Privacy policy

The short version

You can read this site without an account. We do not run advertising trackers, we do not set advertising cookies, and we do not sell personal information. We use Google Analytics to count visits, but only if you allow it. Apart from that, we collect personal information in two situations: when our hosting provider logs a request for a page, and when you choose to send us a message.

Information we collect

When you visit

Our hosting provider processes technical information that every web request contains, such as your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. This is used to deliver the site, keep it secure and diagnose faults. We do not use it to identify you or to build a profile of you.

The site’s fonts, scripts and images are served from our own domain, so loading a page does not send your information to third-party font, advertising or social media services. The one exception is Google Analytics, which loads only if you allow it.

Analytics, if you allow it

The first time you visit, a bar at the bottom of the screen asks whether we may use Google Analytics, a service from Google, to count visits and see which pages are read. If you choose “No thanks”, or leave the question unanswered, Google Analytics is not loaded and sets no cookies. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track signal, we treat that as “No thanks” and do not ask.

If you choose “Allow analytics”, Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser (named _ga and _ga_ followed by an ID, which last up to two years) and receives the address of the page you are viewing, the page that sent you here, your approximate location worked out from your IP address, and details of your device and browser. Google processes this information on our behalf. We have turned off its advertising features: we do not use it for advertising or ad personalisation, and we have not enabled Google signals.

You can change your answer at any time with the “Privacy choices” button at the bottom of every page. Choosing “No thanks” there stops analytics and removes its cookies for this site.

When you contact us

If you use the contact form or email us, we receive what you send: your name, email address, any company or website you mention and your message. The form may be delivered to us by a form-handling or email provider acting on our behalf. If no such provider is configured, the form opens your own email app and nothing is sent until you press send there.

Things stored in your browser

The site does not set advertising cookies. Analytics cookies are set only if you allow analytics, as described above. Your answer to the analytics question is kept in your browser’s local storage so that we do not ask on every page.

To limit spam, the contact form keeps the times of your recent submissions in your browser’s local storage. That record stays on your device, is never sent to us and can be cleared by clearing your browser’s site data.

How we use information

To deliver and secure the site.
To count visits and learn which pages are read, if you have allowed analytics.
To reply to your message and handle what you asked for, such as an advertising inquiry, an article pitch or a correction.
To keep a record of corrections, legal notices and business correspondence.

We do not add you to a mailing list because you contacted us.

We share information only with service providers that help us run the site, such as hosting, analytics (only with your permission) and email or form delivery, and only so they can provide that service; or when the law requires it. We do not sell or rent personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.

How long we keep it

Hosting logs are kept by our provider for a limited period under its own retention rules. Google Analytics keeps visit-level data for a limited period set in our account, between 2 and 14 months, and then deletes it; totals that do not identify anyone are kept longer. We keep messages for as long as needed to deal with your request and for our business records, then delete them.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, or to object to how it is used. To make a request, use the contact form or the email address on this page. We will not treat you differently for making a request. You may also have the right to complain to your local data protection or consumer protection authority.

Children

This site is written for working professionals and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Links to other sites

Articles link to third-party websites. Their privacy practices are their own, and this policy does not cover them.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle personal information, for example by adding a newsletter or an advertising network, we will update this page and its “last updated” date before the change takes effect.