Privacy Policy and Terms of Engagement for Readers of Oštro.si

We respect your privacy and protect your personal data, handling it securely, transparently, lawfully, and fairly.

How we do this is defined in this Privacy Policy and Terms of Engagement with Readers, which complies with national and European legislation.

Oštro.si is a non‑profit online media outlet that serves exclusively the public interest. The Oštro.si newsroom seeks to build a two‑way relationship with its readers — one in which members of the public can participate in public debate not through instant social‑media comments or anonymous remarks under articles, but by contributing their knowledge and expertise.

Oštro.si enables all readers who wish to do so to support the newsroom’s work either substantively or financially. They may make voluntary contributions or donations, join the membership programme, or collaborate with the Oštro.si newsroom by proposing content or topics they believe should be verified or investigated in the public interest. In such cases, readers may provide information, tips, and similar input.

Members of Oštro.si may, under certain conditions, also participate in the journalistic investigation phase, while all readers may strengthen the quality of Oštro’s content through their substantive contributions and help us protect the public interest.

A sincere alliance with readers who wish to contribute to positive social change is, in the view of the Oštro.si newsroom, essential for the successful and effective operation of non‑profit media. Because such media operate in the public interest, they must act proactively — contributing to media literacy, educating younger generations of journalists, and ensuring meaningful public participation in matters of public concern.

Readers who agree to this will periodically receive Oštro’s newsletter, inviting them to read selected content or informing them about events and special campaigns.
Oštro, Centre for Investigative Journalism in the Adriatic Region, Kotnikova ulica 28, Ljubljana, is the controller of personal data, which we do not share with third parties.

The personal data that readers consent to provide, store, and allow Oštro to process will be used primarily to inform them about Oštro’s content and events or to invite them to participate in campaigns.

At any time during the processing of personal data, readers may request access to their personal data, as well as their amendment or correction, by sending a written request to contact@ostro.si, under the conditions set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

If a reader believes that their personal data is being stored or otherwise processed in violation of applicable data‑protection regulations, they may contact the Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia, Dunajska cesta 22, Ljubljana.
For any questions, you can reach us at contact@ostro.si.

Oštrova brojavka Newsletter

The Oštrova brojavka newsletter is periodically sent to readers who subscribe to it. Subscription is available via the Oštro.si website, through banner placements on partner websites, and on social media. Subscription is completed by signing up and entering one’s name and email address in the designated section of the online form.

In accordance with Article 158/II of ZEKom‑1, Oštro will inform newsletter subscribers via email about its work, events, and campaigns, and invite them to participate. A subscriber may refuse such use of their email address with every received notification or already at the moment of subscribing to the newsletter (by clicking the appropriate button).

Oštro will also process subscribers’ personal data for internal analytical and statistical purposes, relying on its legitimate interest as the data controller.

Subscribers may independently change their personal data (name and email address) via the link provided in each newsletter.
Unsubscribing is possible with every received newsletter. At the bottom of each message, there will be a link reading “I no longer wish to receive Oštro’s newsletter,” through which subscribers may unsubscribe via a dedicated form.

They may also unsubscribe by sending a message to contact@ostro.si. In this case, Oštro will stop processing the subscriber’s personal data for the purpose of sending the newsletter within five days of receiving the request. Data of former subscribers will be anonymised no later than one month after unsubscribing.

By submitting a written request to contact@ostro.si, a subscriber may request access to, supplementation, correction, blocking or restriction of processing, or deletion of personal data, all in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation. If a subscriber believes that their personal data is being stored or otherwise processed in violation of applicable data‑protection regulations, they may contact the Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia.

Donations, contributions

Oštro is funded through voluntary contributions, donations, and resources obtained through public calls and tenders issued by various organisations.
We store data on individuals or companies that transfer funds directly to the media’s bank account solely for the purpose of recording transactions.
At least once a year, Oštro.si publishes a report on funds received and spent, which also includes information on major supporters for the sake of transparency.

