1. Introduction
MMA News ("we," "us," or "our") operates mmanews.com (the "Website"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and respect. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Website, use our services, create an account, or otherwise interact with us.
By accessing or using the Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Website.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Personal Information You Provide
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:
- Register for an account on our Website
- Subscribe to our newsletter or email communications
- Post comments, participate in discussions, or interact with our content
- Register for events or participate in live chats
- Contact us through our contact form or email
- Fill out forms, surveys, or questionnaires
- Participate in contests, promotions, or other interactive features
This personal information may include:
- Account Information: Email address, username, full name, password (encrypted)
- Profile Information: Avatar/profile picture, bio, website URL, location, phone number
- Communication Data: Comments, chat messages, direct messages, feedback, inquiries
- Preference Data: Email notification preferences, marketing email preferences
- Event Data: Event registrations, live chat participation, private messages
2.2 Automatically Collected Information
When you access and use our Website, we automatically collect certain information about your device, browsing actions, and usage patterns. This includes:
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, browser type and version, screen resolution
- Connection Information: IP address, ISP, approximate geographic location (country, region, city)
- Usage Information: Pages visited, articles read, time spent on pages, click-through rates, scroll depth
- Referral Information: Referring website or source, search terms used to find our Website
- Engagement Data: Video views, video completion rates, watch time, podcast listens, audio briefing plays
- Interaction Data: Clicks on ads, affiliate links, embedded content (YouTube videos, tweets, Instagram posts)
- Technical Data: Browser settings, language preferences, time zone, cookies and similar tracking technologies
2.3 Information from Third-Party Sources
We may receive information about you from third-party services when you:
- Sign in using OAuth providers (Google, Facebook, etc.)
- Interact with embedded content (YouTube videos, tweets, Instagram posts, Spotify embeds)
- Click on affiliate links or advertisements
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
- Service Delivery: To provide, maintain, and improve our Website and services
- Account Management: To create and manage your account, authenticate your identity, and provide customer support
- Content Personalization: To personalize your experience and deliver content relevant to your interests
- Communication: To send you newsletters, updates, promotional materials (with your consent), and respond to your inquiries
- Analytics and Performance: To analyze usage patterns, measure engagement, monitor site performance, and conduct research
- Advertising: To serve targeted advertisements, measure ad effectiveness, and implement frequency capping
- Security: To detect, prevent, and address fraud, security breaches, and other potentially harmful or illegal activities
- Moderation: To monitor and moderate user-generated content, enforce community guidelines, and prevent spam
- Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, enforce our Terms of Service, and protect our rights and property
- Business Operations: To conduct internal analytics, improve our content strategy, and optimize author performance
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
4.1 Types of Cookies We Use
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us provide and improve our services. We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential Cookies: Required for the Website to function properly, including authentication, session management, and security features. These cookies cannot be disabled.
- Analytics Cookies: Used to collect information about how visitors use our Website, including pages visited, time spent, and traffic sources (e.g., Google Analytics 4).
- Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements, measure ad performance, and implement frequency capping (e.g., Freestar advertising network).
- Functional Cookies: Used to remember your preferences, settings, and choices to enhance your user experience.
4.2 Local Storage and Session Storage
We also use browser local storage and session storage to:
- Store user preferences and settings
- Implement ad frequency capping (limiting ads to 5 per session)
- Cache data for improved performance
- Track engagement metrics and user interactions
4.3 Managing Cookies
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can:
- Block all cookies
- Accept only first-party cookies
- Delete cookies after each session
- Receive notifications before cookies are stored
Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our Website. For more information about managing cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
5. Third-Party Services and Integrations
We use various third-party services to provide, improve, and monetize our Website. These services may collect, process, or access your information subject to their own privacy policies:
5.1 Analytics Services
- Google Analytics 4: We use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic, user behavior, and demographics. Google may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect this information. Learn more: Google Privacy Policy
5.2 Advertising Networks
- Freestar: We use Freestar to serve video advertisements (VAST tags) and display ads. Freestar and its advertising partners may collect information about your browsing activity to serve targeted ads. Learn more: Freestar Privacy Policy
- Google IMA SDK: Used to play video advertisements with frequency capping and skip controls.
5.3 Authentication and Database Services
- Supabase: We use Supabase for user authentication, account management, and data storage. Your account information, profile data, and user-generated content are stored on Supabase servers. Learn more: Supabase Privacy Policy
5.4 Content Management
- WordPress: We use WordPress as our content management system, accessed via GraphQL API.
5.5 Embedded Third-Party Content
Our articles and pages may include embedded content from third-party services. When you interact with embedded content, these third parties may collect information about you:
5.6 Hosting and Infrastructure
- Vercel: Website hosting and deployment.
- Cloudflare: Content delivery network (CDN) and security services.
6. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We may share your information in the following circumstances:
- Service Providers: We share information with third-party vendors, consultants, and service providers who perform services on our behalf (hosting, analytics, advertising, email delivery, customer support).
