Privacy policy.

This policy explains what information Hearthline collects when you visit the site, how that information is used, and what your rights are. It is written to be readable; if anything here is unclear, write to privacy@hearthline.com and we will explain.

Who we are

Hearthline is an editorial publication operated from Edinburgh, United Kingdom. For the purposes of UK and EU data protection law, Hearthline acts as the data controller for personal information collected via this website.

What we collect

Usage data. When you visit the site we collect basic usage information through privacy-respecting analytics — the pages you viewed, the approximate geographic region of your visit, the device class and browser, and the referring site. We do not collect or store IP addresses in identifiable form.

Correspondence. When you email the editors, we store the contents of the email to respond and to keep a record of the conversation.

We do not collect names, email addresses, or other personal information from readers who simply browse the site. We do not operate a newsletter, a user account system, or a comments section that requires registration.

Cookies & similar technologies

Hearthline uses a small number of technical cookies necessary for the site to function. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking cookies.

When you click an affiliate link to Amazon, Amazon will set its own cookies according to its own privacy policy. These cookies are how Amazon attributes the eventual purchase to us. They are not set by Hearthline and are governed by Amazon's policy, which is linked from the Amazon site.

How long we keep information

Aggregated analytics are kept for 26 months and then deleted. Email correspondence is kept indefinitely unless you ask us to delete it, in which case we will do so within 30 days.

Who we share data with

We do not sell reader data. We do not share reader data with brands, advertisers, or marketing companies. We use a small number of carefully chosen service providers (web hosting, email, analytics) who process data on our behalf and are bound by contract to do so only as we instruct.

Your rights

Under UK and EU data protection law you have the right to ask us:

• What information we hold about you.
• To correct anything that is wrong.
• To delete information we hold about you.
• To stop using your information for a specific purpose.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@hearthline.com. We respond within 30 days.

Children

Hearthline is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe we have, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page when our practices change. The "last updated" date at the top of the page reflects the most recent revision.