Privacy Policy

Last updated: 26 October 2026

This privacy policy explains how I collect, use and protect personal information when you use andyhobday.com, contact me, join the newsletter or leave a comment. I have written it to describe what this site actually does rather than to cover services that are not used here.

Who I am

I am Andy Hobday. I am the data controller for personal information collected directly through this website. The site is a personal and professional website about my tabletop games, writing and related work. It does not provide customer accounts or take payments.

If you have a question about your information, email andy@warhost.online.

What information I collect

Contact and direct enquiries

If you use the contact form, I receive the name, email address and message you submit. If you email me directly, I receive the information you choose to include in that email. Formspark provides the contact-form service and may also process technical information such as your IP address, approximate location, browser information, referring page and request metadata for security and spam prevention.

Comments

If you leave a comment on a Journal article, I collect the name, email address and comment you submit, together with the article the comment relates to and moderation information. Comments are moderated before they appear. If a comment is approved, the name and comment may be published on the site. Your email address is not published.

Comment data is stored using Supabase. Resend is used to send private moderation notifications to me so that I can review, approve, reject or reply to a comment.

Newsletter

If you join the newsletter, I collect your email address and send it to Beehiiv, which manages the subscriber list and newsletter delivery. Beehiiv may also process information connected with your subscription, such as the signup source, IP-derived location, device or browser information, and whether newsletter emails are opened or links are clicked.

Website analytics

The site uses Framer’s built-in analytics. Framer states that these analytics are anonymous, do not use cookies or persistent identifiers, and do not collect information that identifies an individual. I use the resulting aggregate figures to understand basic site traffic and which pages are useful.

How I use personal information

I use personal information only where I have a lawful reason to do so. Depending on the situation, the relevant lawful bases are:

• Consent, where you choose to join the newsletter. You can withdraw that consent at any time by unsubscribing.

• Legitimate interests, where I need to respond to enquiries, operate and moderate the comments system, prevent spam or abuse, keep the site secure, or administer the site in ways visitors would reasonably expect.

• Contract, where an enquiry relates to work or services you have asked me to discuss or provide.

• Legal obligation, where I need to keep or disclose information because the law requires it.

I do not sell personal information. I do not use this site for automated decision-making about you.

Comments and public content

The comments system is moderated. Submitting a comment does not guarantee that it will be published. If I approve it, your chosen name and the comment will be visible to other visitors. I may reply to an approved comment and my reply will be shown as an author reply.

If you later want an approved comment removed, contact me using the details at the end of this policy. I will remove it where I can do so consistently with my legal obligations and legitimate record-keeping needs.

Newsletter

The newsletter is optional. I use your email address to send occasional updates about my games, writing and hobby work. Every newsletter includes an unsubscribe option. Unsubscribing stops future marketing emails, although a provider may retain limited suppression or delivery records where necessary to honour the unsubscribe request, prevent abuse or meet legal obligations.

Service providers

I use a small number of third-party services to operate the site. They process information for the purposes described above and under their own contractual and privacy obligations:

• Framer for website hosting, publishing and anonymous site analytics.

• Formspark for the contact form and spam prevention.

• Beehiiv for newsletter signup, subscriber management, delivery and newsletter statistics.

• Supabase for storing and operating the Journal comments system.

• Resend for sending comment-moderation emails.

These providers may use their own subprocessors to operate their services. Their linked privacy policies explain their current processing arrangements in more detail.

Cookies and similar technologies

I do not use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel or advertising trackers on this site. Framer’s built-in analytics is cookieless and anonymous.

The newsletter signup is an embedded Beehiiv service. Beehiiv may use cookies or similar technologies in connection with its embedded form and services. Any such processing is also subject to Beehiiv’s privacy and cookie choices. If I add other non-essential tracking technologies in future, I will update this policy and add appropriate consent controls where required.

International transfers

Some of the service providers used by this site operate in, or use infrastructure in, countries outside the United Kingdom. This can include the European Economic Area, the United States, Singapore and other locations used by their subprocessors. Where personal information is transferred internationally, I rely on the provider to use the safeguards required by applicable UK data-protection law, such as an adequacy arrangement or appropriate contractual safeguards.

You can contact me if you would like more information about the providers used for a particular part of the site.

How long I keep information

I do not keep personal information longer than I reasonably need it for the purpose for which it was collected. The exact period depends on the type of information:

• Contact messages are kept for as long as needed to answer the enquiry and manage any resulting work or correspondence, and longer only where there is a continuing business or legal reason to do so.

• Published comments normally remain with the article while it remains on the site. Email addresses and moderation records are kept only for as long as reasonably needed to administer the comments system and deal with requests or abuse.

• Newsletter subscriber information is kept while you remain subscribed, subject to limited records that Beehiiv may retain after an unsubscribe or deletion request for legal, security or suppression purposes.

• Technical and security information held by service providers is retained according to their own published retention policies.

• Information that forms part of a contractual, accounting or legal record may be retained for the period required by law or reasonably needed to establish or defend legal rights.

When information may be shared

I share personal information only where necessary to run the services described in this policy, where you ask me to do so, or where disclosure is required by law. I may also disclose information where reasonably necessary to protect the security or legal rights of the site, myself or other people.

Security

I use reputable service providers and reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect the information handled through this site. No website, email service or online database can guarantee absolute security, so I cannot promise that information transmitted or stored online will never be exposed to risk.

Your data-protection rights

Under UK data-protection law, you may have rights including access to your personal information, correction of inaccurate information, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability in applicable circumstances, and the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Your right to object

You can object at any time to direct marketing. You can also object to processing based on legitimate interests where your circumstances give you grounds to do so. The easiest way to stop the newsletter is to use the unsubscribe link in any newsletter email.

To exercise any other right, email me at andy@warhost.online. I may need to ask for enough information to confirm your identity and locate the relevant records.

If you are unhappy with how I have handled your personal information, you also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Children

This website is not specifically directed at children and I do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please do not submit a contact form, comment or newsletter signup without the involvement of a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the site, contact me so I can review and remove it where appropriate.

External links and social media

The site contains links to other websites and social-media services. Following one of those links takes you to a service I do not control. The privacy practices of that service will apply once you leave this site.

Changes to this policy

I may update this policy when the site, the services I use or the law changes. The date at the top of the page will show when it was last updated. If a change materially affects how I use information already collected, I will take reasonable steps to make that change clear.

Contact

For questions about this policy, your personal information or a data-protection request, email andy@warhost.online or use the contact page.