General Terms & Conditions

Welcome

Welcome to the Mediahuis Ireland digital networks, which consist of Mediahuis.ie and Mediahuis.co.uk. These are the terms and conditions which govern the access and use of the network. When we refer to the “network” or to “Mediahuis” in these terms and conditions, this means the digital information network and application operated by or on behalf of:

• Mediahuis Ireland Limited (Company No: 153066)
• Mediahuis UK Group Ltd. (Company No. 983376)
• Mediahuis UK Ltd. (Company No. 1908967)
• Mediahuis Ireland Group Limited (Company No: 2936), the parent company; to include its subsidiaries and affiliates, collectively referred to as “Mediahuis”.

In Ireland, such online sites and services are:

List of our Regional Titles:

In the Northern Ireland (UK), our online sites and services including:

Other sites in the Mediahuis Ireland and Mediahuis UK Group have their own T & C’s:

These terms and conditions apply whatever method of access is used, including access via the web, PDA, mobile phone, Smartphone, RSS feed, digital television, or any other means of technology, all of which means of access shall be incorporated in the term “access” in these terms and conditions.

These terms and conditions may be changed from time to time. Any changes are with immediate effect as and from the date of posting unless otherwise specifically stated. The continued access and usage of the site by you after such changes are made shall be deemed to be an acceptance of such changes.

Each time you access the Mediahuis.ie and Mediahuis.co.uk applicable sites and services, you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

1. Registration & Subscription

• (A)Registered User:
• Definition: A Registered user is an individual who has registered their details with Mediahuis. A registered user is entitled to read any of our free content, plus enter some of our competitions.

Some Mediahuis publications require you to register your details with us to access our content or services/offerings. As part of the registration or account creation process, you will create login credentials by selecting a password and providing an e-mail address or by linking another account, such as your Apple, Facebook or Google accounts or through Google Showcase. You also can be requested to provide certain registration information, which must be accurate and updated.

• By registering, you agree that:

You have not provided a false or incorrect name, email address or false personal information nor have you impersonated another person.

Your registration and password details are personal to you and may not be used by anyone else to access the site.

You will not permit or allow any third party to make use of your registration details to access the site.

You will not impersonate another user; interfere with the operation of the site; shall make us immediately aware of any unauthorised use of your personal details by others.

• All readers who register on:

Independent.ie, will receive the morning and evening edition of the Daily Digest newsletter seven days a week.

BelfastTelegraph.co.uk will receive the morning and evening edition of the Daily Headlines newsletter seven days a week.

SundayWorld.ie will receive the Your Daily World newsletter seven days a week.

These newsletters are a selection of our latest stories delivered each morning.

Readers can unsubscribe at any time, by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each newsletter or going to ‘My Account’.

• (B) Subscriber:
• Definition:A Subscriber is an individual who paid for one of Mediahuis’s Subscription options such as an Annual or Monthly bundle, be it Digital, Print or both. A Subscriber has unlimited access to content on Independent.ie or Belfasttelegraph.co.uk or crimeworld.com.

A Corporate subscriber is a group of individuals who have paid for several users to access a particular subscription.

Those who are on a free subscription, 24-hour access or 48-hour access are considered subscribers, and the appropriate terms and conditions apply.

• Ordering a Subscription:

To order any of our products (such as a subscription) you must be of age. If you are still a minor, the order must be made by your parents or your legal representative. The subscription can only be entered into in your own name and for your own account, and it is not transferable. In line with the above only you can make use of your details to access Mediahuis.ie or Mediahuis.co.uk. By placing a subscription order, you declare that you have read these Terms and Conditions and accept them unconditionally.

• Offers:

From time to time we provide subscription offers. We pay a great deal of attention to the correct description of the products, the price and the other modalities. If an unintentional, or even a serious error, is found in the description of our products, the price and/or the other modalities, you have the choice between waiving the order or accepting the offer at the correct conditions. Mediahuis IE reserves the right to change the prices, the media and the publication frequency of the media at any time. Mediahuis IE cannot be held liable if one of the products or services from its range is amended or discontinued.

Read current offer details here.

• Corporate subscription:

As a corporate subscriber you are entitled to 2 corporate devices per subscription.

If you have a corporate subscription and if you exceed the number of users agreed in your contract, we may contact you and ask if you would like to add more users.

Should a Corporate account continue to exceed the number of users agreed in the contract, extra charges will apply.

