Privacy policy

This Privacy Policy describes how ryanferguson.co.uk (the 'site' or 'I,' as an individual) collects, uses, and discloses your Personal Information when you visit the Site.

Collecting Personal Information

When you visit the site, the system collects certain information about your device and your interaction with the site. This Privacy Policy refers to any information that can uniquely identify an individual as 'personal information.' See the list below for more information on the personal information collected by the site and why.

  • Examples of Personal Information collected: version of web browser; IP address; time zone; cookie information; what sites or products you view; search terms; and how you interact with the site, including comments left.
  • Purpose of collection: to load the site accurately for you, and to perform analytics on site usage to optimise the site.
  • Source of collection: Collected automatically when you access the site using cookies, log files, web beacons, tags, or pixels. You have the option to accept or decline such sources of collection using banner prompts that load automatically on your first visit in any given session.
  • Disclosure for a business purpose: shared with the website processor, Shopify.

Sharing Personal Information

  • I use Shopify to power my website and blog. You can read more about how Shopify uses your Personal Information here.
  • I may share your Personal Information to comply with applicable laws and regulations; to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful request; for information I receive; or to otherwise protect my rights.

Behavioural Advertising

As described in my free speech charter and copyright charter, I do not use your Personal Information to provide you with targeted advertisements. I may make minimal use of email marketing, given consent.

For more information about how targeted advertising works, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s (“NAI”) educational page here.

Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services elsewhere online by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal here.

Using Personal Information

Lawful basis

Pursuant to the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), if you are a resident of the European Economic Area (“EEA”), the site processes your personal information under the following lawful bases:

  • Your consent.
  • The performance of the contract between you and the site.
  • Compliance with legal obligations.
  • To protect your vital interests.
  • To perform tasks carried out in the public interest.
  • For legitimate interests, which do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.

Retention

Where agreed, the site will retain your Personal Information for records unless and until you ask for such information to be erased. For more information on your right of erasure, please see the ‘Your rights’ section below.

Automatic decision-making

If you are a resident of the EEA, you have the right to object to information processing based solely on automated decision-making (which includes profiling), when that decision-making has a legal effect on you or otherwise significantly affects you.

I do not engage in fully automated decision-making that has a legal or otherwise significant effect using customer data.

My website processor, Shopify, uses limited automated decision-making to prevent fraud that does not have a legal or otherwise significant effect on you.

Services that include elements of automated decision-making include:

  • Temporary denylist of IP addresses associated with repeated failed transactions. This denylist persists for a small number of hours.
  • Temporary denylist of credit cards associated with denylisted IP addresses. This denylist persists for a small number of days.

Selling Personal Information

I do not sell Personal Information, as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”).

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with rights regarding how your data or personal information is treated. Under the legislation, California residents can choose to opt out of the 'sale' of their personal information to third parties. Based on the CCPA definition, 'sale' refers to data collection for the purpose of creating advertising and other communications. You can opt-out of personal information sales here.

Your rights

GDPR

If you are a resident of the EEA, you have the right to access the Personal Information the site holds about you; to port it to a new service; and to ask that your Personal Information be corrected, updated, or erased. If you would like to exercise these rights, please make contact here.

Your Personal Information will be initially processed in Ireland and then will be transferred outside of Europe for storage and further processing, including to Canada and the United States.

Cookies

A cookie is a small amount of information that is downloaded to your device when you visit a website. Powered by Shopify, my web platform, I use a number of different cookies, including functional performance and content cookies.

Cookies make your browsing experience better by allowing the website to remember your actions and preferences - such as login details and region selection. This means you do not have to re-enter this information each time you return to the site or browse from one page to another.

Cookies also provide information on how people use the website - for instance, whether it is their first time visiting or if they are a frequent visitor.

The site uses the following cookies to optimise your experience:

Cookies Necessary for the Functioning of the Website

Name

Function

_ab

Used in connection with access to admin.

_secure_session_id

Used in connection with navigation through a storefront.

cart

Used in connection with shopping cart.

cart_sig

Used in connection with checkout.

cart_ts

Used in connection with checkout.

checkout_token

Used in connection with checkout.

secret

Used in connection with checkout.

secure_customer_sig

Used in connection with customer login.

storefront_digest

Used in connection with customer login.

_shopify_u

Used to facilitate updating customer account information.

Reporting and Analytics

Name

Function

_tracking_consent

Tracking preferences.

_landing_page

Track landing pages

_orig_referrer

Track landing pages

_s

Shopify analytics.

_shopify_fs

Shopify analytics.

_shopify_s

Shopify analytics.

_shopify_sa_p

Shopify analytics relating to marketing & referrals.

_shopify_sa_t

Shopify analytics relating to marketing & referrals.

_shopify_y

Shopify analytics.

_y

Shopify analytics.


The length of time a cookie remains on your device depends on whether it is a 'persistent' or 'session' cookie. Session cookies last until you stop browsing and persistent cookies last until they expire or are deleted. Most of the cookies used on this site are persistent and will expire between 30 minutes and two years from the date they are downloaded to your device.

You can control and manage cookies in various ways. Most prominently, a banner is displayed at the bottom of this website whenever a new session is logged, allowing users to accept cookies and associated legal tracking or reject the same. Please keep in mind that removing or blocking cookies can negatively impact your user experience and parts of the website may no longer be fully accessible. I will never act maliciously with cookie data collected as a functional necessity.

Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can choose whether or not to accept cookies through your browser controls, often found in your browser’s 'Tools' or 'Preferences' menu.

Do Not Track

Please note that because there is no consistent industry understanding of how to respond to 'Do Not Track' signals, the site does not alter its data collection and usage practices when it detects such a signal from your browser.

Changes

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to my practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons.

Contact

For more information about my privacy practices, if you have questions, or if you would like to make a complaint, please contact me by email at info@ryanferguson.co.uk.

If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you have the right to lodge your complaint with the relevant data protection authority. You can contact your local data protection authority, or our supervisory authority here.

Approved by: Ryan Ferguson

Last reviewed: 26 November 2024

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