Privacy Policy

Who is responsible for your information

Apparently is a trading name of CMW (NW) Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 17269918. Registered office: Glebe Business Park, Lunts Heath Road, Widnes, WA8 5SQ. CMW (NW) Ltd is the data controller for your information.

You can contact us at any time about your data at hello@apparently.uk.

What information I collect, and why

We keep this list deliberately short because the site does deliberately little.

Email address (when you sign up to the newsletter).

We collect this so we can email you when a new guide is out, send you anything you’ve specifically asked for (like a free download), and very occasionally write about something we think you’ll find useful. We do not collect a name, address, age, or anything else when you sign up. Just the email.

First name (optional, if you give it).

Some sign-up forms may ask for a first name so we can address emails to you by name. This is always optional. The site works fine without it.

Anonymous visitor data (everyone who visits the site).

Squarespace, my website host, collects anonymous data about who visits the site. This includes things like which pages people look at, roughly where in the world they’re visiting from (country and city, not your house), what device they’re using, and how they found the site. This information does not identify you personally. We use it to understand which guides people are interested in and what to write next.

Advertising and analytics data (if you arrive via a paid ad).

We may run ads on Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and other advertising platforms. When you arrive on the site from one of these ads, or interact with one, the platform may set a cookie or pixel that helps them understand whether their ads are working. This is standard practice for any business that advertises online. We do not see your personal information through these platforms. We see anonymous totals (how many people clicked the ad, how many signed up). You can opt out of advertising tracking through your browser settings or the platform itself.

What we do not collect

•        We do not take payments on this website. If you buy a guide it happens on Amazon. If you buy a tracker or journal it happens on Etsy. Both have their own privacy policies that govern those transactions. We never see your card details or financial information.

•        We do not collect sensitive personal data such as health information, even though some guides discuss health topics. The guides are written for a general audience, not personalised to you.

•        We do not run a contact form on the site. If you email me at hello@apparently.uk, I have whatever you choose to put in that email.

•        We do not collect data from children under 13. The site and guides are written for an adult readership.

How we use your information

We use your email address to do exactly what you signed up for: send you newsletters and any free downloads you’ve requested. We sometimes look at anonymous data about how subscribers engage with emails (how many open, how many click) so we can write better ones. We do not pass your email address to anyone else, ever, for any reason.

We use the anonymous visitor data from Squarespace and any advertising platforms to understand what’s working on the site and where my advertising spend is best put. We do not use this data to make decisions about individuals.

My legal basis for using your data

Under UK GDPR, we need a lawful basis to process your data. Mine are:

•        Consent: when you sign up to the newsletter, you are giving us consent to email you. You can withdraw this consent at any time by unsubscribing.

•        Legitimate interests: we have a legitimate interest in understanding how the site is used and how my advertising performs. This is balanced against your right to privacy, and we have kept the data we collect deliberately minimal.

Who we share your information with

We share data with a small number of service providers who help me run the business. They are bound by their own terms to keep your data secure and use it only for the purposes we’ve agreed with them.

Kit (formerly ConvertKit).

Our email platform. Your email address is stored in Kit so we can send newsletters. Kit is based in the United States and operates under the EU-US and UK-US Data Privacy Frameworks. Their privacy policy is at kit.com/privacy.

Squarespace.

Our website host. They process the anonymous visitor data described above. Squarespace is also based in the United States and operates under the same Data Privacy Frameworks. Their privacy policy is at squarespace.com/privacy.

Google Analytics.

We use Google Analytics on the website. This adds slightly more detailed (but still anonymous) visitor analytics. Google Analytics sets its own cookies. A cookie banner will appear on the site asking you to accept or decline. Google’s privacy policy is at policies.google.com/privacy.

Advertising platforms (planned, future).

We may use Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms to advertise the guides. Each of these may set their own cookies or pixels if you arrive at the site from one of their ads. Their respective privacy policies govern that data. You can decline advertising cookies through the cookie banner on the site when these are active.

Other tools I may add in future.

If we add a new service that processes your data in a meaningful way, we will update this policy and, where required by law, notify you directly.

Cookies

The site uses a small number of cookies. The honest categories:

•        Strictly necessary: things that make the site work, like remembering you’ve dismissed a banner. These do not require your consent under UK law.

•        Analytics: anonymous usage data. Squarespace’s built-in analytics is cookie-free. Google Analytics, once added, will set cookies and you will be asked to consent before it loads.

•        Advertising: any pixels from Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or similar. These will load only after you accept advertising cookies in the banner.

You can clear cookies at any time through your browser settings, and change your cookie preferences for this site by clicking "Cookie settings" in the footer when that option becomes active.

How long we keep your data

Newsletter subscribers: as long as you remain subscribed, plus a short period afterwards in case you change your mind. If you unsubscribe and ask us to delete your record entirely, we will do that within 30 days.

Anonymous visitor data: Squarespace keeps this on a rolling basis as set out in their own policies. We do not keep my own copies.

Email correspondence (if you email us): we keep emails as long as I reasonably need them, which is usually no more than two years unless there’s a specific reason to keep them longer.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights:

•        The right to know what data we hold about you, and to ask for a copy.

•        The right to ask us to correct anything that’s wrong.

•        The right to ask us to delete your data ("the right to be forgotten").

•        The right to object to our use of your data, or to ask us to restrict it.

•        The right to withdraw your consent at any time. The easiest way to do this is to unsubscribe from emails, but you can also email us.

•        The right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you think we’ve handled your data badly. Their site is ico.org.uk.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@apparently.uk. We will respond within 30 days. We do not charge for this.

Data security

We take reasonable steps to keep your data secure. The services we use (Kit, Squarespace, any future providers) have their own security measures in place. No system is completely secure, but the data we hold is deliberately limited so the risk of any breach affecting you is small. If a breach does happen that puts your data at risk, we will notify you and the ICO as required by law.

International transfers

Some of my service providers are based outside the UK, primarily in the United States. These transfers are covered by the UK-US Data Bridge and the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which the UK government recognises as providing adequate protection for personal data.

Changes to this policy

If we add a new tool that meaningfully changes how your data is used (a new analytics platform, a new advertising channel, anything that processes your data in a new way), we will update this policy. The "Last updated" date at the top tells you when. If the change is significant, and especially if you are an existing newsletter subscriber, we will email you to let you know.

Getting in touch

Any questions about this policy, or anything else about how we handle your data: hello@apparently.uk.