Privacy
Privacy Policy
What this site collects, why, who helps process it, and how you can see, fix or delete it. Written to be read, not skimmed past.
The short version
Contents
1. Who is responsible
This site, shyamuthaman.com, is run by Shyam Uthaman, an author based in Texas, United States (“I”, “me”). I decide what personal information is collected here and how it is used, so for the purposes of privacy law I am the controller of that information.
This policy covers this website, its tools, its forms and the emails I send from it. It does not cover other websites you reach through links, such as book retailers.
2. What I collect
Information you give me
- Newsletter sign-ups and tool report requests: your email address, and your first name and role if you choose to give them.
- Contact and privacy request forms: your name, email address, the request type and your message.
- Comments: the name, email address and website you enter, plus the comment itself.
Information collected automatically
- Usage data: pages viewed, time on page, referring site, approximate location (city or region), device and browser type, collected through Google Analytics and Jetpack Stats.
- Server and security logs: IP address, browser user agent, the page requested and the time. My hosting provider keeps these to run and protect the site.
- Comment checks: when you comment, your IP address and browser user agent are used to filter spam.
I do not ask for, and you should not send, sensitive information such as government ID numbers, financial account numbers, health information or passwords.
3. Free tools and calculators
This site offers free interactive tools, such as calculators and assessments. They are built so the numbers you type stay with you.
- What you type into a tool is processed in your own browser. Nothing is sent anywhere while you use it, unless the tool clearly tells you otherwise.
- If you ask a tool to email you a report or your results, your browser sends that report to this site’s server for one purpose: to email it to the address you entered. The file is attached to the email and deleted straight after. It is not stored.
- When you request results by email, your email address, any name or role you choose to give, and a short summary of your results (for example the tool used, the topic and the headline figures) are saved with your subscriber record in Kit, my email provider. This lets me deliver what you asked for and follow up.
- Please enter business information only. Do not put personal information about other people into a tool.
4. How I use it and why
| Purpose | Data used | Legal basis (EU and UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Send a report or reply you asked for | Name, email, request details, tool results | Performing your request |
| Send the newsletter and related emails | Email, first name | Consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
| Understand which content is useful | Usage data | Consent where required by law, otherwise legitimate interests |
| Keep the site secure and free of spam | IP address, user agent, logs | Legitimate interests |
| Meet legal obligations and handle privacy requests | Request records, contact details | Legal obligation |
I do not use your information for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you, and I do not build advertising profiles.
5. Service providers
I use a small number of companies to run this site. They process personal information on my behalf and only for the services they provide to me.
| Provider | What it does |
|---|---|
| InMotion Hosting | Hosts the website, stores server logs and sends site email, including your report. |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | Stores subscriber records and sends the newsletter and report follow-ups. |
| Google (Analytics, Site Kit, Fonts) | Measures site usage and serves web fonts. |
| Automattic (Jetpack, Gravatar) | Site statistics, security, and comment profile images. |
| WPForms and WP Mail SMTP | Run the forms on this site and route form messages by email. They do not receive your form data. |
I may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the rights and safety of me or others, or as part of a transfer of this site to a new owner, who would be bound by this policy.
I do not sell personal information, and I do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
6. Cookies and analytics
- Analytics cookies (Google Analytics, names starting with
_ga) count visits and show which pages are read. They last up to two years. You can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out add-on. - Comment cookies remember your name and email if you tick the box when commenting. They last one year.
- Login cookies are used only by site administrators.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site still works without them. This site treats a Global Privacy Control signal from your browser as a valid request to opt out of any sale or sharing of your information.
7. How long I keep it
- Newsletter and tool subscriber records: until you unsubscribe or ask me to delete them. After you unsubscribe, I keep only what is needed to make sure you are not emailed again.
- Reports created by site tools: not kept. Deleted from the server as soon as the email is sent.
- Form messages: kept in my email for up to 24 months, then deleted, unless I need them longer to complete your request or meet a legal obligation.
- Comments: for as long as the comment is published.
- Analytics data: up to 14 months.
- Server logs: for the short period my hosting provider keeps them for security and operations.
8. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Know what personal information I hold about you and get a copy of it.
- Correct information that is wrong.
- Delete your information.
- Receive your information in a portable format.
- Object to or restrict certain uses, and withdraw consent at any time.
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of your information and of targeted advertising. I do neither, but you can still ask.
- Appeal if I decline your request.
To use any of these rights, send a privacy request. I will confirm I received it, may ask you to verify your identity by replying from the email address I have on file, and will respond within 30 days, or sooner if the law where you live requires it. If I need more time, as the law allows, I will tell you why. Requests are free. You can also ask someone you have authorized to make a request for you, with written proof of that permission.
I will not treat you differently for using your privacy rights.
To stop emails, use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email. It works immediately.
9. US state privacy rights
Residents of California, Texas, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon and other states with consumer privacy laws have the rights listed above, to the extent those laws apply. In the last 12 months I have collected these categories of personal information: identifiers (name, email address, IP address), internet activity (pages viewed and interactions), approximate location, and professional information you choose to give (such as your role and the business figures you enter in a tool). I collect them from you and your device, for the purposes in section 4, and disclose them only to the service providers in section 5. I do not sell or share them, and I do not use or disclose sensitive personal information.
If I decline a request, you can appeal by sending a new privacy request with the type “Appeal a previous decision”. I will respond within the time your state’s law sets. If you are not satisfied, you can contact your state attorney general.
10. EU and UK visitors
The legal bases for each use of your information are listed in section 4. Where I rely on legitimate interests, I have weighed them against your rights, and you can object at any time. You also have the right to complain to the data protection authority in the country where you live or work. I would appreciate the chance to fix the issue first, so please contact me before you do.
11. International transfers
This site and its service providers are based in the United States. If you visit from another country, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States. Where the law requires it, these transfers rely on safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, as used by the providers in section 5.
12. Security
The site uses HTTPS encryption, up-to-date software, security monitoring and spam protection. Administrator access is limited and protected. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so I cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach affects your personal information, I will notify you and the authorities as the law requires.
13. Children
This site is written for working professionals. It is not directed to children, and I do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given me personal information, send a privacy request and I will delete it.
14. Links and embedded content
Book links on this site, including mybook.to links, take you to retailers such as Amazon. Those links may pass through a link service that records the click for the retailer. Once you leave this site, the other site’s privacy policy applies. Embedded content, such as videos, behaves as if you had visited the site it comes from, and that site may collect data about you.
15. Changes to this policy
When this policy changes, I will update the date at the top of this page. If a change materially affects how I use information you have already given me, I will tell you by email or with a notice on the site before it takes effect.
16. Contact
Make a privacy request
See, correct or delete your data, stop emails, or ask a question. I reply by email, normally within a few days and always within 30.
This policy explains how shyamuthaman.com handles personal information. It is not a contract and does not create rights beyond those the law already gives you.