Privacy policy
Who controls your data
Cebu Metro News is the personal information controller for balita.fyi. For privacy matters and our data protection officer: cebu.metro.news@gmail.com. Effective October 6, 2026.
Visitor counts (our own analytics)
We count page views, shares, read-aloud and video plays as daily totals (page, where the visit came from such as Facebook or Google, screen width, language and edition). We store no cookies, IP addresses or visitor IDs for this. Your browser keeps only "first view today" flags in your device's localStorage; they are never sent to us as an identifier.
Google Analytics and Google AdSense
We use Google Analytics 4 and Google AdSense with consent mode. They set cookies only after you press "Accept" in the cookie banner. If you decline, Google sets no analytics or advertising cookies (non-personalized ads may still be shown). Data Google receives is covered by Google's privacy policy.
Reader accounts
If you create an account we store your email, display name and your password only as a PBKDF2 hash (we never see the password) — or, if you sign in with Google, your Google account ID, email and name. We also store your content preferences.
Preferences and site cookies
- bf_prefs — your edition, followed sections and topics, Easy Read and language. Kept in a cookie in your browser and, when you are signed in, in your account. - bf_session — the signed-in reader session (HttpOnly, 30 days). - lang — the language you last chose. These are needed for the site to work and are not used for advertising.
How we use data
To run the site and your account, show you the news you asked for, and measure which stories are read. We do not sell personal data. It is shared only with the service providers that run the site (Cloudflare for hosting and the database; Google when you accept analytics/ads or sign in with Google).
How long we keep it
Sessions last 30 days. Account data is kept until you delete the account. Analytics are daily totals only.
Your rights
Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173) you have the right to be informed, to access, correct and erase your data, and to object to its processing. In your account you can download your data and delete the account, or write to cebu.metro.news@gmail.com. You may also complain to the National Privacy Commission.