This policy explains how philiphall.com handles personal information. It describes current practice on this site, in plain English. It is not legal advice and has not been assessed against every privacy regime that may apply.
Who runs this site
philiphall.com is the personal website of Philip Hall, a technology writer based in Sydney, Australia. The site owner is the data controller for information described in this policy. Contact details are at the end of this page.
Information collected
- Contact form. If you use the contact form, the site collects the name and email address you enter, along with any message you send.
- Newsletter subscription. If you subscribe to site updates, the site collects your email address and a record of the consent box being ticked.
- Comments. Comments are enabled on articles. No comments are currently published. If commenting is used, the name, email address and content you submit are stored, and spam filtering is applied by Akismet.
- Site analytics. Aggregated usage data is collected as described below.
- Server logs. Like most websites, the hosting server records technical request information such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested, for security, performance and troubleshooting.
How information is used
- To reply to messages sent through the contact form.
- To send occasional site updates to people who have subscribed.
- To understand which topics and articles are read, in aggregate.
- To protect the site against spam, abuse and technical faults.
Personal information is not sold. It is not shared for third-party marketing.
Newsletter subscriptions
Subscriptions are handled by the site’s own WordPress newsletter plugin (tagDiv Newsletter). Your email address is stored in this site’s database and is used to send updates about articles and publications. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email, or by asking through the contact page. If a third-party mailing service is connected in future, this policy will be updated before any subscriber data is transferred to it.
Analytics and cookies
This site uses Google Analytics 4, measurement ID G-4VTQFBMWET, delivered through the MonsterInsights plugin and loaded by Google Tag Manager. Google Analytics sets cookies (for example _ga and _gid) and collects information such as pages viewed, approximate location, device and browser type, and the referring source. This information is used in aggregate to understand which topics are read.
Google’s handling of this data is described in the Google Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and you can use browser privacy tools or extensions to limit analytics tracking. The site continues to work if you do.
WordPress may also set functionality cookies, for example when an administrator logs in or when a visitor leaves a comment. These cookies are not used for advertising.
Third-party services
- Google (Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager) for site statistics.
- Akismet, operated by Automattic, for comment spam filtering.
- The website hosting provider, which serves the site and maintains server logs.
Each of these services processes data under its own privacy terms.
Retention
- Contact form correspondence is kept only as long as needed to deal with the enquiry.
- Newsletter subscriber details are kept until you unsubscribe.
- Analytics data is retained according to the retention setting configured in Google Analytics.
- Server logs are retained by the hosting provider for a limited period for security and diagnostic purposes.
Unsubscribing
Every newsletter email includes an unsubscribe option. If you cannot find it, ask through the contact page and your address will be removed manually.
Access, correction and deletion
You can ask what personal information the site holds about you, ask for it to be corrected, or ask for it to be deleted. Send the request through the contact page and it will be actioned within a reasonable period. If you subscribed to the newsletter, deleting your record means you will stop receiving updates.
Security
The site uses HTTPS and applies access controls and spam protection to reduce risk. No website can guarantee absolute security, and information sent over the internet is sent at your own risk.
Children
This site is written for a professional audience and is not directed at children.
Changes to this policy
This policy may be updated as the site changes. The date below shows the most recent revision.
Contact
For any question about this policy, including access, correction or deletion requests, use the contact page.
Last updated: 16 September 2026.