Privacy Policy

Last updated: 28 July 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how information is handled when you visit Email Explained, available at emailexplained.com.

Email Explained is designed to collect as little information about its readers as reasonably possible.

We do not provide visitor accounts, accept public comments or require readers to provide their name or email address. You can read the website without directly giving us personal information.

Limited technical information may still be processed when the website is delivered, protected and measured.

1. Who we are

Email Explained is an independently operated website based in Scotland.

For questions, privacy requests or complaints, contact:

contact(a)emailexplained.com

In this Privacy Policy, “Email Explained”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to emailexplained.com.

2. Our approach to privacy

We aim to minimise the amount of information collected about visitors.

Email Explained does not currently:

• provide visitor accounts;
• allow public comments;
• operate a discussion forum;
• require readers to provide a name;
• require readers to provide an email address;
• operate an email newsletter;
• sell products directly;
• process visitor payments;
• store payment-card details; or
• create individual advertising profiles of readers.

We do not sell lists containing readers’ names, email addresses or other contact details.

It would not be accurate to say that no information is processed at all. Websites require some technical processing to deliver pages, protect the website and prevent abuse.

3. Information processed when you visit

When your browser requests a page, limited technical information may be processed by our website host, content-delivery systems or security services.

This may include:

• an Internet Protocol address, usually called an IP address;
• the page requested;
• the date and time of the request;
• browser and device information;
• operating-system information;
• the referring page;
• response and error codes; and
• information associated with suspicious or malicious activity.

This information is used to deliver the website, diagnose technical faults, maintain security and prevent abuse.

We do not routinely inspect server logs to identify ordinary readers. We do not use server logs to create personal profiles.

Our lawful basis for this processing is our legitimate interest in operating, securing and maintaining the website.

4. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how people use Email Explained.

Google Analytics may measure information including:

• pages visited;
• approximate country or region;
• general device and browser category;
• how a visitor reached the website;
• time spent on pages;
• movement between pages; and
• general interaction with the website.

Google Analytics does not provide us with your name, email address, account password or payment information.

Google may process an IP address briefly when providing Analytics, including for security and approximate location purposes. We do not see complete visitor IP addresses in our Google Analytics reports.

Where consent is required, Google Analytics is disabled until you accept analytics through the website’s cookie controls.

You can reject analytics without losing access to Email Explained.

You can change or withdraw your choice using the cookie-settings control available on the website.

Where Google Analytics processes personal information following your consent, our lawful basis is consent.

We do not use Google Analytics for personalised advertising or remarketing.

5. Google Search Console

We use Google Search Console to understand how Email Explained appears in Google Search.

Search Console may provide reports about:

• search queries;
• impressions in search results;
• clicks from search results;
• average search positions;
• indexed pages;
• crawling activity; and
• technical website problems.

These reports are generally based on searches, pages and overall website performance.

We do not use Google Search Console to identify individual visitors.

6. Bing Webmaster Tools

We use Bing Webmaster Tools to understand how Email Explained appears in Bing and related Microsoft search services.

It may provide information about:

• search impressions;
• clicks;
• search queries;
• indexed pages;
• backlinks;
• crawling activity; and
• technical website problems.

We do not use Bing Webmaster Tools to identify individual visitors.

7. Semrush and Ahrefs

We use Semrush and Ahrefs for website research, search analysis and technical website checks.

These services may be used to examine:

• publicly accessible web pages;
• search results;
• keywords;
• links between websites;
• website visibility;
• competing websites; and
• technical website issues.

We do not use Semrush or Ahrefs to create individual profiles of people who read Email Explained.

These companies may independently crawl publicly accessible pages using their own systems and under their own privacy policies.

8. Pretty Links

We use Pretty Links to manage readable redirect links and measure aggregate link usage.

Pretty Links is configured in Simple tracking mode.

Simple tracking records only the total number of times each Pretty Link is used.

