Last updated: October 28, 2026
This page explains what information The Tech Blog (thetechblog.org) collects when you visit, why we collect it, and what control you have over it. We are a small, independent content site, so the honest answer is “not much”, but you deserve the details in plain English.
The short version
- You can read everything on this site without creating an account or giving us your name.
- Our web server keeps standard technical logs, like almost every website does.
- We use cookies to make the site work, and we may use analytics or advertising partners who set their own cookies.
- Embedded videos and social posts can let those platforms collect data about you.
- We do not sell your personal data.
- You can ask what we hold about you and ask us to delete it.
Who “we” are
“We”, “us” and “this site” mean The Tech Blog, the independent publication at thetechblog.org. If this policy refers to “you”, it means anyone visiting or reading the site.
Information collected automatically
Server logs
When your browser requests a page, our hosting server records basic technical information. This is standard for any website and happens before any cookie or script runs. A typical log entry includes:
- Your IP address
- The date and time of the request
- The page or file requested
- Your browser type and operating system (the “user agent”)
- The referring page, if your browser shares it
- Whether the request succeeded or failed
We use these logs to keep the site running, spot errors, measure load, and defend against abuse such as spam, scraping and attacks. We do not use them to build profiles of individual readers.
Analytics
To understand which articles are useful and how people find them, we may use an analytics service. Analytics tools typically record things like pages viewed, time on page, approximate location (usually country or city, derived from your IP address), device type and how you arrived at the site.
Where possible, we choose settings that limit what is collected, such as shortening IP addresses or turning off data-sharing features. We look at this information in aggregate, as trends and totals, not to identify you personally.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files a website stores in your browser. Similar technologies, such as local storage and tracking pixels, work in much the same way, and this section covers them too.
| Type | What it does | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Keeps the site working and secure, and remembers your cookie choices | This site |
| Preference | Remembers settings such as display options, where offered | This site |
| Analytics | Measures visits and how pages are used | This site or an analytics partner |
| Advertising | Shows ads, limits repeat ads, measures ad performance, and may personalise ads | Advertising partners |
| Embedded content | Supports videos, social posts and other third-party content | The platform that provides the content |
Advertising partners
If we run ads, advertising partners may use cookies and similar technologies to show ads on this site and other sites, and to measure how those ads perform. Some ads may be personalised based on your browsing activity. These partners operate under their own privacy policies, and we do not control the data they collect.
Where the law requires it, we will ask for your consent before non-essential cookies are set, and you can change your choice at any time through the cookie settings on the site.
Controlling cookies yourself
You do not need to rely on us. Every major browser lets you:
- View and delete cookies already stored
- Block third-party cookies
- Block all cookies (this may break some features)
- Browse in a private window that clears cookies when closed
Content blockers and privacy-focused browsers can also stop many tracking scripts. Many ad networks also offer their own opt-out tools and ad-settings pages.
Embedded content from other sites
Some articles include content hosted elsewhere, such as videos, social media posts, maps or code snippets. Embedded content behaves exactly as if you had visited the other site directly.
That means the provider can:
- See your IP address and browser details
- Set its own cookies
- Track your interaction with the embed
- Link the visit to your account if you are logged in to that platform
Where a privacy-enhanced or click-to-load option exists, we prefer it, so that the embed only loads data when you choose to play or open it. The way those platforms handle your data is governed by their own privacy policies.
Tools that run in your browser
Some pages on this site include small tools, such as calculators, converters or checkers. Where a tool says it runs in your browser, the processing happens on your own device. The information you type into it is not sent to our server and we do not store it.
If a tool ever needs to send data to a server to work, we will say so on that tool’s page.
Information you choose to send us
If you contact us, comment on an article, or sign up for an email list (if we offer one), we receive whatever you send. That usually means your name or nickname, your email address and the content of your message.
We use it only for the reason you gave it to us: to reply, publish your comment, or send the emails you asked for. You can unsubscribe from any email using the link in that email, or ask us to remove you.
Why we use your information
We process information for a small number of reasons:
- To run the site. Delivering pages, fixing errors and keeping things fast.
- To keep it secure. Detecting and blocking spam, bots and attacks.
- To improve it. Seeing which articles help people and which need work.
- To fund it. Advertising helps pay for an independent site, if and when we run ads.
- To respond to you. Answering messages and handling requests.
- To meet legal obligations. Responding to valid legal requests where required.
Depending on where you live, the legal basis for this may be our legitimate interest in running a secure, useful website, your consent (for example, for non-essential cookies), or the need to comply with the law.
We do not sell your personal data
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. Full stop.
We share data only with service providers who help us run the site, such as our hosting company and any analytics, advertising, email or security services we use. They process data on our behalf or under their own policies, and only as needed to provide their service. We may also disclose information if the law requires it or if it is needed to protect the site and its readers from fraud or abuse.
How long we keep data
We keep information only as long as we need it:
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Server logs | A limited period for security and troubleshooting, then deleted or anonymised |
| Analytics data | Kept in aggregate; we use the shortest retention setting that still lets us see useful trends |
| Messages you send us | As long as needed to deal with your query, then deleted |
| Comments | Until the comment or article is removed, or you ask us to remove it |
| Email list details | Until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them |
| Cookies | From the end of your session to the expiry set by the cookie, unless you delete them sooner |
Third-party partners set their own retention periods, which are described in their privacy policies.
Your rights
You can ask us about the personal data we hold about you. Depending on where you live, privacy laws such as the GDPR in the UK and EU, and state laws in the US such as California’s CCPA, may give you formal rights to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct anything inaccurate
- Delete your data
- Object to or restrict certain processing
- Withdraw consent you previously gave, such as for cookies
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data for targeted advertising
- Receive a copy of your data in a portable format
We will honour reasonable requests from any reader, wherever you live. To make a request, get in touch through the contact page on this site. We may need to ask a question or two to confirm the request is genuinely yours, and we will not treat you differently for exercising your rights.
Please bear in mind that we often cannot link server log or analytics entries to a specific person, so for those records we may have nothing identifiable to return or delete.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you also have the right to complain to the data protection authority where you live.
Browser privacy signals
Some browsers and extensions send a Global Privacy Control signal. Where the law requires it, we treat this signal as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data for advertising. Older “Do Not Track” signals have no agreed standard, so we cannot promise every third-party service will respond to them.
Security
We take sensible steps to protect the information we handle, including serving the site over an encrypted HTTPS connection, keeping software updated and limiting who has access to our systems. No website can guarantee perfect security, but we treat your data with the same care we recommend to our readers.
International visitors
Our hosting and service providers may store or process data in countries other than your own. Where data moves between countries, we rely on providers that offer appropriate safeguards required by law.
Children
This site is written for a general adult audience. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Links to other websites
Articles sometimes mention or refer readers to other websites. Once you leave this site, the other site’s privacy policy applies, not ours. We recommend reading it before handing over any personal details.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when we change how we handle data, add new tools or start working with new partners. The “Last updated” date at the top will always show when it last changed. If a change is significant, we will make it clear on the site.
Contact
Questions, concerns or requests about your privacy are welcome. Use the contact page on this site and we will get back to you.