The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on May 25th 2018. Although designed primarily for large organisations, as an individual I take your privacy extremely seriously. That’s why I only ever ask you for the information I need, and I never sell or share lists or email addresses.
By subscribing to my newsletter, you consent to receiving such information as you would reasonably expect to receive from an author. I do not store your personal information: my list of newsletter subscribers is managed by a third party, MailerLite. When you sign up for my newsletter, you consent that I can:
All MailerLite forms collect your email address, IP address, and add their own timestamp which serves as evidence that you have provided consent. I do not have access to the mailing lists of other MailerLite users and they do not have access to mine. If you subscribe to my newsletter and use the ‘forward to a friend’ (FTF) link, this will allow you to share my email content with individuals who are not on my mailing list. When you do so, MailerLite does not store your friend’s email address, and it will not be added to my mailing list. MailerLite’s privacy policy is available here.
How can I unsubscribe? You can stop receiving newsletters at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in every newsletter I send you.
Requests to join my mailing list If you have either asked to join or have accepted a personal invitation to join my mailing list, I will assume that by providing me with your email address, you are giving me consent to process your personal information.
Requests for copies of books I use BookFunnel to send ebooks to those who actively request them. BookFunnel do not receive any of your personal information from me: I send you the link to where the book’s file is stored on their server, and you use the link to download the free book in the format of your choice. Here is BookFunnel’s privacy policy.
Legitimate business interest If you contact me via my website or email me directly, I will simply reply, relying on lawful basis of processing (in other words, I will not ask for your consent before replying). I will not enter your details on any database without your consent but your name and email address will automatically be stored as a ‘contact’ within my email account. I may also store the email/email chain if it contains details I think I may need to refer to, especially if it contains a review of my work.
Social media If you comment on my social media accounts, records of those transactions will be held by the relevant social media channels. I have access to databases of followers on Twitter and Facebook. In these instances, I am not the data processor.
Minors I do not knowingly collect or maintain personal information from individuals under 16 years of age, and no part of my website is designed or intended to attract people under the age of 16. Protecting the privacy of children is very important to me. If you are under 16, do not use or provide any information on the website or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address or any screen name or user name you may use. If I obtain knowledge that a user is under the age of 16, I will take steps to remove that user’s personal information from my records.
How long will you keep my personal information? If you have subscribed to my mailing list, you may unsubscribe at any time.
Your rights You are entitled to ask me what information I hold about you and how I am processing that data. This is called a Subject Access Request. To file a request, simply use the contact form on my website. I aim to respond to all requests promptly.
What if my personal information is wrong? You can ask me to correct your personal information at any time.
Can I ask you to stop processing my personal information? Yes. You can also exercise your right to request to be forgotten.
The right to be forgotten If you unsubscribe from my mailing list, your data will be promptly deleted. You have the right to request to be forgotten. If you have used the contact form/emailed me, on receipt of your request, I will delete your data. For social media, you have control of your own accounts and can change the settings so that I will no longer have access to your data.
Data breaches If my computer, website or social media accounts were compromised, I would notify you at the earliest opportunity, seek advice and take steps to follow that advice immediately.
Links to other websites My website, blog posts and newsletters contain links to other websites. Once you use these links, you will leave my website. I am not responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites. Please exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