2. Registration And Security

• Each registration is for a single user only. You are not permitted to share your registration login credentials or give your login credentials to anyone else. We may cancel or suspend your access to the services if you share your login credentials. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password, which you will not have to reveal to any representative or agent of MHIE. You may not (i) select or use the login credentials of another person with the intent to impersonate that person; (ii) use login credentials in which another person has rights without such person’s authorization; or (iii) use login credentials that we, in our sole discretion, deem offensive. Failure to comply with the foregoing shall constitute a breach of these Terms of Service, which may result in an immediate suspension or termination of your account.
• You consent to receive notifications from us electronically to the e-mail address you provide to us. You agree that all notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing. You agree that you can store such electronic communications such that they remain accessible to you in an unchanged form.
• Should you become aware of any suspected unauthorised uses of your account, or any suspected breach of security including loss, theft or unauthorised disclosure or your password or credit card information, please reach out to customerhelp@independent.ie
• You are responsible for all usage or activity on your account with MHIE, including use of the account by any third party authorized by you to use your login credentials. Any fraudulent, abusive, or otherwise illegal activity may be grounds for termination of your account, at our sole discretion, and we may refer you to appropriate law-enforcement agencies.
• If your access to any service has been provided by or through a third party (for example, your employer or an educational institution at which you are a student) (each, a “Client”), the Client may have provided us with information about you to enable us to provide you with access to the Services and distinguish you from other subscribers (such as your IP address, email address or name).

3. Communications Between MHIE And Registered Users & Subscribers

• MHIE will contact you in accordance with your preferences, including by email, phone, post and SMS text. We also provide the means for you to grant or withhold your permission for us to contact you. We do this by using opt-in boxes or unsubscribe options, which determine your permission for us to contact you about our wider range of goods and services.

When you purchase a product or service from MHIE, under Regulation 13(11) of the ePrivacy Regulation, you are ‘opted-into’ marketing communications unless you choose to ‘opt-out’ either during the subscription flow or via other unsubscribe options mentioned above.

By signing up to the service as either a registered user or subscriber, you are agreeing that we will have to send you service communications via email, phone, SMS or post to run the service itself, and we will not offer you the chance to opt-out from receiving those messages until you decide you no longer wish to use the services. Examples of these message are;

• Onboarding communications (a series of communications designed to introduce the different elements involved in being a subscriber or registered user)
• Subscriber Engagement communications (occasional emails reminding them of subscription features they have not recently engaged with; features that are part of the service that they have subscribed to).
• Changes or additions or additions to the service as either a registered user or subscriber
• To let you know of any payment issues you might have.
• Communication related to a competition entry
• Issues with payment or account sharing.

• We will advise you by email if there are any fundamental changes to our service. This applies to previous customers, subscribers, and registered users for up to 3 years since cancellation.
  You can of course object to these types of communications, and you will be provided with the opportunity to ‘opt out’ at the time of the communication.

4. Home delivery T&Cs

• Home Delivery-Ireland
• Home Delivery-Northern Ireland

5. Payments

Payment:

Subscriptions are paid by credit or with debit card or via Google or Apple Pay. The subscription will be charged automatically on a monthly or annual basis, as selected by the user when subscribing. Offering these payment options does not imply any liability on the part of Mediahuis that the payment system will operate flawlessly, without interruptions or errors. Mediahuis cannot be held liable for any damage, direct or indirect, caused by the execution or non-execution of a payment.

Mediahuis reserve the right to increase the cost of your subscription over time, however you will be provided with sufficient notice, these notice periods are:

• 30 days’ notice for App Subscribers and;
• 14 days’ notice for web subscribers.

Non-Payment: 

If your advance monthly or annual payment is declined, the following protocol will apply:

Step 1: The Credit Card or debit card request for funds will be submitted to the Bank several times within a 14 day period.

If step 1 above is unsuccessful the subscriber will be contacted by email, SMS or phone to update card details. After 14 days, the subscription will be terminated.

6. Cancellation

You may notify us of your intent to cancel at any time, but all cancellations will be processed at the end of your current subscription term.

Subscribers who have selected a monthly contract, paid monthly may cancel at any time. You will not receive a refund for the current billing cycle. You will continue to have the same access and benefits of your product for the remainder of the current billing period.

