The Authoritative Source of Armed Forces Community Research

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 21 August 2026

ForcesAtlas (https://forcesatlas.com) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our plain-language commitments on search privacy, evidence handling, and researcher interests are also set out on the Transparency page.

Information about how visitors use ForcesAtlas is used only to run, protect, troubleshoot, and improve the service. It is not used for the maintainers' own research, publications, funding applications, recruitment, career, financial, or commercial benefit.

Data controller

ForcesAtlas is the data controller for personal data processed through ForcesAtlas.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at [email protected].

What data we collect

ForcesAtlas is designed to collect as little personal data as possible. We may collect:

  • Article flag submissions: When you flag an article for review, we collect the reason you provide, the article being flagged, and a timestamp. No account is required.
  • Site feedback submissions: When you send general feedback, we collect the feedback message, the page URL it was sent from, timestamp, browser/user-agent, and a hashed version of your IP address. We do not collect your name or email address through the feedback form.
  • Email Results requests: If you use the Email Results feature, we process the recipient email address you provide so we can send the requested search-results email. We also record limited operational metadata about the request, such as delivery status, email provider, result count, search/filter metadata, recipient email domain, a hashed version of the recipient address, a hashed version of the search query, IP address, browser/user-agent, and timestamp. Raw recipient email addresses are not stored.
  • Server logs: Our web server may automatically record standard log data, including IP address, browser type, referring page, requested pages, timestamps, and request status. This is used for security monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance analysis.
  • Analytics data: If you accept analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use ForcesAtlas. This may include pages visited, approximate location, device type, browser, referral source, and selected actions such as searches, exports, article views, flags, and Email Results submissions. Search analytics include broad details such as search type and query length, not the words searched for. Query strings are removed from page and referrer URLs sent to analytics. We do not use analytics for advertising or profiling.
  • Browser storage: ForcesAtlas may store limited information in your browser, including your analytics consent choice, recent search history, and cached site configuration. This helps remember preferences and improve usability.

We do not collect payment or financial information through ForcesAtlas.

Cookies and tracking

ForcesAtlas uses Google Analytics only if you actively accept analytics cookies in the consent banner. If you decline, Google Analytics is not loaded and analytics events are not sent from your browser.

Google Analytics may set cookies including:

  • _ga — used to distinguish users. Usually expires after 2 years.
  • _ga_* — used to maintain session state. Usually expires after 2 years.

We configure Google Analytics with IP anonymisation enabled. We do not use Google Analytics data for advertising, remarketing, or social media targeting.

You can change your ForcesAtlas analytics preference at any time by reopening the from this page. You can also block or delete cookies using your browser settings.

ForcesAtlas also uses browser storage for functional purposes, including analytics consent state, recent search history, and short-lived cached configuration. Disabling browser storage may affect convenience features but should not prevent basic access to ForcesAtlas.

Legal basis for processing

Where we process personal data, we rely on the following lawful bases:

  • Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) — to operate, secure, maintain, troubleshoot, and improve ForcesAtlas; to review article flags and site feedback; to provide requested features such as Email Results; and to keep limited operational records.
  • Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR) — for Google Analytics cookies and analytics events, which are only enabled after you accept analytics tracking.

Data retention

Server logs are retained for a limited period necessary for security, troubleshooting, and operational purposes, then deleted or overwritten.

Article flag submissions are retained only for as long as needed to review and action the flag.

Site feedback submissions are retained only for as long as needed to review, act on, archive, or delete the feedback.

Email Results operational records are retained only for as long as needed to monitor delivery, prevent abuse, troubleshoot the feature, and understand aggregate usage.

Analytics data is retained in line with our Google Analytics account retention settings and reviewed periodically to keep retention to the minimum period needed for service improvement.

Browser storage remains on your device until it expires, is replaced, or is deleted by you through your browser settings or site controls.

Data sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share personal data for marketing purposes.

We may share data with service providers solely to operate ForcesAtlas, including hosting and infrastructure providers, email delivery providers when you use Email Results, and Google Analytics if you have consented to analytics cookies.

ForcesAtlas also contains links to external research articles, publishers, and third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those external sites.

Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include rate limiting, input validation, security headers, and secure server configuration.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal data. You can withdraw analytics consent at any time. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

To exercise your rights, contact us at [email protected].

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our data practices, please email us at [email protected].