01
What this site collects
| What | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics data (Google Analytics 4) | Which pages are read, roughly where readers are, which links get clicked | Per Google's retention settings |
| Contact form submissions | So we can answer you and correct errors you report | Kept as email until no longer needed |
| Affiliate click events | Which recommendations readers act on, in aggregate | Per Google's retention settings |
| Server logs at our host | Delivering pages and diagnosing faults | Per Vercel's retention policy |
What we do not do: no accounts, no newsletter, no advertising network, no retargeting pixels, no selling or sharing of personal information, and no cookies set by us beyond what the analytics script uses.
02
Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages are useful and which are not. It records page views, approximate location derived from IP address, device and browser type, and how you arrived. We do not use it to identify individuals, and we do not combine it with anything else.
The site also records an affiliate_click event when a buy button is pressed, so we can see which recommendations readers act on. It records the merchant, the destination link and the page it happened on - not who you are.
To opt out entirely, install Google's opt-out browser add-on, or use any browser or extension that blocks analytics scripts. Nothing on this site stops working if you do.
03
The contact form
The contact form sends us your name, email address, chosen subject and message by email. We use it to reply to you and to fix errors you report - nothing else. It is not added to a mailing list, because there is no mailing list.
The form also carries a hidden field and a timestamp used purely to detect automated submissions. Neither collects anything about you.
04
Affiliate links and third parties
Buy buttons on this site are affiliate links. Clicking one takes you through our own /go/ redirect to a retailer, and the retailer records that the click came from us so any resulting commission is attributed correctly. Our redirect adds no tracking of its own beyond what the retailer already applies.
Once you arrive at a retailer, that retailer's privacy policy governs - not ours. The main one used here is Amazon. How the commission arrangement works is set out on affiliate disclosure.
Product images shown on this site are served from the retailer's own image servers, which means your browser requests them directly from that retailer.
The site is hosted by Vercel, which keeps standard server logs. Fonts are self-hosted, so loading a page here makes no request to a font provider.
05
Your choices
- Block analytics with the opt-out add-on or a content blocker. The site works normally.
- Do not use the contact form if you would rather not send us your email address - though we then have no way to answer you.
- Ask us to delete a message you sent. Write to info@sconceandsocket.com and we will remove it.
- Ask what we hold about you. Same address. Realistically it is either nothing, or an email you sent us.
06
Children, changes and contact
This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
If this policy changes we will update the date at the top of this page. Material changes will be described here rather than made quietly.
Questions about privacy: info@sconceandsocket.com. Sconce & Socket is published by Fathom & Foundry.