Privacy and analytics

I'm Peter Nicholson. This is my personal site for writing, professional conversations, podcast work and speaking. I decide how it uses the information described here. You can contact me about your information at info@petenicholson.co.uk.

Newsletter and membership

When you subscribe, Ghost collects your name and email address, newsletter preferences and where you signed up. I use them to run your free account and send the AI, ERP and data emails you request. Ghost also sends confirmation and sign-in emails. I rely on your consent to send the newsletter. You can unsubscribe through any newsletter email or change your preferences in your account; unsubscribing does not itself delete the account.

Ghost's individual open and link-click reporting is off for future newsletters, and Open and Click tracking are also off on the Mailgun sending domain. Earlier emails may have left member-level engagement records in Ghost; you can ask me to review or delete information linked to your account. Mailgun's EU API sends the newsletter and handles delivery events. I keep your account information until you ask me to delete it or it is no longer needed to provide the service.

Contact messages

If you use the contact form, Formspree receives the name, email address and message you enter. Its current Free plan stores 30 days of submission history, and it emails a copy to my Gmail inbox. I use messages to reply and follow up, based on my legitimate interest in handling enquiries. You do not need to use the form to read the site. I keep the email copy only while I need it for the enquiry and any follow-up; if you ask me to delete a message, I will check both Formspree and my email.

Site statistics and analytics choices

GoatCounter counts visits, pages read and broad details such as referrers, browser types and countries so I can improve this site. It does not put cookies or identifiers in your browser, and this site's “Individual pageviews” storage is off. I use the resulting aggregate statistics on the basis of my legitimate interest in understanding and improving the site. GoatCounter is on by default, but you can turn it off at any time using Analytics choices in the site footer. That choice stops future GoatCounter requests from this browser.

Google Analytics is off unless you opt in through Analytics choices. If you do, this site loads Google's analytics tag, which uses cookies and sends information about your visit to Google. Advertising signals and ad personalisation are disabled in the site's tag configuration, and Google signals is off in the Analytics property. The property is currently set to retain event-level data for two months and user data for 14 months, with the user period restarting on new activity. These limits do not apply to most standard aggregate reports. You can withdraw your consent at any time through the same choice. Turning it off stops future Google Analytics requests from this browser and removes the Google Analytics cookies this site can identify. It cannot take back information already sent.

Your choices are saved in this browser so the site can remember them on later visits. Clearing this site's browser storage also clears your saved choice.

Services used by this site

Ghost runs on my DigitalOcean server in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I hold a manual full-server snapshot for recovery; it can contain older member details after they are removed from the live site and remains until the snapshot is deleted. The newsletter uses a Mailgun sending domain in its EU environment, although some Mailgun account information is held elsewhere. GoatCounter stores aggregate site statistics on servers in Finland and Germany.

Formspree handles contact messages on US infrastructure and says it uses standard contractual clauses for data transfers. If you opt in, Google Analytics receives information about your visit. Google says visits from the UK, EU and Switzerland are collected through regional servers before further processing elsewhere. This site also loads its typeface from Google Fonts and Ghost's membership widget from jsDelivr. Those services receive technical request details such as your IP address, the file requested and the referrer. Google Fonts says its API does not set cookies; jsDelivr says it does not track individual visitors. You can email me for details of the transfer arrangements relevant to your information.

Your choices and rights

You can ask me for a copy of the personal information I hold about you, ask me to correct or delete it, or ask me to restrict its use. You may also have a right to data portability. These rights depend on the circumstances. Email info@petenicholson.co.uk and I'll respond to your request.

You can object to processing based on my legitimate interests, including basic site statistics. Use Analytics choices to stop future GoatCounter requests from this browser, or email me about your other information. You can withdraw newsletter or Google Analytics consent at any time. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office if you are concerned about how I use your information.