7 Oct 2026 · Aaron Mullins
Introduction
Hello, I’m Aaron Mullins, and this is the Privacy Policy for my website, http://www.aaronmullins.com. Your privacy matters to me, so please take a moment to read how I collect and use your data when you visit.
I’m the data controller, which means I’m responsible for your personal data (“I”, “me” and “my” throughout this policy). UK data protection law applies, including the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR).
This site is aimed at adults. I don’t knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has sent me their details, please contact me and I’ll delete them.
Contact details
For any question about this policy, a request about your data, or a data protection complaint, please use my contact form.
- Name: Aaron Mullins
- Website: http://www.aaronmullins.com
- Contact form: Contact Aaron Mullins
Please let me know if your personal information changes so I can keep my records accurate.
What data I collect and why
Personal data means any information that can identify you. Anonymised data falls outside it.
| Type of data | What it includes | Why I use it | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication data | Your name, email address and anything you send me through the contact form, by email or on social media | To reply to you and keep a record of our conversation | Legitimate interests |
| Subscriber data | Your email address, if you use the subscribe box | So WordPress.com can email you my new posts, including free stories, tips and advice | Consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
| Comment data | Your name, email address, website (if you add one), your comment, IP address and browser details | To publish and moderate comments, block spam and tell you about replies | Legitimate interests |
| Usage and technical data | Pages you visit, time on each page, how you reached the site, browser, device, and your general location (country or city) worked out from your IP address | To keep the site secure and see which content helps visitors most | Legitimate interests |
Your comment is public, but your email address is never shown on the site.
I collect this data directly from you when you use the contact form, subscribe or comment, and automatically through cookies and analytics as you browse. The services that help me do this are listed in the next sections.
Sensitive data
I don’t ask for sensitive personal data, such as details of your health, race or ethnicity, religious beliefs, political opinions or sexual orientation.
You may choose to share this type of information in a message, for example when writing about your own experiences. If you do, I’ll use it only to reply to you, I won’t share it beyond the services listed below that run this site, and I’ll delete it once I no longer need it for our conversation.
Please keep sensitive details out of public comments, since anyone visiting the site can read them.
Third-party services
These services help me run the site and process some of your data on my behalf.
| Service | Provider | Data it processes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics, through Site Kit by Google | Google LLC | Usage data and analytics cookies. Google uses your IP address at the point of collection and discards it before logging. | United States |
| Jetpack Comments | Automattic Inc. (WordPress.com) | Your name, email address, website, comment, IP address and browser details | United States |
| Gravatar | Automattic Inc. | A scrambled (hashed) version of your email address, used to check whether you have a Gravatar profile picture to show beside your comment | United States |
| Jetpack image delivery | Automattic Inc. | Your IP address and browser details when images on the site load | United States |
| Akismet spam protection | Automattic Inc. | The content of comments and contact form messages, your IP address and browser details | United States |
| WordPress.com hosting and email subscriptions | Automattic Inc. | Everything stored on the site, including your email address if you subscribe to new posts | United States |
You can read how each provider handles data in the Google Privacy Policy and the Automattic Privacy Policy.
Cookies and trackers
This site uses cookies, small text files placed on your device, to make the site work and to measure how visitors use it. Trackers can also include web beacons and embedded scripts.
| Cookie type | What it does | Do I ask first? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Keeps the site secure, blocks spam and remembers your cookie choices | No, the site needs these to work |
| Comment cookies | Remember your name and email address for your next comment | Set only if you choose this when commenting |
| Analytics (Google Analytics) | Counts visits and shows which pages people read, so I can produce statistics about the site | No, but you can opt out at any time |
PECR, as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, lets me set analytics cookies used only to produce statistics about this site without asking first, as long as I tell you about them and give you a simple, free way to opt out.
To opt out of analytics cookies, you can:
- change your preferences in the cookie banner on this site
- install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
- set your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are set
Some parts of the site may stop working properly if you block all cookies.
I don’t use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. Retailers you visit through my affiliate links set their own cookies on their sites, as explained in the next section.
Affiliate links
Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
I’m a participant in the Amazon Associates Programme (amazon.co.uk and amazon.com), an affiliate advertising programme that lets sites earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I may also earn commission through other retailers, such as Kobo, Apple Books and Bookshop.org.
When you click an affiliate link, the retailer may place a cookie on your device to track whether you buy. The retailer handles this tracking, and I collect and store no personal data from your click. For details, please read each retailer’s own privacy policy.
I only link to books and resources I recommend, and commission never changes my opinions.
Subscription emails
If you use the subscribe box, WordPress.com will email you each time I publish a new post, such as free stories, tips and advice. I’ll never share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing.
You have an absolute right to object to direct marketing. Click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email, or ask me through my contact form, and I’ll stop sending them straight away. Unsubscribing leaves any other data I hold about you unaffected.
Sharing your data
I share personal data only with the services that help me run this site:
- WordPress.com (Automattic Inc.), which hosts this site and sends new-post emails to subscribers
- Google LLC, for analytics
- Automattic Inc., for comments, Gravatar, image delivery and spam protection
- retailers such as Amazon, for affiliate link tracking as described above
I only allow these providers to use your data for the purposes I’ve set out here, in line with my instructions and the law.
International transfers
Google LLC and Automattic Inc. are based in the United States. Where a provider is certified under the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (the UK-US data bridge), I rely on that certification. For any provider without it, I rely on the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses.
Data security and system logs
I take reasonable steps to protect your personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access and misuse. No method of sending data over the internet is completely secure, though.
This site and its services keep system logs, which record interactions with the site and may include your IP address. These logs help me keep the site running and secure.
I may use personal data in court, or in the steps leading to legal action, if a visitor misuses this site.
How long I keep your data
I keep personal data only as long as I need it for the purpose I collected it for, or as long as the law requires.
| Data | How long I keep it |
|---|---|
| Contact form messages and emails | 2 years after our last contact |
| Subscriber data | Until you unsubscribe, when your email address is promptly removed from my subscriber list |
| Published comments | For as long as the comment stays on the site, or until you ask me to delete it |
| Comments flagged as spam | 15 days, then deleted automatically |
| Google Analytics data | 14 months |
| Records I need for tax and accounting | Up to 6 years, as the law requires |
Once a retention period ends, I delete the data.
Your rights under UK GDPR
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- withdraw consent at any time where I rely on consent
- object to processing I carry out on the basis of legitimate interests
- object to direct marketing at any time
- access the personal data I hold about you
- correct inaccurate data
- have your personal data erased in certain circumstances
- restrict how I use your data
- data portability, meaning you can receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
To use any of these rights, please contact me through my contact form. There’s no charge unless a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive. I’ll respond within one month.
Complaints
If you’re unhappy with how I’ve handled your personal data, you can complain to me through my contact form. Please start your message with “Data protection complaint” so I can spot it quickly.
I’ll acknowledge your complaint within 30 days. I’ll then look into it, keep you updated, and tell you the outcome without undue delay.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk. I’d appreciate the chance to sort out your concerns first, so please get in touch with me before you contact the ICO.
Changes to this policy
I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law or in how I run this site. I’ll post any updates on this page with a revised date. Your continued use of this site after a change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy, so please check back occasionally.
You can ask me for more detail about how I use your personal data at any time through my contact form.
Last updated: October 2026
If you have any questions about this policy, please get in touch. I’m always happy to help.