Privacy Policy
This policy is being prepared. The section below describes how the chat on this site handles what you tell it. The full policy, covering the rest of the site, will be published here.
Using the chat
You can ask a question without giving us your name, your email address or anything else. Contact details are optional and are only ever asked for after your question has already been sent, so that we can reply if you have gone by the time we answer.
What we keep
- Your messages and our replies, kept for 12 months and then deleted.
- Any image you send, kept for 90 days and then deleted. Images are re-saved by our server when they arrive, which removes hidden information photographs often carry — including the location where the photo was taken.
- An email address or phone number, only if you choose to give one and tick the box, and only so that we can answer your question. We do not use it for anything else and we do not pass it to anyone.
- A random identifier stored in your browser, so that your conversation is still there when you come back. It is not linked to your name and it tells us nothing about you. It stays until you clear your browser data, or until you choose “Forget this conversation” in the chat.
What we do not keep
We do not store your IP address or your browser details. We store a scrambled version of each, which we use only to stop abuse and which cannot be turned back into the original.
A word of caution
Anyone using the same browser can open the chat and read the conversation. On a shared or public computer, use Forget this conversation when you are finished. Please do not send identity card numbers, passwords or payment details — we will never ask for them.
Having it removed
You can ask us to delete a conversation and anything in it at any time through the contact form.
See also the legal notice.