- Advertising Partners: We may share aggregated or de-identified information with advertising networks and partners to serve targeted ads and measure campaign effectiveness.
- Analytics Providers: We share usage data with analytics providers to understand how visitors use our Website and improve our services.
- Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or bankruptcy, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity.
- Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, prevent fraud, or comply with legal obligations.
- Protection of Rights: We may disclose information to enforce our Terms of Service, protect the safety and security of our users, investigate potential violations, or defend against legal claims.
- With Your Consent: We may share your information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties for monetary consideration. However, some data sharing practices with advertising partners may be considered a "sale" under certain state privacy laws like the CCPA. See Section 9 for information about your opt-out rights.
7. Advertising and Monetization
7.1 How We Use Advertising
We display advertisements on our Website to support our operations and provide free content. This includes:
- Pre-Roll Video Ads: Video advertisements shown before certain content (YouTube videos, podcasts, audio briefings) using Freestar VAST tags, with a maximum frequency of 5 ads per session and minimum 5-minute intervals between ads.
- Contextual Ad Placements: Advertisements placed within or alongside articles based on content relevance.
- Display Ads: Banner ads and other display advertising served by Freestar and other networks.
7.2 Affiliate Links
We participate in affiliate marketing programs and may earn commissions when you click on affiliate links and make purchases. Our affiliate partners include:
- UFC Store
- Amazon Associates
- Other MMA merchandise retailers
Affiliate links are disclosed in accordance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines. These commissions do not affect the price you pay or influence our editorial content.
7.3 Opting Out of Targeted Advertising
You can opt out of targeted advertising through:
8. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Our retention periods vary based on the type of data:
- Account Information: Retained until you delete your account or request deletion, plus any legally required retention period.
- Comments and User-Generated Content: Retained indefinitely unless you delete the content or request deletion.
- Analytics Data: Aggregated analytics data may be retained indefinitely for historical analysis. Individual user data is typically retained for 26 months (Google Analytics default).
- Usage Logs: Server logs and access logs are typically retained for 90 days for security and troubleshooting purposes.
- Email Communications: Retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
- Ad Frequency Data: Stored in session storage and automatically cleared when your browser session ends.
When we no longer need your information, we will securely delete or anonymize it so that it cannot be attributed to you.
9. Your Privacy Rights
9.1 General Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Access: Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal exceptions).
- Right to Restriction: Request that we restrict processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used format.
- Right to Object: Object to processing of your personal information for direct marketing or other purposes.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for processing based on consent at any time.
9.2 GDPR Rights (European Union Residents)
If you are a resident of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
- The right to object to automated decision-making and profiling
- The right to obtain information about data transfers to third countries
9.3 CCPA Rights (California Residents)
If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
- Right to Know: Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the sources, purposes, and third parties we share it with.
- Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to exceptions).
- Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information for targeted advertising.
- Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- Right to Limit: Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: You will not be discriminated against for exercising your rights.
9.4 Exercising Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:
We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law (typically 30-45 days). We may require verification of your identity before processing your request.
10. International Data Transfers
Your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States, where our servers and service providers are located. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country.
When we transfer personal information internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected, including:
- Standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities
- Data processing agreements with service providers
- Compliance with EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield principles where applicable
- Other legally approved transfer mechanisms
11. Data Security
We implement reasonable and appropriate technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our security measures include:
- Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS protocols. Sensitive data at rest is encrypted.
- Access Controls: We restrict access to personal information to authorized personnel who need it to perform their job functions.
- Authentication: User accounts are protected by encrypted passwords and secure authentication mechanisms (including OAuth).
- Monitoring: We monitor our systems for security vulnerabilities and potential breaches.
- Regular Audits: We conduct periodic security assessments and audits of our systems and practices.
- Incident Response: We have procedures in place to respond to security incidents and data breaches.
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for any activity that occurs under your account.
12. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
Our Website is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), if we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 13 has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately at privacy@mmanews.com so we can take appropriate action.
13. Do Not Track Signals
Some web browsers have a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want to have your online activity tracked. Our Website does not currently respond to DNT signals or similar mechanisms. However, you can control tracking through other means described in this Privacy Policy, such as cookie settings and opt-out tools.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy
- Post the updated Privacy Policy on this page
- Notify you via email or prominent notice on our Website (for significant changes)
Your continued use of the Website after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
15. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
We will make every effort to respond to your inquiry promptly and address your concerns.
16. Definitions
For purposes of this Privacy Policy:
- "Personal Information" means information that identifies, relates to, describes, or could reasonably be linked with a particular individual or household.
- "Processing" means any operation performed on personal information, including collection, storage, use, disclosure, and deletion.
- "Third Party" means an entity other than MMA News or you.
- "Service Provider" means a third party that processes information on our behalf for a business purpose.