Subscribers who select a 12-month annual contract, but paid monthly, cannot cancel for the duration of the contract period.

Subscribers who select a 12-month contract, but paid annually, may cancel at any time. However, you will not receive a refund for the current billing cycle. You will continue to have the same access and benefits of your product for the remainder of the current billing period.

Is there a 14-day cooling off period?

You are entitled to cancel your subscription within 14 days of purchase and before use of the product. To avail of this right contact Customer Care on +353 (1) 705 5333 or by emailing customerhelp@independent.ie

You can change or cancel your subscription through ‘My Account’ or by reaching out to the below Customer Support teams:

• ie contact Customer Care on +353 (1) 705 5333 or by emailing customerhelp@independent.ie
• Belfast Telegraph contact Customer Care on + +44 2 890264028or by emailing customersupport@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Please note: If you purchased your subscription through iTunes or Google Play, please refer to their terms and conditions.

7. Delete Your Account

If you wish to delete your  Mediahuis IE account please make your request via our Secure Privacy Portal  and select the “Account Deletion” option. In accordance with our Privacy Statement, proof of ID may be required for any alteration to your account, to include deletion requests. Please note you may also reach out to accountdeletionrequests@mediahuis.ie and request your account be deleted, when reaching out please ensure you provide us with the email address which you used to register or subscribe at the time or we may not be able to fulfil your request.

If you continue to use the site, you are deemed to continue to accept these terms and conditions.

We are entitled to terminate, at our absolute discretion, your use of Mediahuis.ie or Mediahuis.co.uk or your continued subscription if we believe that you have been in breach of these terms and conditions. We reserve the right, at our absolute discretion, to suspend your access to or usage of the site if we believe that there may have been a breach by you or others of these terms and conditions.

8. Rights

A new subscriber has the right to revoke the agreement within 14 days and Mediahuis IE will refund all payments made up to that point in time. An existing subscriber will have their automated payment deductions terminated before the next billing period. To exercise the right of revocation, you must notify us at Customer Help by means of an unambiguous statement of your decision to revoke the agreement. We will refund you by the same payment method that you used to make the original transaction. This also applies to upgrade/downgrade between products.

9. Access and Usage of content

Your access to and usage of the Mediahuis Ireland digital information network are strictly by way of limited licence for personal non-commercial purposes.

All material published on the Mediahuis Ireland digital information network (including, but not limited to news articles, photographs, images, illustrations, advertisements, sponsored content, audio clips and video clips) is known as the ‘Content’. You acknowledge and irrevocably agree that as between you and Mediahuis the copyrights, trademarks, logos, software applications, graphics and all other intellectual property rights in the Content is and shall remain vested in Mediahuis.

You may not copy, reproduce, republish, disassemble, decompile, reverse engineer, download, post, broadcast, transmit, distribute, lend, hire, sub-license, rent, make a derivative work from, make available to the public, adapt, alter, edit, re-position, frame, rebrand, change or otherwise use in any way any Content in whole or in part on your product or service or elsewhere or permit or assist any third party to do the same except to the extent permitted at law. Content on the Mediahuis Ireland digital information network may be downloaded, printed, forwarded, stored or copied for your own personal non-commercial use only.

Save as expressly authorised and licensed by Mediahuis, we do not permit any third party to use, access, copy, download, crawl, scrape, reproduce, store, adapt, translate, transform or otherwise process any part of the Content, in whole or in part, for the purposes of media monitoring and related services.

You acknowledge and irrevocably agree that the names, images and logos identifying Mediahuis, its licensors or third parties and their products and services in Mediahuis digital and print content are subject to copyright, design rights and trademarks (registered and unregistered) and other intellectual property rights.

10. Reservation of Rights Applying to AI and Text and Data Mining

Reservation of rights for text and data mining

Mediahuis expressly reserves all rights to make reproductions, extractions or other copies of the Content for the purposes of text and data mining within the meaning of Article 2(2) and Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2019/790 and Regulation 4 of SI 567/2021. Any such acts are prohibited unless expressly authorised in writing by Mediahuis.

Prohibition of use for AI and machine learning

Mediahuis does not permit any third party to use, access, copy, download, crawl, scrape, reproduce, store, adapt, translate, transform or otherwise process any part of the Content, in whole or in part, for the purposes of:

• Training, fine-tuning, evaluating or otherwise developing any machine learning system, general-purpose AI model, foundation model, large language model, multimodal model or similar technology;
• Creating or enriching datasets or corpora used, directly or indirectly, for such training, fine-tuning, evaluation or development; or
• Generating weights, embeddings, vectors, indexes, knowledge graphs or other structured data representations intended for use in such systems.

