Alan M. Highmore

Privacy policy

Effective from 2 November 2026.

This policy explains what personal data is collected when you visit alanhighmore.com, subscribe to the newsletter or write to me, why it is collected, who processes it and what rights you have. It is written to meet the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP).

Who is responsible for your data

This website and the newsletter “Letters from the writing desk” are run by Alan M. Highmore, the author, who is the controller of your personal data. For any question about this policy or your data, write to alan@alanhighmore.com.

The short version

  • The site sets no cookies and uses no advertising or tracking scripts.
  • If you subscribe, your email address is held by Kit, the newsletter service, and used only to send you the newsletter.
  • Visits are counted with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which does not use cookies or identify you.
  • Your data is never sold, rented or shared for marketing.

What is collected and why

Newsletter. When you subscribe, the form sends your email address directly to Kit. Kit also records the date and time of your subscription, the form you used, your IP address at sign-up and your confirmation. The form’s only purpose is joining the newsletter, and your subscription starts only after you confirm it by clicking the link in a confirmation email (double opt-in). Your email address is used only to send the newsletter and occasional messages about the books. Kit records whether a newsletter is opened and which links in it are clicked, so that I can see which letters are read; this is part of how the newsletter service works. Legal basis: your consent (UK and EU GDPR, Article 6(1)(a)). You can withdraw it at any time with the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email, or by writing to me.

Visiting the site. The site is hosted by Cloudflare. To deliver pages and protect the site against abuse, Cloudflare processes technical data such as your IP address, browser type, the pages requested and the time of the request, and keeps it in short-lived server logs. Visits are counted with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which measures page views and loading times without cookies, without storing anything on your device and without building a profile of you. Legal basis: legitimate interests in running a secure, working website and understanding how it is used (Article 6(1)(f)).

Writing to me. If you email alan@alanhighmore.com, I receive your email address, your name if you give it, and whatever your message contains. Messages to this address are forwarded by Cloudflare Email Routing to a mailbox with an email provider. I use them only to read and answer your message. Legal basis: legitimate interests in replying to you (Article 6(1)(f)).

Your theme choice. If you press the theme switch, your choice of light or dark is kept in your own browser’s session storage until you close the tab, so that the next page you open keeps it. It is never sent to the site or to anyone else, and it is not a cookie.

Who processes your data

Your data is processed for me by these service providers, each under a data processing agreement:

Your data is not shared with anyone else, except where the law requires it.

Transfers outside the UK, EU and Switzerland

Kit and Cloudflare are based in the United States, so your data may be processed there. These transfers are protected by the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, its UK Extension and the Swiss–US Data Privacy Framework where the provider is certified, and otherwise by the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses with the UK Addendum and the Swiss amendments.

How long data is kept

  • Newsletter: while you are subscribed. When you unsubscribe, you stop receiving emails at once; Kit keeps a record of the unsubscription so that you are not added again by mistake. You can ask for your data to be deleted entirely.
  • Server logs: a short period set by Cloudflare, normally no more than a few days.
  • Analytics: only as counts that do not identify you.
  • Emails to me: as long as needed to deal with your message, then deleted.

The site links to my profiles on social networks and to Goodreads, and these links open in a new tab. Once you follow one, that website’s own privacy policy applies.

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR, the EU GDPR and the Swiss FADP you have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of the personal data held about you;
  • have inaccurate data corrected;
  • have your data deleted;
  • restrict or object to its processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
  • receive your data in a portable format;
  • withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting processing that happened before.

To use any of these rights, write to alan@alanhighmore.com. You will receive an answer within one month. There is no charge.

If you are unhappy with how your data is handled, please tell me first. You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority: in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk (opens in a new tab)); in the EU, the authority in the country where you live or work; in Switzerland, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (edoeb.admin.ch (opens in a new tab)).

Children

The site and the newsletter are not intended for children under 16, and their data is not knowingly collected. If you believe a child has subscribed, write to me and the data will be deleted.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated when the site or its services change. The date at the top shows when it last changed. Significant changes will also be announced in the newsletter.

Letters from the writing desk

The best piece of the fortnight, expanded. One letter every second Sunday.

Or talk to Alan directly: alan@alanhighmore.com