Privacy Policy
Last updated: TODO(owner): set the real publish date
1. Overview
How to UK("we", "us", "our") operates the website how-to-uk.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you visit our website, in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for processing your personal data is listed in our Imprint. For data protection inquiries, please contact us at privacy@how-to-uk.com.
3. Data We Collect
3.1 Data you provide
- Name, email address, and message content when you use our contact form
- Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter
3.2 Data collected automatically
- IP address (anonymised)
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Referring URL
- Pages visited, time and date of visit
- Time spent on pages
3.3 Cookies
We use only technically necessary cookies and privacy-friendly analytics. We do not use third-party tracking cookies. TODO(research): confirm whether this site's specific analytics setup (Vercel Analytics / Speed Insights) is exempt from PECR consent requirements or needs a refuse-by-default consent banner under current ICO guidance, then update this section and section 7 accordingly.
4. Purpose and Legal Basis
| Purpose | Legal Basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Responding to contact form inquiries | Art. 6(1)(b) – contractual/pre-contractual |
| Sending newsletter emails | Art. 6(1)(a) – consent |
| Website analytics (anonymised) | Art. 6(1)(f) – legitimate interest |
| Technical website operation | Art. 6(1)(f) – legitimate interest |
5. Data Retention
Contact form data is retained for 12 months after your last interaction. Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe. Anonymised analytics data is retained for 26 months. We delete your data when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
6. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access your personal data (Art. 15)
- Rectify inaccurate data (Art. 16)
- Erase your data (Art. 17)
- Restrict processing (Art. 18)
- Data portability (Art. 20)
- Object to processing (Art. 21)
- Withdraw consent at any time (Art. 7(3))
- Lodge a complaintwith the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO, ico.org.uk)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@how-to-uk.com.
7. Analytics
We use Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights to understand how visitors use our site. TODO(research): confirm and describe the actual data these tools collect and whether a consent banner is required under PECR before this section ships (see section 3.3).
8. Affiliate Links
Our site contains affiliate links to third-party services. When you click these links, the third party may set their own cookies and collect data according to their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review their policies before using their services. We do not share any of your personal data with our affiliate partners.
9. Data Transfers
TODO(research): our hosting provider (Vercel) may process or store data outside the UK/EEA. Confirm the actual data-transfer picture and the safeguards in place (e.g. UK International Data Transfer Agreement, Standard Contractual Clauses) before this section ships; do not reuse the Austria reference site's "hosted within the EU" claim, it has not been verified for this site.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
11. Contact
For any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at privacy@how-to-uk.com.