Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data Karl Smith Web Design collects, why, and what your rights are under UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).

Last updated: 5 March 2026

Who we are

The data controller is Karl Smith, trading as Karl Smith Web Design, York, YO24 2ST. If you have any questions about this policy or how your data is handled, contact: karl@karlsmith.design · 07971 247940.

What data we collect and why

Contact form

When you submit the contact form on this website, we collect your name, email address, and the message you send. We use this information solely to respond to your enquiry.

Legal basis: Legitimate interests. You have contacted us with a question or project enquiry and it is reasonable to use your details to reply.

Hosting and form processing

This site is hosted by Netlify (Netlify Inc., USA). Netlify processes and stores contact form submissions on our behalf and may log server-side data including IP addresses as part of normal hosting operations. Netlify operates under standard contractual clauses for international data transfers. See Netlify's privacy policy.

Google Analytics

With your consent, this site uses Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC, USA) to collect anonymous data about how visitors use the site: pages visited, time on site, and general location (country/region). This data helps us understand what content is useful and improve the site. No personal data is sold or shared. Analytics are only loaded after you accept cookies.

Legal basis: Consent. You can accept or decline via the cookie notice on your first visit. To withdraw consent at any time, clear this site's data in your browser settings (the preference is stored in localStorage under the key ks400_cookie_consent).

See Google's privacy policy.

Google Fonts

This site loads fonts from Google Fonts (Google LLC, USA). When a page loads, your browser makes a request to Google's servers, which may log your IP address. See Google's privacy policy.

How long we keep your data

Enquiries that do not lead to a project are deleted within 6 months. If a business relationship develops, relevant records are retained for 6 years in line with HMRC requirements.

Who we share your data with

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. Data is shared only with the service providers listed above (Netlify, Akismet, Google Analytics, Google Fonts) as part of operating this website, and only to the extent necessary.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Erasure: ask us to delete your data (where no legal obligation to retain it exists)
• Restriction: ask us to limit how we use your data
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format

To exercise any of these rights, email karl@karlsmith.design. We will respond within one calendar month.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's supervisory authority:

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
ico.org.uk · 0303 123 1113

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised.