This policy explains what information Linux Pathfinder collects when you visit this website, why it is collected, and what choices you have. It is written in plain language rather than legal boilerplate, because you should be able to understand it without a lawyer.
The short version
- We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.
- We do not run third-party advertising on this site.
- We only ask for information when we genuinely need it — to reply to you, or to send a newsletter you asked for.
- You can ask us to delete anything we hold about you at any time.
Information you give us
Contact form
When you send a message through the contact form, we receive the name, email address and message you enter. This is used solely to reply to your enquiry. Submissions may be delivered to our email inbox and retained there so we can follow up on ongoing conversations.
Comments
If you leave a comment on an article, WordPress stores the name, email address and website you provide, along with the comment itself, your IP address and your browser’s user-agent string. This helps us identify spam. Your email address is never published. If you use an avatar service such as Gravatar, a hashed version of your email address may be sent to that service so your avatar can be displayed.
Newsletter
If you subscribe using the form in the footer, we store the email address you submit so we can send you notifications about new articles. Every message includes an unsubscribe option, and you can ask us to remove your address at any time.
Information collected automatically
Like virtually every website, our hosting server records standard technical information each time a page is requested: your IP address, the page requested, the date and time, your browser and operating system, and the page that referred you. These logs are used to keep the site secure and running correctly, and to diagnose faults.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored by your browser. This site uses them sparingly:
- Comment cookies — if you leave a comment, WordPress may save your name, email and website in a cookie so you do not have to retype them next time. These are entirely optional and expire after one year.
- Session and caching cookies — used to serve pages quickly and, if you log in as an administrator, to keep you signed in.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site will continue to work normally, though you may need to re-enter your details when commenting.
Analytics and advertising
At the time of writing this site does not use third-party analytics platforms, tracking pixels, or advertising networks. If that changes, this page will be updated before any such service is enabled.
Third-party services
A few external services are involved in delivering this site, and your browser contacts them directly when a page loads, which means they can see your IP address:
- Our web host — stores the website files, database and server logs.
- Google Fonts and Font Awesome (CDN) — deliver the typefaces and icons used in the design.
- Gravatar — displays commenter avatars, where applicable.
Each of these operates under its own privacy policy.
Embedded content
Articles may embed content from other websites, such as videos or code examples. Embedded content behaves exactly as though you had visited that other website, and those sites may collect data about you, use cookies, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content.
How long we keep information
Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely so that follow-up replies remain readable in context. Contact form messages are kept for as long as they are useful for correspondence. Newsletter addresses are kept until you unsubscribe. Server logs are rotated and deleted by our host on a rolling basis.
Your rights
You can ask us to:
- tell you what personal information we hold about you;
- correct anything that is inaccurate;
- delete your data, including comments you have left or your newsletter subscription.
To make any of these requests, please use our contact page. We will respond as promptly as we reasonably can.
Children’s privacy
This site publishes technical tutorials for a professional audience and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16.
Security
The site is served over an encrypted HTTPS connection, and we apply software updates and sensible access controls to protect the information we hold. No website can promise perfect security, but we take reasonable care.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the revised version will be published on this page with a new “last updated” date above.
Contact
Questions about this policy, or about the information we hold, are welcome via our contact page.