Prohibition of use for Retrieval Augmented Generation, AI assistants, and similar applications or services

Mediahuis does not permit any third party to use the Content as input to any application or service that:

• Performs automated analysis or feature extraction from the Content in order to answer user queries (including retrieval-augmented generation, semantic search, recommendation or summarisation services); and/or
• Exposes the Content, or information derived from it, as part of an AI assistant, chatbot, agentic browser, or similar automated system.

No circumvention of technological measures

You must not circumvent, disable or interfere with any robots.txt file, metadata, technical protection measures, rate limits or other technical means implemented by or on behalf of Mediahuis to signal or enforce its reservation of rights and the restrictions set out in this clause.

Any use of automated tools (including bots, crawlers or scrapers) to access the Content otherwise than as expressly authorised by Mediahuis and or in breach of the technological measures Mediahuis has put in place is expressly prohibited and will be treated as unauthorised access.

11. Data Protection, Privacy and Fair Usage

Mediahuis IE respects your right to privacy. Users should be aware that each time they visit our digital properties that two general levels of information about their visit can be retained. The first level comprises statistical and other analytical information collected on an aggregate and non-individual specific basis of all browsers who visit the site, and the second is information that is personal or particular to a specific visitor who knowingly chooses to provide that information. Mediahuis policy is to respect and protect the privacy of all users and will never willfully disclose individually identifiable information to any third party without first receiving permission.

A possible exemption to this is where Mediahuis IE are required to disclose personal data to meet their legal or regulatory obligation. In this instance, MHIE may disclose/reveal personal data to Law Enforcement Agencies, Regulators, or any other Government Authority from which the request received is proportionate. Where it is possible, and we have the contact details for the individual in question, we will take reasonable steps to notify you prior to disclosing this data, unless we are prohibited from doing so by Law.

Please find a link to our Privacy Policy at the end of the page, or by clicking here.

The statistical and analytical information provides us with general and not individually specific information about the number of people who visit Mediahuis.ie or Mediahuis.co.uk; the number of people who return to these sites; the pages that they visit; where they were before they came to the site and the page in Mediahuis.ie or Mediahuis.co.uk at which they exited. This information helps us monitor traffic on our website and app so that we can manage the site’s capacity and efficiency. It also helps us to understand which parts of Mediahuis.ie or Mediahuis.co.uk are most popular, and generally to assess user behaviour and characteristics to measure interest in and use of the various areas of the products.

This statistical, analytical information and data can be collected through the standard operation of our internet servers and logs as well as “cookies”. “Cookies” are small text files that a website can use to recognise visitors who revisit a site to facilitate their ongoing access to and use of the site. It enables usage behaviour to be tracked and aggregate data to be compiled that would facilitate more targeted advertising and improved content. Typically, cookies involve the assigning of a unique number to the visitor. Users should be aware that Mediahuis is unable to control the use of cookies or the resulting information by other third parties such as advertisers or parties hosting data for Mediahuis. One simple way to prevent the use of cookies it to activate the facility that is available in most web browsers that enables the user to deny or accept cookies. However, visitors should realise that certain cookies may be necessary to provide the visitor with certain features such as the customised delivery of certain information.

See our dedicated Cookie policy at the end of the page or by clicking here.

When engaging with our Customer Care Teams, personal data will be collected and retained for the maintenance and communication regarding your contact with the Customer Care Team regardless of whether you are a Registered User or paid Subscription holder with Mediahuis.ie or Mediahuis.co.uk. The data that we collect from you will be used to enhance our Customer Care Services we provide such as, but not limited to:

• Account maintenance
• Measurement
• Dispute and Purchase Resolution
• Refunds
• Troubleshooting
• Service Messaging

Throughout Mediahuis.ie or Mediahuis.co.uk you may be faced with opportunities to send us information relating to you via our “contact us” pages or any other area where you may send e-mails, request brochures, enter contests or competitions or respond to any promotions. By choosing to participate in these, you will be providing us with some level of personal information relating to you. This information will only be used:

• for the purposes for which it was provided by you
• for verification purposes and statistical analysis
• to provide you with details, both electronically, by SMS messaging or by means of posts or delivery of products, services, contests, competitions, or promotions being provided or run by the Mediahuis or any of its associated companies or any third party that we may select and which we may think would be of interest to you, unless you have otherwise specifically opted to not receive this information.

