Privacy Policy
Last updated: 14 July 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Radio Stream (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, and protects information when you visit or use radiostream.live (the “Site”).
We operate under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This notice is intended to be clear and practical. It is not formal legal advice.
1. Who we are
Controller: Radio Stream
Postal address: 21 Hicfield Road, IP28 8UH, Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom
Privacy / data protection contact: privacy@radiostream.live
If you have questions about this Policy or how we handle personal data, please contact us using the email above.
2. What radiostream.live is
radiostream.live is an online radio directory and live listening experience. Visitors can browse stations, open station pages, and play streams in a sticky player. Station details (including contacts and social links shown on station pages) are published by us for informational purposes and typically originate from station operators or directory sources.
The Site does not provide public user accounts, paid subscriptions, newsletters, or payment processing for visitors. We may show third-party advertising (including Google AdSense) to help fund the Site.
3. Personal data we process
Depending on how you use the Site, we may process the following categories of data:
Technical and usage data: IP address (used for short-lived rate limiting), browser/device characteristics, requested pages, and similar server log metadata that may be generated by hosting infrastructure.
Anonymous interaction identifiers: a randomly generated session key stored in your browser and sent when you like/dislike a station or when a listen is recorded, so we can count unique interactions without creating a public user profile.
Player preferences: values such as volume or session markers stored locally in your browser so playback works smoothly.
Theme preference: light/dark theme choice stored locally in your browser.
Admin account data (CMS staff only): name, email address, password hash, role, and an authentication session cookie if you sign in to the administration panel. Visitor browsing does not create an admin account.
Communications: if you email us, we process the content of your message and your contact details to respond.
Advertising / AdSense data (when advertising is enabled): when Google AdSense (including Auto ads and/or manual ad units) is enabled, Google and its advertising partners may process technical data such as IP address, cookie or similar identifiers, browser/device information, page URLs, approximate location, and interaction with ads, under Google’s policies. We do not sell personal data.
Google’s notices (for reference):
https://policies.google.com/privacy
https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads
Ad settings: https://adssettings.google.com
If AdSense is disabled in our CMS, we do not intentionally load Google advertising scripts as part of the Site.
4. Why we process data (purposes and legal bases)
Provide and operate the Site (directory, station pages, live playback, now-playing / schedule features where available) — legitimate interests and, where relevant, steps needed to deliver the service you request.
Count listens and reactions fairly using anonymous session keys and temporary IP-based rate limits — legitimate interests (service integrity and abuse prevention).
Show advertising (including Google AdSense Auto ads and display / in-feed / in-article / multiplex units where configured) to support and fund the free Site — legitimate interests. Where required by law for non-essential advertising cookies or similar technologies, we rely on consent.
Secure the administration panel and authenticate CMS users — legitimate interests / contract with staff, and legal obligation where security laws require appropriate measures.
Respond to enquiries you send us — legitimate interests or steps prior to a contract, depending on context.
Comply with law and defend legal claims — legal obligation / legitimate interests.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider your rights and expect our processing to be limited, expected, and proportionate to operating a free radio directory and player funded in part by advertising.
5. Cookies and similar technologies
We use a small set of cookies and browser storage technologies:
cms_session (cookie): httpOnly authentication cookie for signed-in CMS administrators only. It is not required for ordinary public browsing.
localStorage (reaction session): stores an anonymous reaction session identifier so like/dislike votes can be attributed consistently on your device.
localStorage (theme): stores your preferred light/dark theme.
sessionStorage (player): stores short-lived player session data (for example volume and listen-session markers) while your browser tab is open.
Advertising cookies / similar technologies (when AdSense is enabled): Google and partners may set or read cookies or similar identifiers to deliver, personalise (where allowed), measure, and fraud-check ads. These are controlled by Google/partners, not by our own CMS cookies.
Our own technologies above are used for essential functionality, security of the CMS, abuse prevention, and basic preferences. Advertising technologies are used for advertising when AdSense is enabled.
6. Third parties and recipients
Your browser may contact third-party services as part of using the Site, including:
Advertising partners — Google AdSense and related Google advertising / measurement partners when ads are enabled.
Radio stream hosts (Icecast, Shoutcast, HLS, CDN endpoints, and similar) — when you press play, audio is typically fetched directly from the station’s stream URL.
Content delivery / libraries such as fonts (e.g. Google Fonts), HLS playback libraries (e.g. hls.js via a public CDN), and flag/icon assets.
Outbound links such as Spotify search links shown next to track titles; following those links takes you to third-party sites under their own terms and privacy notices.
We may also fetch directory metadata (for example now playing, programmes, or recent tracks) from third-party directory providers when a station is configured with a directory source. That processing happens on our servers to display guide information and does not require you to create an account with that provider.
Our hosting provider processes technical data necessary to deliver the Site. We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the Site, users, or rights of Radio Stream.
Station contact details shown on the Site are provided so you can reach station operators. Those operators are independent of us; please review their own privacy practices for communications you send directly to them.
7. International transfers
We are based in the United Kingdom. Some infrastructure, CDNs, stream hosts, fonts, advertising partners (including Google), or linked services may process data outside the UK/EEA. Where we control such transfers, we take appropriate steps required by UK data protection law. When your browser connects directly to a third-party stream host, advertising partner, or website, that connection is governed by that third party’s practices and location.
8. Retention
Listen and reaction records: retained while needed to operate counts and prevent duplicate submissions; we may aggregate or remove raw records over time.
Rate-limit / security data: kept only as long as needed for abuse prevention (typically short-lived in memory or similar ephemeral stores).
Admin accounts and CMS session cookies: retained while the account is active / the session is valid.
Email correspondence: retained as long as needed to handle your request and keep reasonable business records.
Browser storage: remains on your device until you clear it or it expires with the browser session.
Advertising data held by Google/partners: retained according to those partners’ policies.
9. Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including access controls for the CMS, hashed passwords for admin accounts, and httpOnly session cookies for CMS login. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; please use unique passwords for admin access and keep credentials confidential.
10. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have rights including to:
access your personal data;
rectify inaccurate data;
erase data in certain circumstances;
restrict or object to certain processing;
data portability where applicable; and
withdraw consent where processing is based on consent (including, where applicable, non-essential advertising cookies).
To exercise these rights, contact privacy@radiostream.live. For Google advertising personalisation controls, also use https://adssettings.google.com. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/.
11. Children
The Site is a general-audience radio directory. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children for account creation. Google’s advertising programmes also have child-directed / age-related rules. If you believe a child has provided personal data to us in a way that identifies them, please contact us so we can delete it where appropriate.
12. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Continued use of the Site after an update means you should review the revised Policy.
13. Contact
Radio Stream
21 Hicfield Road, IP28 8UH, Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom