions arise about how a submission was handled. For most submissions, this period does not exceed 24 months.
Where a submission is incorporated into the editorial record in a way that is relevant to a published output, the record of the submission may be retained for as long as the published output remains available, in order to maintain the editorial accountability trail for the conclusions reached.
Hosting log data retained by Cloudflare is subject to Cloudflare's own retention policies. Brightfield Research does not independently retain server log data beyond what Cloudflare's infrastructure retains as a standard function of service delivery.
GDPR rights
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with applicable data protection legislation, you may have rights with respect to personal data held about you. These rights may include:
- Right of access. You may request confirmation of whether Brightfield Research holds personal data about you, and a copy of that data.
- Right to rectification. You may request correction of inaccurate personal data held about you.
- Right to erasure. You may request deletion of personal data held about you, subject to any retention requirements that apply for editorial accountability purposes.
- Right to restrict processing. You may request that processing of your personal data be restricted in certain circumstances.
- Right to object. You may object to processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation.
- Right to data portability. Where processing is carried out by automated means and based on consent or contract, you may request that data be provided to you in a structured, commonly used format.
To exercise any of these rights, contact [email protected] with a description of the right you wish to exercise and sufficient information to identify the data in question. Brightfield Research will respond within 30 days. Where a request cannot be fulfilled, the reason will be explained.
Brightfield Research processes personal data collected through voluntary submissions on the legal basis of legitimate interests (processing necessary to respond to editorial communications and maintain editorial accountability) and consent (where data is provided voluntarily for a specific purpose). Brightfield Research does not process personal data for marketing purposes and does not rely on consent as a basis for processing that serves commercial interests.
Contact for privacy questions
Questions about this privacy policy, requests to exercise data rights, or concerns about how personal data has been handled should be directed to [email protected]. This address is monitored by the editorial team and responses are provided within 30 days of receipt.
This privacy policy was last updated in June 2026. When material changes are made, the effective date at the top of the policy is updated. Continued use of the Brightfield Research website after a policy update does not constitute acceptance in jurisdictions where affirmative consent is required for material changes.