Scope
This policy applies to personal information processed during OPTARUS open-source collection, analysis, drafting and publication. It supplements the website Privacy Notice.
Information being publicly accessible does not automatically make every use lawful, fair or proportionate. Research use is assessed against the intelligence requirement, the individual's role, the sensitivity of the information and the likely impact of publication.
Core principles
- Purpose limitation: collect and use information for a defined analytical requirement.
- Data minimisation: retain and publish only what is necessary and proportionate.
- Accuracy: distinguish verified facts, attributed claims, assessments and hypotheses.
- Storage limitation: review working data and remove it when it is no longer required.
- Security: restrict access to working material and protect it against inappropriate disclosure.
- Accountability: record the basis for higher-risk collection and publication decisions.
Source categories and lawful basis
Relevant sources may include official publications, sanctions lists, court or corporate records, parliamentary material, reputable journalism, specialist research, public professional profiles, public social-media posts, vessel or company data and commercial imagery lawfully available to the analyst.
Routine analytical processing is generally expected to rely on legitimate interests in producing proportionate geopolitical and security analysis. A legitimate-interests assessment should be completed where personal-data use is material or intrusive. Another lawful basis will be used where required by the circumstances.
Named individuals
People are named only when identification adds material analytical value and cannot reasonably be achieved through a less intrusive description. Private contact information, family information and unrelated personal details are excluded.
Particular care is applied to junior personnel, private individuals, vulnerable people, victims and witnesses. A person's public, professional or official role may make some processing more likely to be justified, but necessity, accuracy, fairness and likely impact are assessed case by case.
Allegations and criminal-offence information
OPTARUS processes or publishes this information only where it is necessary, proportionate and legally justified. Sources and the current status of a matter are stated, conflicting or exculpatory information is considered, and identifying detail is limited to what the assessment requires.
Where the required lawful basis and additional safeguards for criminal-offence data cannot be documented, identifying information is omitted or anonymised. Historical reporting is not presented as a current fact.
Accuracy, sanctions and correction
Sanctions association is not described as formal designation unless the person or entity appears on the relevant current official list. Names, aliases, dates, offices, company relationships and source dates are checked before publication.
Material inaccuracies should be corrected promptly and transparently. Requests for correction should identify the publication, disputed statement and supporting information.
Retention and security
Research notes and source records are retained only while needed for verification, continuity, legal review or defence of the analytical record. Access is limited to the analyst and authorised service providers required for secure production or storage.
Highly sensitive material should not be placed into an AI system or other third-party tool unless its use, necessity, provider terms and data-handling risks have been assessed.
Rights and review requests
Data-protection rights depend on the information, purpose and lawful basis involved. Any statutory exemption is considered and documented case by case; it is not treated as an automatic refusal of a request.
During pre-launch, review or correction requests may be directed to Stephen J. Taylor through LinkedIn. A dedicated privacy contact channel will be published before subscriptions open. Complaints may also be made to the Information Commissioner's Office.