Housekeeping

Privacy Policy

What this site collects, what it does not, and what you can ask me to do about it. The short answer is: very little.

Last updated: 10 September 2026

Who I am

The Object Collective is a personal journal about glass and paperweight collecting, written and run by Darren. I am the data controller for any personal information collected through this site.

You can reach me at theobjectcollector@gmail.com, or through the contact page.

The short version

I run a small site. I do not use analytics, I do not run advertising, and I do not set tracking cookies. The only personal information I ever ask for is what you type into the contact form, and I use it to reply to you. That is the whole of it. The rest of this page explains it properly.

What I collect, and why

When you use the contact form

The form asks for your name, email address, a subject and your message.

Your message is sent straight to my email inbox. It is not stored in this website’s database, so there is no list of submissions sitting on the server.

  • Why: so that I can read what you have sent and reply to it.
  • Lawful basis: legitimate interests, under Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR. You contacted me expecting a response, and replying is what you would reasonably expect me to do with your message.
  • How long I keep it: while it is still useful, such as a question I might return to or a correction someone has sent me. I clear out anything older than two years. If you would like your message deleted sooner, just ask.

When you simply read the site

My web host, Hostinger, keeps standard server logs. Like every web server, these record the IP address a request came from, the page requested, the time, and the browser and device type.

The site also runs Wordfence, a security plugin that logs the same sort of information in order to spot and block attacks, such as repeated failed logins or scanning for known vulnerabilities.

  • Why: to keep the site running, and to defend it against attack.
  • Lawful basis: legitimate interests. A site that cannot defend itself does not stay online.
  • How long: server logs are held for a short period by my host under their own policy. Wordfence’s records are rotated automatically and I do not retain them long term.

I do not try to identify anyone from these logs, and I do not build any profile of visitors from them.

Cookies

This site does not use analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies. There is no Google Analytics, no advertising network, no social media pixel and no third-party tracker. I do not know how many of you there are or where you came from, and at the moment that suits me fine.

The only cookies the site sets are strictly necessary ones, and in practice only I encounter them:

  • WordPress login and session cookies, set when someone signs in to administer the site. That is me.
  • A Wordfence security cookie, set for logged-in administrators as part of its firewall checks.

If you only read the site, nothing is set that needs your consent, which is why you are not being shown a cookie banner. A banner asking permission to do nothing would be theatre.

If that changes, you will be asked first. If I ever add advertising or analytics, a consent banner will appear before any non-essential cookie is set, and this page will be updated to say what those cookies do.

Who else handles your information

  • Hostinger, my web host, which stores the site and its server logs.
  • Google, because my email runs through Gmail. A message you send via the contact form is delivered to and stored in a Google inbox. Google processes some of that data outside the UK, under the standard contractual clauses and UK addendum it operates.
  • Wordfence, for security scanning and firewalling.
  • WPForms, the plugin that renders and delivers the contact form.

I do not sell your information, I do not share it for marketing, and I do not pass it to anyone who is not listed above.

Links to other sites

I link out constantly, to auction houses, dealers, museum collections, glass societies and the photographers whose images appear here. Once you follow one of those links you are on someone else’s site, under their privacy policy rather than mine. I would encourage you to read theirs, because I have no control over what they collect.

Children

This site is written for adults and is not directed at children. I do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has sent me something, email me and I will delete it.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask me to:

  • give you a copy of the personal information I hold about you;
  • correct anything that is wrong;
  • delete it;
  • restrict or object to how I am using it;
  • provide it in a portable format.

Email theobjectcollector@gmail.com and I will deal with it. There is no charge, and I will respond within one month.

If you are unhappy with how I have handled your information you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. I would appreciate the chance to put it right first, but it is your right either way.

Changes to this policy

If the site changes, whether that is a newsletter, advertising, or anything else that collects more than it does today, I will update this page and change the date at the top before the new thing goes live, not after.