It does not create an individual click history containing:

• IP addresses;
• timestamps;
• referring pages;
• visitor identifiers;
• tracking cookies;
• device information;
• browser information; or
• operating-system information.

We may create different Pretty Links for the same provider on different articles. This allows us to see the aggregate number of clicks generated by each link or page.

It does not allow us to identify who clicked a link or connect separate clicks to the same visitor.

Aggregate click totals may be retained for historical website reporting.

9. Affiliate links

Some links on Email Explained are affiliate links.

Affiliate programmes may include CJ Affiliate and direct programmes operated by email providers, password-manager companies and other technology businesses.

When you click an affiliate link, the affiliate network or destination company may process technical information needed to:

• redirect you to the correct page;
• recognise that Email Explained referred the visit;
• prevent fraud;
• measure whether a purchase or sign-up occurred; and
• calculate any commission owed to Email Explained.

Depending on the provider and your privacy choices, this may include:

• the affiliate link followed;
• an affiliate or publisher identifier;
• a click or transaction identifier;
• the date and time of the referral;
• an IP address;
• browser and device information;
• approximate location;
• cookies or similar identifiers; and
• information about a resulting subscription or purchase.

The affiliate network or destination company controls the information collected through its own systems.

Email Explained may receive affiliate reports containing information such as:

• the advertiser;
• the date of a referral or transaction;
• the product or plan category;
• the transaction value;
• the commission earned;
• a general country or region;
• device or browser categories; and
• a transaction or referral reference.

The information available varies between affiliate programmes.

We do not normally receive your account password or complete payment-card details through affiliate reports. We do not ask affiliate partners to provide them.

Affiliate information received by Email Explained may be used for:

• checking that links work correctly;
• calculating commission;
• identifying invalid or fraudulent referrals;
• maintaining accounting and tax records; and
• understanding which pages generate affiliate activity.

Our lawful basis for processing affiliate reports is our legitimate interest in operating and funding the website, preventing fraud and maintaining accurate business records.

Some information may also be retained where necessary to meet legal, accounting or tax obligations.

10. Third-party websites

When you follow a link away from Email Explained, the destination website is responsible for its own collection and use of information.

Its privacy policy should explain how it handles:

• account details;
• contact information;
• payment information;
• cookies;
• device information;
• subscriptions;
• purchases; and
• customer-support requests.

Email Explained does not control how another website operates or what information it collects.

We remain responsible for processing carried out directly through Email Explained.

11. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small pieces of information stored by a web browser.

Similar technologies may include browser storage, tags, tracking pixels and other identifiers.

Email Explained may use the following categories.

Essential technologies

Essential technologies are required to operate, secure or deliver the website.

They may also remember whether you accepted or rejected optional analytics.

These technologies may operate without consent where they are necessary to provide the website or remember your privacy choice.

Analytics technologies

Google Analytics may use cookies or similar technologies to measure website usage.

Where consent is required, analytics technologies are disabled until you choose to accept them.

Rejecting analytics does not prevent you from reading Email Explained.

Affiliate technologies

Pretty Links Simple tracking does not create individual visitor records or Pretty Links tracking cookies.

When you click an affiliate link, an affiliate network or destination company may use cookies or other tracking methods during the redirect or after you reach its website.

Those technologies are controlled by the affiliate network or destination company and are explained in its privacy and cookie information.

12. Contacting us

If you contact contact(a)emailexplained.com, we receive the information you choose to include.

This may include:

• your email address;
• your name;
• the contents of your message;
• attachments; and
• technical information included by your email provider.

We use this information to read and respond to your message, deal with complaints, correct website content or protect our legal rights.

Our lawful basis will normally be our legitimate interest in responding to correspondence.

We may also process correspondence where necessary to comply with a legal obligation or manage a legal claim.

Do not send passwords, payment-card details, private email contents or other sensitive information unless it is genuinely necessary.

