Privacy Policy

Last updated: 6 July 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what information harshilbarot.com collects, why it is collected, who it is shared with, and what control you have over it. It applies to this website only.

In short: this website does not sell your personal information, does not run advertising networks, does not require an account, and does not operate a newsletter. The main data collected is anonymous analytics, standard server and security logs, and anything you choose to send me by email or post in a comment.

Website: harshilbarot.com
Operated by: Harshil Barot
Contact: imharshilbarot@gmail.com

What this policy covers

This policy covers the website at harshilbarot.com and its subpages. It does not cover any third-party website you reach by clicking a link here, including merchant and affiliate destinations. Once you leave this site, the privacy policy of the destination applies instead.

Information you give me directly

Email

There is no contact form on this website. If you contact me, you do so by emailing imharshilbarot@gmail.com directly. I receive your email address, your name if you include it, and the contents of your message. This information is used only to reply to you and to keep a record of our correspondence. Email is handled through Google’s Gmail service.

Comments

Comments are enabled on articles. When you leave a comment, WordPress stores the name and email address you enter, the comment itself, your IP address, and your browser’s user agent string. The IP address and user agent are used for spam detection and moderation. Your email address is not published; your name and comment are. If you use an email address associated with a Gravatar profile, your Gravatar image may be displayed next to your comment.

This website does not require you to register or create an account, and it does not have user profiles or logins for visitors.

Information collected automatically

Server and security logs

Like virtually all websites, this site’s hosting and security layers record standard technical information when a page is requested: IP address, date and time, the page or file requested, HTTP status, referring page, and browser and device details. These logs are used to keep the site running, diagnose errors, and detect or block abusive traffic. Wordfence, the security plugin installed on this site, uses this information to identify and block malicious requests.

Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics 4, connected through the Google Site Kit plugin, to understand how many people visit, which articles they read, roughly where in the world they are, and which devices they use. Google Analytics 4 shortens IP addresses as part of its standard processing and does not report individual identities to me. I see aggregated reports — for example, “this article had 400 readers last week” — not information that identifies you personally.

You can opt out of Google Analytics on every website by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Google’s own handling of this data is described in the Google Privacy Policy.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files stored by your browser. This website uses them for three purposes:

  • Essential and functional — keeping the site working correctly and serving cached pages quickly. If you leave a comment, WordPress may store your name, email, and website in a cookie so you do not have to retype them next time. This is optional and is only set when you comment.
  • Analytics — Google Analytics sets cookies to distinguish repeat visits from new ones and to measure how pages are used.
  • Affiliate tracking — when you click an affiliate link, the destination company typically sets its own cookie so it can attribute a resulting purchase to this website. That cookie is set by the merchant, on the merchant’s domain, under the merchant’s policy.

This website does not currently display a cookie consent banner. If you are in a region where you prefer to block cookies, you can do so in your browser settings — see How to control cookies below.

Affiliate links and tracking

Some links on this website are affiliate links, usually in the format harshilbarot.com/go/[company-name]. Clicking one redirects you to the merchant’s website, where the merchant may set cookies or use other tracking to attribute the referral. I receive commission reports from these programs showing sales and clicks in aggregate — they do not tell me which individual visitor made a purchase. Full details are in the Affiliate Disclosure.

How information is used

  • To operate, maintain, and secure the website
  • To understand which content is useful so I can improve it
  • To reply to emails and moderate comments
  • To detect, prevent, and investigate spam, abuse, and security threats
  • To measure the performance of affiliate referrals in aggregate

Your personal information is never sold, rented, or traded. It is not used for automated decision-making or profiling, and it is not used to build advertising audiences.

If you are in the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, the legal bases relied on are: legitimate interests for security logging, spam prevention, and understanding aggregate website usage; and consent where you voluntarily send an email or submit a comment. Where consent is the basis, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting me.

Sharing and disclosure

Information is shared only in these circumstances:

  • Service providers — the hosting, analytics, and security providers listed above process data on this website’s behalf in order to deliver their service.
  • Legal requirements — if disclosure is required by law, court order, or a valid request from a public authority.
  • Protection of rights — where necessary to investigate or prevent fraud, abuse, security incidents, or violations of the Terms of Use.

There is no other sharing. No data broker, advertiser, or marketing partner receives your information from this website.

How long information is kept

  • Analytics data — retained according to the retention period configured in Google Analytics.
  • Emails — kept for as long as needed to handle your enquiry and maintain a reasonable business record.
  • Comments — retained indefinitely so that conversation threads remain readable, unless you request removal.
  • Security and server logs — retained on a rolling short-term basis by the hosting and security systems.

Data security

This website is served exclusively over HTTPS, and security headers including HTTP Strict Transport Security are enabled. A security plugin monitors and blocks malicious traffic, and software is kept updated. No website can guarantee absolute security, but the data collected here is deliberately minimal, which limits the impact of any incident.

International data transfers

Some of the service providers used by this website — notably Google — operate globally and may process data on servers located outside your country, including in the United States. Where such transfers involve data from the UK or EEA, those providers state that they rely on mechanisms such as the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses or an applicable adequacy framework. Their own privacy documentation is the authoritative source for how they handle these transfers.

Children’s privacy

This website is intended for adults and business audiences. It is not directed at children, and I do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information here — for example, in a comment — contact me and I will delete it.

Your privacy rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights over your personal information:

  • Request a copy of the personal data held about you
  • Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
  • Ask for your information to be deleted
  • Object to or ask for restriction of certain processing
  • Withdraw consent you previously gave
  • Ask for your data in a portable format

These rights arise under laws such as the GDPR and UK GDPR (UK and European Economic Area), the CCPA and CPRA (California), and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Which rights apply to you depends on your location and the law that covers you.

Californian residents: this website does not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined by the CCPA and CPRA, and therefore has no “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” mechanism to offer.

To exercise any right, email imharshilbarot@gmail.com with a description of your request. I will respond within a reasonable period and will not charge you for a reasonable request. Because this website deliberately collects very little identifiable information, in many cases the only data connected to you will be a comment or an email you sent.

You can view, block, and delete cookies through your browser settings. Every major browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge — provides these controls in its privacy or security preferences, including options to block third-party cookies entirely or to clear cookies when you close the browser.

Blocking cookies will not prevent you from reading this website, though blocking essential cookies may affect page caching and comment convenience. To opt out of Google Analytics specifically across all sites, use the browser add-on linked in the Analytics section.

External websites

This website links to third-party websites, including merchants, software vendors, and reference sources. Those websites are outside my control. I am not responsible for their content, their security, or their privacy practices, and a link is not an endorsement of how they handle your data. Read the privacy policy of any website you visit or buy from.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated to reflect changes in the website’s functionality, the services it uses, or applicable law. The revised version is posted on this page with an updated date at the top. Significant changes will be described clearly rather than quietly substituted.

How to contact me

For any question about this policy, about the data this website holds, or to exercise a privacy right, email imharshilbarot@gmail.com or use the contact page. I aim to reply within 24–48 hours.

See also: Affiliate Disclosure and Terms of Use.

This policy describes how this website actually operates. It is provided for transparency and is not legal advice.