Charlotte Animal Behaviour is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit our site, how we use it, and your rights under UK data protection law.
The short version
We collect only what we need to run this information portal: basic usage data to understand which guides are read most and how people navigate the site. We do not sell your data. We do not send you marketing emails unless you ask for them. Most of what reaches us is technical — the pages you viewed, the device type, the rough location inferred from your IP address.
Data you hand over versus data we observe
If you write to us using the contact form or email address published on this site, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to include in your message. That is data you hand over deliberately. We use it to reply to your question or suggestion, and we keep the correspondence for our records.
When you browse the site, your device sends technical information automatically: your IP address, browser type, operating system, the pages you visit and the time you spend on each. That is data we observe. We use it to improve the site's structure and content, not to identify you personally.
We do not ask for payment details, postal addresses or telephone numbers. This site offers no membership, no downloads and no purchases.
Processors and transfers
We use third-party services to host the site and analyse traffic. Those services process data on our behalf under contract. Analytics providers — such as Google Analytics or similar tools — may set cookies and collect usage data to generate aggregate reports. Hosting providers store the site's files and logs on servers that may be located outside the UK but within jurisdictions recognised under UK data protection law as providing adequate protection.
We do not share your data with advertisers or data brokers. If you contact us, your message stays in our inbox and is not forwarded to any other organisation without your explicit consent.
Lawful basis
We process your data under legitimate interests — to run the site, answer enquiries and understand how the content is used — and, where you have contacted us, under contract or consent to provide the response you requested. Traffic analysis helps us decide which topics to expand and which pages need clearer explanations.
Exercising your rights
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to ask us to correct it if it is wrong, to request its deletion, and to object to certain types of processing. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection supervisory authority, at ico.org.uk.
To exercise any of these rights, write to us at the contact address published on this site. We will respond within one month. If your request is complex or we receive several at once, we may extend that period by a further two months and will let you know if we do.
What we can provide
If you ask for a copy of your data, we will send you any correspondence you have sent us and, where technically feasible, a summary of the pages you accessed if your visit generated logs we can link to your request. Most analytics data is aggregated and cannot be traced back to an individual.
Retention
We keep correspondence for up to three years after the last message in the thread, then delete it. Server logs and anonymised analytics data are retained for up to two years to spot long-term trends in how the site is used, then overwritten. If you ask us to delete your data sooner, we will do so unless we have a legal reason to keep it — for example, if your message relates to a formal complaint we are required to document.
Minors
This site is aimed at adults. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in how we run the site or in data protection law. When we do, we will note the revision date at the foot of the page. Significant changes will be highlighted in a short notice at the top for a reasonable period after the update goes live.
Disclaimer: Charlotte Animal Behaviour is an information site for general guidance only. We do not sell goods or services through this portal.