13. Lawful bases

Depending on the activity, we may rely on the following lawful bases.

Consent

We rely on consent for optional Google Analytics processing where analytics technologies are activated after you accept them.

You can withdraw that consent using the website’s cookie-settings control.

Legitimate interests

We may rely on legitimate interests to:

• operate and secure the website;
• prevent fraud and abuse;
• diagnose technical problems;
• respond to correspondence;
• maintain aggregate link statistics;
• administer affiliate relationships; and
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

We aim to collect and retain only the information reasonably needed for these purposes.

Legal obligations

We may process or retain information where necessary to meet legal, regulatory, accounting or tax requirements.

14. Who information may be shared with

Limited information may be processed by or shared with:

• website-hosting providers;
• website-security and content-delivery providers;
• Google Analytics;
• Google Search Console;
• Bing Webmaster Tools;
• email-service providers;
• CJ Affiliate;
• direct affiliate partners;
• technical contractors acting on our instructions;
• accountants, legal advisers or other professional advisers;
• regulators, courts or law-enforcement authorities where legally required; and
• a purchaser or adviser if the website or business is sold or reorganised.

We do not sell visitors’ names or contact details to advertisers or affiliate partners.

15. International processing

Some service providers and affiliate networks operate in more than one country.

This means limited technical or referral information may be processed outside the United Kingdom.

Where we are responsible for an international transfer, we will use an appropriate legal transfer mechanism where required.

Third-party websites and affiliate partners are responsible for explaining international transfers carried out through their own systems.

16. How long information is kept

We keep information only for as long as reasonably required for the purpose for which it was processed.

Retention is determined as follows:

• server and security logs are retained according to the operational and security settings of the relevant provider;
• Google Analytics information is retained according to the retention settings selected within Google Analytics;
• aggregate Pretty Links click totals may be retained for historical comparison;
• affiliate reports may be retained for commission administration, fraud prevention, accounting and tax purposes;
• correspondence is retained for as long as needed to answer the message and maintain appropriate records; and
• information relevant to a complaint or legal claim may be retained until the matter has ended.

Information may be deleted, aggregated or anonymised when it is no longer needed.

17. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data-protection law may give you the right to:

• ask whether personal information about you is being processed;
• request a copy of your personal information;
• have inaccurate information corrected;
• request deletion of information;
• request restriction of processing;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests;
• receive certain information in a portable format;
• withdraw consent; and
• complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

These rights do not apply in every situation.

Because Email Explained does not provide visitor accounts and minimises identifiable information, we may not be able to connect aggregate analytics, search-performance reports or click totals to a particular person.

We will not ask you to provide excessive personal information merely to identify data that cannot reasonably be linked to you.

Privacy requests can be sent to:

contact(a)emailexplained.com

18. Your right to object

You may object to certain processing based on legitimate interests.

To object, contact:

contact(a)emailexplained.com

Your request will be considered in accordance with applicable data-protection requirements.

19. Withdrawing analytics consent

You can withdraw analytics consent at any time using the cookie-settings control on Email Explained.

Withdrawing consent does not affect processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

After consent is withdrawn, optional analytics technologies will no longer be activated through your browser.

20. Complaints

Privacy concerns can be sent to:

contact(a)emailexplained.com

You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK data-protection regulator.

21. Children

Email Explained is an educational website intended for a general audience.

It does not provide visitor accounts, comments or public-submission features that require children to provide personal information.

The data-minimisation practices described in this policy apply to all visitors.

22. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the limited information processed through the website.

However, no website, hosting system, email service or online transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

23. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when:

• the website changes;
• a new service provider is introduced;
• our analytics or affiliate configuration changes; or
• applicable legal requirements change.

The date at the top of the page shows when the policy was last updated.

We will update this page before using information for a materially different purpose.

24. Contact

Questions, requests and complaints about this Privacy Policy can be sent to:

contact(a)emailexplained.com