Please note that communications regarding changes to your service are deemed Service Messages will be sent via email. Such communications do not require opt-in as they form part of your contracted services.

We will retain this information for a period of 36 months after the termination of a subscription only for the purposes of re-engaging with you on possible new offers or content that may be of interest.

12. Governing Laws and Jurisdictions

These terms and conditions are governed by Irish Law and you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish courts.

It is specifically agreed that by accessing, using, downloading, viewing, copying, forwarding or in any way making use of the contents of the site and/or the application, you deem that all such access takes place at the registered offices of Mediahuis Ireland Ltd., Independent House, 27/32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1.

13. Additional Terms of use for users in the United States, Australia, or any other non-EEA Jurisdictions

Where you are a US Resident, under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you may contact us in respect of the below rights associated with the collection and use of your personal data:

• Right of Access
• Right to Opt in/ Opt out of sale of your Personal data
• Right to deletion
• Right to non-discrimination

Where you are an Australian Resident, under the Privacy Act 1988, there are principles laid down for how we handle, store, and protect your personal data, at Mediahuis, we commit to complying with these principles. These rights include, but are not limited to:

• Right of Access
• Right to Correction of any data that is mis correctly held about you.
• Right to opt out to the use of your personal data for the purpose of direct marketing.

Please note if you wish to exercise any of these rights as an Australia or US citizen, you may reach out to us at : data.protection@mediahuis.ie and we will respond to all queries relating to personal data within the 45 day period for all Californian requests and as soon as possible for Australian requests. You may also submit requests via our secure Privacy Portal. Please note, you may also be required to provide a copy of a valid identification to confirm your identity.

14. Disclaimer of Liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law, Mediahuis IE does not accept any responsibility for any statement on our digital sites and will not be liable for any loss caused as or resulted from any action or inaction on your part because of the viewing, reading, listening, downloading, copying, forwarding, or reproducing any of the content.

Where links are provided on the site to other websites, Mediahuis IE bares no responsibility for such sites. These sites and their content are not under our control. Where links are provided to websites which offer any goods and services for sale, any contractual relationship entered by you will be with the merchant selling the goods or providing the services. Mediahuis will not be privy to any such contract and accepts no responsibility in relation to the goods or services provided, their delivery or non-delivery, their quality or merchantability.

Although Mediahuis IE will do its best to provide constant uninterrupted access to our digital sites, such access cannot be guaranteed, and no responsibility or liability is accepted for any delays, interruptions, or breakdowns that may occur.

15. Competitions, Promotions and Surveys

From time to time, Mediahuis IE may run competitions, prize draws and/or promotions. These will be subject to separate and additional terms and conditions which are available here.

16. Journalistic Purpose, Editorial Surveys and Polls

As a news publishing organisation, Mediahuis IE processes personal data for the purpose of exercising the right to freedom of expression and information and for journalistic purposes. It is recognised that this is in the public interest.

• We may process your personal information for journalistic purposes where you submit content to be published online and in our printed publication.
• Where you have voluntarily contributed your experience to us, and we publish this information
• If we publish a letter you have written to the Editor
• If you participate in one of our surveys or poll.

It is important to understand that certain rights which you have in relation to your personal information, including the right to erasure, may not apply where that data is processed for journalistic purposes.

17. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and keep indemnified Mediahuis IE and its officers, directors, employees, and data providers from any and all claims, losses, including lost subscription fees, liabilities, costs and expenses, including, but not limited to legal fees and expenses, arising out of a breach by you or any user of your account of these terms and conditions or arising out of breach of your obligations, representations and warranties under these terms and conditions.

18. Amendments and Alterations

From time to time, Mediahuis IE may amend or alter these terms and conditions for commercial, practical and or legal reasons. Such alterations or amendments would be incorporated onto Mediahuis.ie/Mediahuis.co.uk and will deem to take effect immediately there from.

Again, each time you access Mediahuis ROI & UK sites and services as well as Schools.independent.ie, Home Delivery and Newspread you agree to be bound by and Service specific terms and these general terms and conditions.

These Terms of Service were last updated on 9^th of August 2024.