We do not publicly disclose the names of individuals who support Oštro with voluntary contributions that enable us to continue producing quality journalism. A donor’s name is published only at their explicit request or if their total annual contribution exceeds Oštro’s approximate monthly operating costs (> 7,000 euros). Donors may withdraw their consent for publication at any time, permanently or temporarily.

The names of companies that support our work through donations are published if the company’s total annual donation exceeds one‑tenth of Oštro’s approximate monthly operating costs (>700 euros).

We do not process this data for any other purpose, nor do we share it with anyone.

Membership – Be Our Wind

Oštro has also created a membership programme, inviting readers to financially support the work of the media outlet while becoming active members of the Oštro community. They can choose one of three membership tiers, each offering different benefits.

Readers become so‑called correspondent members by registering through Oštro on the Steady platform, which is operated by Steady Media GmbH, based in Berlin. In accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR, Steady processes member data for Oštro on Oštro’s behalf.

When joining, each prospective member may also subscribe to Steady’s newsletter via a dedicated form. If they choose to receive updates, Steady Media becomes the data controller for the part of the data required to send the newsletter, meaning that members must contact Steady directly to exercise their rights, including unsubscribing from the newsletter.

Communication via email or in writing

Oštro offers readers the possibility to co‑create content or indicate areas of interest, and to send various information, tips, and similar material to the newsroom.

Initiatives, information, tips, and other material that readers send to Oštro’s official email addresses — contact@ostro.si and razkrinkaj@ostro.si — should be signed with the sender’s personal name. Anonymous submissions are not encouraged, as Oštro sees no reason for anonymity when proposing topics in the public interest, unless anonymity is necessary because the individual feels at risk. In such cases, we advise the individual to submit information through Oštro’s secure whistleblowing portal for anonymously sharing information in the public interest, žvižgač.si (see the Whistleblower chapter), where instructions for safe communication are also available.

In the case of notifications relevant to the public interest, senders will be treated as journalistic sources and protected from disclosure to third parties in accordance with Slovenian regulations and case law, unless the sender and the newsroom agree otherwise.

Oštro will use the data solely for the purpose of contacting the sender to obtain additional information or, if necessary, to verify its credibility.

Oštro will collect, store, or process data only if the reader has given explicit written consent, and in such cases the newsroom will retain proof of that consent. If the reader agrees, they will receive information about Oštro’s work, events, and campaigns via the newsletter, and they may unsubscribe in the manner described in the newsletter section.

Secure and anonymous communication: Žvižgač.si

All rights on the secure and anonymous information‑submission portal are anonymous and confidential. Žvižgač.si operates on the basis of the open‑source SecureDrop solution, which is currently considered the most secure platform for anonymously submitting information to journalists or media outlets, NGOs, and similar organisations.

It should be noted that the case law of the European Court of Human Rights recognises the principle that the right to protect the anonymity of sources is an integral part of a journalist’s freedom of expression and therefore part of the public’s right to be informed.

In 2018, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia also established a precedent regarding the anonymity of journalistic sources (Judgment II Ips 61/2017 of 20 September 2018). A journalist is not obliged to disclose the identity of a journalistic source at the request of the opposing party in judicial proceedings, as this is not a situation in which the public interest would clearly outweigh the principle of protecting source confidentiality.

In addition, after the unsuccessful prosecution of Oštro’s founder for the alleged disclosure of classified information of the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency, Article 260 of the Criminal Code was amended. Under the amended provision, the publication of classified information that is undeniably in the public interest and does not harm the interests of the state is no longer a criminal offence.

Oštro does not store, collect, or process data about individuals who submit information. High standards of online security are required of Oštro.si’s journalists and editors in their regular work and communication, and periodic security checks are carried out by external, qualified organisations. All data provided by readers that is found to be security‑sensitive will be protected according to the standards applicable to the protection of journalistic sources and will under no circumstances be disclosed to third parties.

The Privacy Policy was last updated on 27 June 2023.