Legal Information

Copyright for the design and all information on the BB.LV website, as well as for the selection and arrangement of materials, belongs to SIA “Masu Mediju Grupa” and the BB.LV editorial team.

Use of the website materials is permitted only with written permission from SIA “Masu Mediju Grupa” or the BB.LV editorial board. Reproduction of articles and news in any form, except for direct quotations, without written permission is prohibited and entails liability under the legislation of the Republic of Latvia on copyright protection.

Automated extraction and publication of website information by any services without official permission from SIA “Masu Mediju Grupa” or the BB.LV editorial board is prohibited.

When quoting materials, a reference to BB.LV is required. Quotes must be formatted in such a way that the quoted (inserted) text is clearly identifiable as inserted (i.e., as part of another text). The size of the quotation must not exceed 50 percent of the total volume of the published article.

When quoting materials on the Internet, a hyperlink to the original material on BB.LV is mandatory. The link must be placed before the quoted text, for example: “As reported by the BB.LV portal — link — quote.”

User Agreement

The rules for using the portal are intended for and binding upon every user of the portal — both registered and unregistered. The user must familiarize themselves with the rules before using the portal.

The administration of the portal reserves the right, at any time and at its sole discretion, to amend these terms of use. All changes take effect from the moment of their publication.

By starting to use the portal, the user agrees to these terms, as well as to their possible subsequent amendments.

Any commercial activity on the portal’s resources is allowed only with the permission of the portal administration.

The administration reserves the right, at its own discretion and without prior notice, to restrict the provision of any services to users.

Each portal user bears full responsibility for any information they post on the portal!

Commenting Rules

It is forbidden to post on the portal:

• content that affects the honor and dignity of another person, incites violence, racial hatred, or other illegal actions, or may offend the feelings of others;
• content that contains or indicates computer viruses, or may harm the operation and security of computers or communication systems;
• other types of content that may affect the normal operation and security of the portal;
• content whose publication may infringe or violate third-party intellectual property rights (copyrights, etc.);
• content that may be considered spam or unsolicited advertising;
• content that contains pornographic information;
• any other content that may contradict the legislation of the Republic of Latvia.

If such content is detected, the administration has the right to immediately delete this information and also reserves the right to remove the user’s profile who posted it or block their access to the site.

The administration has the right to inform portal users about various changes related to the portal by publishing information on the site or via email.

All portal operations, including services available on it, are offered “as is,” without additional guarantees.

Privacy Policy

SIA “Masu Mediju Grupa”, hereinafter referred to as the Publisher, invites you to read our privacy policy to understand how and why we collect and use your data.

Personal data are processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, repealing Directive 95/46/EC (hereinafter — the Regulation).

When do we process your personal data?

We want to inform you about our services and special offers, but we will do this only if you give your consent to receive such information. Your personal data are also used when you subscribe to our publications. This data processing is carried out in legitimate interests to ensure the fulfillment of your order. These data may also be used for marketing purposes. All the information you provide is confidential. We use your personal data only for the purposes specified in this document.

What personal data do we process?

We may store the following data: name, surname, personal code, payment information, delivery address, service purchase history, financial information (including payment data provided by phone, electronically, or through forms on our website), as well as any other information provided by you.

What personal data are transferred to third parties?

Your privacy is important to us, so your personal data will never be disclosed or sold to third parties for purposes not mentioned in this document. Your personal data may be transferred to trusted service partners providing specific services: financial, advertising, payment, delivery, or other services within or outside the publishing house.

To prevent fraud or other criminal activities and to verify the accuracy of the information you provide, we may transfer your data to government bodies involved in combating fraud and crime. We are obliged to disclose client information to law enforcement authorities if there is suspicion of criminal activity. Your personal data remain protected even if transferred outside the publishing house. We take all necessary measures to ensure that our trusted partners also keep your data secure.

Personal data are not transferred to third countries (outside the EU and/or EEA).

How are your personal data used?

Your personal data are used for press delivery, marketing purposes, and to improve user experience. We may use the information obtained for the following purposes:

• fulfilling your orders;
• analyzing website browsing habits. This allows us to improve and tailor browsing options for you and offer relevant advertising materials;
• collecting and analyzing statistics to improve our services, products, and website;
• contacting you to learn about your experience with us and understand what we can improve;
• responding to feedback and questions you have asked us via social media;
• improving the operation and usability of the website, as well as ensuring that its content is safe and user-friendly on both computers and mobile devices.

Where are your personal data stored?

Your personal data are stored securely and protected from unauthorized access, disclosure, use, alteration, or destruction by any organizations or individuals. To ensure this, various modern technologies and multi-level security programs are used. We commit to taking all necessary measures to keep your data confidential and secure.

Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. Each of these sites has its own privacy policy. If you visit such websites, we recommend that you review their privacy policies before providing any information. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites.

