This is my personal website, and this page explains what information is collected when you visit, how it’s used, and the choices you have. The short version: I don’t sell your information, I collect very little myself, and most of what’s collected happens through the standard tools that keep a website running: analytics, comments, an email list if you join it, and the affiliate links that fund the site.
The longer version follows, because you deserve specifics.
What I Collect And Why
Information you give me directly. If you use the contact form, leave a comment, or join my email list, I receive what you submit: typically your name, email address, and your message or comment. I use it to reply to you, publish your comment, or send you the emails you signed up for. Nothing else.
Information collected automatically. Like nearly every website, this site’s hosting and analytics record technical details about visits: pages viewed, approximate location (city level, from your IP address), device and browser type, how you arrived, and how long you stayed. I use this in aggregate to understand what content is useful and to keep the site working. I don’t use it to identify you personally.
Analytics on this site are provided by Google Analytics 4 or clicky.com.
Cookies And Tracking
This site uses cookies, which are small files stored by your browser, for three purposes.
Functional cookies keep basic features working, like remembering your name on the comment form.
Analytics cookies help me see aggregate traffic patterns, as described above.
Affiliate cookies are the important one to understand on a site like this. When you click a product link, the retailer (most often Amazon) sets a cookie so that if you buy something, the purchase is credited to this site and I earn a commission. That cookie belongs to the retailer, operates under the retailer’s own privacy policy, and typically records that you arrived from my link, not who you are. Amazon’s practices are described in its own privacy notice, which I encourage you to read.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time. The site will still work; I’ll just earn nothing if you buy something, which is a choice you’re fully entitled to make.
Third Parties Who May Process Your Data
I keep the list short, but it exists, and you should know it:
My web host Web Hosting Pad, which processes server logs. My analytics provider Clicky and Google Analytics. My email service Aweber and Kit, if you join the list. Amazon and any other affiliate retailers, when you click their links.
Each processes only what its job requires, under its own privacy policy. I don’t sell, rent, or trade your personal information to anyone, full stop.
Your Email Address, Specifically
If you join my email list, you’ll get what you signed up for and nothing else. Every email includes a working unsubscribe link and my mailing address, consent records are kept, and unsubscribing takes one click and is honored immediately. I follow Canada’s anti-spam law (CASL), which is stricter than the US equivalent, so wherever you live, you get the stricter protection.
Your Rights And Choices
If you’re in California: you have the right to know what personal information is collected about you, to request its deletion, and to not be discriminated against for exercising those rights. This site does not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA. To make a request, contact me at contactme@iwmw.org.
If you’re in Canada: under PIPEDA you may request access to, or correction of, personal information I hold about you.
If you’re in the EU or UK: although this site is aimed at North American readers, if GDPR applies to you, you have rights of access, correction, deletion, and objection, and my lawful bases for processing are consent (email, comments) and legitimate interest (analytics, security).
Everyone, everywhere: email me and I’ll tell you what I have about you (usually: an email address if you subscribed, a comment if you left one, and nothing else) and delete it on request.
Do Not Track: browsers can send a “Do Not Track” signal. Like most sites, this site does not currently respond to DNT signals in a special way; the cookie controls above are the effective mechanism.
This site is not directed at children under 13, and I don’t knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has submitted information here, contact me and I’ll delete it.
Data Retention And Security
I keep personal information only as long as it serves the purpose you gave it for: email addresses until you unsubscribe, comments until you ask for removal, contact messages as long as our conversation is live plus a reasonable archive period. The site runs over HTTPS, and access to the small amount of data I hold is limited to me and the services listed above. No website can promise perfect security, and I won’t pretend otherwise, but the honest risk profile here is low precisely because so little is collected.
Links To Other Sites
My articles link to retailers, manufacturers, government sources, and research. Once you leave this site, their privacy policies govern, not this one.
Changes To This Policy
If my tools or practices change, this page changes with them, and the date below changes so you can tell. Material changes to how email subscriber data is handled will be announced to the list directly.
Last updated: July 2026
Related pages: affiliate disclosure · medical disclaimer · [terms of use] · [how I test]