Privacy Policy
The internet is terrible.
If you don't believe me then go to any cookery website, they're FUCKING INSANE. I tried to find a recipe for profiteroles recently and felt like I'd stumbled into one of those rooms serial killers have full of dolls' heads and finger jars, except the dolls' heads were adverts for clogs and the jars were full of cookie popups.
Terrible.
That's why I built this site from the ground up. Front-end, back-end, database, content management system - I wrote every line of its code myself. I didn't have to do this; there are hundreds of platforms out there I could have used to get this thing up and running in a fraction of the time. But these platforms tend to come with their own set of demands, and I wanted this to be my site, made with my code, playing by my rules.
And rule #1 is: Absolutely no cookie popups
To achieve this I have to adhere to something called GDPR. This basically means I'm not allowed to secretly store personal information about you as you use the site. So I don't do this.
What I do is this:
1. Data Collection
To understand how visitors use this site, I collect anonymous usage data. To do this I create a little string of characters called an id when you visit and store it in your browser's local database. This has nothing to do with your email, IP address, or any other piece of personal information. It's completely random, but it lets me remember what happens during a particular visit to the site. This data helps me track site traffic, such as the number of visitors, the pages accessed, and certain actions taken (like downloading a book...hooray!)
I also calculate your rough location, but it's never more granular than the city and country you might happen to be in (e.g. Manchester, England). All the data I collect is stored in a private database with robust security.
2. Third-Party Services
I use Kit.com to manage newsletter subscriptions. When you sign up for the newsletter, your personal information (such as email address) is collected and stored by Kit.com. I may link this subscription information to my anonymous download data so that I can send relevant updates and information based on your interests.
Please review Kit.com’s privacy policy to learn more about how your data is managed by them.
3. How I Store and Protect Your Data
Local Storage and Session Storage: I use browser storage to keep anonymous ids. This data does not include any personal information and cannot be used to identify individual users. I also use a database hosted by Google to store all my site's content and anonymous visitor information.
Anonymization: Any geolocation data I collect is stored without IP addresses or lat/long coordinates, ensuring that location information is retained in an anonymous form.
Data Security: I employ industry-standard practices to safeguard any data I collect and to prevent unauthorized access.
4. Your Rights
As a user, you have the right to:
Access any personal data stored by Kit.com for your newsletter subscription.
Request deletion or modification of your data stored by Kit.com.
Withdraw consent to receive marketing emails by unsubscribing at any time.
5. Cookies and Tracking
This site does not use cookies or any tracking technologies that require user consent under GDPR. All data I collect is either anonymous or processed in a way that does not identify individual users.
6. Changes to This Policy
I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, so please check back periodically for updates.
Contact Me
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact me at adrian@adrianjwalker.com
That's it! Basically I've done my best to create a site that's not frustrating to use while allowing me to understand how it's being accessed so I can make it better in future. I am absolutely not in the business of data harvesting or sales. You have my word.
Adrian