Correction or deletion of personal data

If necessary, you have the right to change, supplement, or delete your data at any time. If you no longer wish to receive our offers and newsletters, you can unsubscribe via email at redakcija@bb.lv or by phone at 67088707. If your data are processed based on legitimate interests, you have the right to object to such processing at any time; however, in some cases, this may result in services no longer being available to you.

If you have any questions about how your personal data are used, please contact us at redakcija@bb.lv or our data protection officer at dpo@bb.lv.

If you are not satisfied with our solutions or believe that we have not taken appropriate action, you have the right to file a complaint with the supervisory authority — the State Data Inspectorate of the Republic of Latvia (www.dvi.gov.lv).

Our website performs audience measurement, traffic analysis, and research providing data on advertising campaigns. These studies help us understand how you use our website and provide insights about users. The results of these studies are statistical data.

The research is conducted by the company Gemius (www.gemius.lv). For this purpose, Gemius uses cookies — its own or from other publishers participating in the research. Gemius is one of our trusted partners.

The legal basis for website audience measurement is your consent to process data related to cookie identifiers, expressed in accordance with applicable laws. This means that when you first visit our website, we ask for your consent, and an information window appears.

Your consent for data processing for statistical research can be changed at any time and is voluntary. Refusing consent will deprive us of the ability to improve our services.

If your browser supports third-party cookies, such as those used by Gemius, you can opt out of their use at any time by changing your browser settings. If you use a browser that does not allow third-party cookies, and you have already given consent to Gemius research but wish to withdraw it, you must visit the research organizer’s site through the Gemius Privacy Tool link.

We support personal data protection according to applicable laws. You have the right to request the transfer, deletion, or correction of your data, restrict their processing, obtain information about your data, and object to automated decision-making (profiling). You can exercise this right through the Gemius Privacy Tool.

Other media also participate in the Gemius audience measurement. Gemius uses cookies for this research. Therefore, when visiting our website, you may notice that cookies from other sites are used.

Website audience data are stored for 3 years. Data older than 3 years are sampled (i.e., most of it is deleted, and only representative data are kept), and Gemius stores them exclusively for statistical purposes, taking appropriate precautions. During the study, Gemius may invite you to participate in a research panel by showing a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic data. You may provide such information voluntarily.

More information about Gemius, its privacy policy, and tools for managing your rights can be found on the Gemius Privacy Tool website.

Ethical Code

The BB.LV editorial team adheres to the Ethical Code adopted by the Latvian Association of Journalists.

1. General Principles

1.1 Freedom of speech and the press is a fundamental prerequisite for democracy. Free and independent press, radio, television, and online media are guarantors of human rights and democratic development.

1.2 The journalist’s duty is to protect freedom of speech and the press. Journalists must not be influenced by anything that restricts the free flow of information or prevents open debate on issues of public importance.

1.3 A journalist’s duty is to ensure that society receives complete information about processes and events. Journalists support pluralism, analysis, and criticism of political, economic, and judicial power in defense of the rights of society and individuals.

2. Duties of a Journalist

2.1 The main duty of a journalist is to provide truthful and verified information to society.

2.2 The presentation of facts in a journalist’s work must be objective, clear, and free of falsification or misleading information.

2.3 A journalist ensures the diversity of opinions, even if those opinions are personally disagreeable.

2.4 Journalists collect and use information, photos, videos, audio recordings, and documents solely for professional purposes.

2.5 Journalists do not create advertisements or provide public relations services.

2.6 Journalists separate news and analysis from commentary and opinion.

2.7 A journalist must refrain from mentioning a person’s ethnic origin, nationality, profession, political beliefs, religion, or sexual orientation if irrelevant in the given context, especially if such mention could be considered offensive.

3. Relations Between Journalists and Information Sources

3.1 A journalist has no right to disclose a source without consent.

3.2 A journalist must verify the information provided by sources.

3.3 A journalist must respect children’s rights when using them as information sources.

3.4 Victims of sexual crimes must not be identified.

3.5 A journalist should avoid using anonymous sources in published materials. When citing an anonymous source, the journalist assumes responsibility for the accuracy of the information and explains, when possible, the reason for anonymity.

3.6 When communicating with information sources, a journalist must identify themselves. Exceptions are allowed only when information of public importance cannot be obtained otherwise or during journalistic experiments.

4. Independence of Journalistic Work

4.1 Journalists cannot be officials of political parties. If a journalist runs for election, they must suspend professional activity.

4.2 Journalists must not participate in organizational activities that could interfere with professional duties.

4.3 Journalists must not accept gifts, services, or other benefits as rewards for creating media content from individuals who are not their employers.

4.4 A journalist must refuse to create materials that cause conflicts of interest in relation to individuals, political, economic, or other interest groups.

5. Relations Among Journalists

5.1 In cases of disagreement, journalists resolve them professionally through honest discussion.

5.2 Journalists support each other when representatives of political or economic power attempt to influence editorial work.

5.3 Journalists respect each other’s work, do not engage in plagiarism, and always cite other media outlets when quoting their materials.