How this site handles your data

Reading the site

You can read everything here without giving any personal data. The site is hosted on Vercel, which, like any web host, handles your IP address and browser details to serve pages and protect the site from abuse. Legal basis: my legitimate interest in running a working, secure website.

Your browser stores two small settings on your own device: your light/dark theme and your analytics choice. They are never sent to me, and because they only make the site work the way you asked, they don't need consent.

Analytics (only if you allow it)

If you choose “Allow” in the analytics banner, the site loads Google Analytics. It sets cookies and tells me which pages are visited, roughly where visitors come from, and how far they read blog posts. I use this only to learn what to write about. If you choose “No thanks”, or make no choice, Google Analytics doesn't load at all. Legal basis: your consent.

Google keeps this data for the retention period set in the analytics account, at most 14 months. You can change your choice at any time:

No choice made yet.Change my choice

The chat assistant

The chat assistant sends what you type to OpenAI, which writes the replies. This site doesn't save chats. OpenAI's API terms say it may keep this data for up to 30 days to monitor for abuse and doesn't use it to train its models by default. Please don't type anything sensitive into the chat.

If you type your name, email or phone number, the chat asks you first whether to share them with me. Only if you choose “Share with Shanker”:

• your name, email, phone number, a one-line summary of what you asked about, and the chat so far are emailed to me (sent through Resend and received in Gmail),
• I use them only to reply to you about your enquiry,
• I delete them within 12 months, or sooner if you ask.

If you choose “Don't share”, your message goes back into the text box and nothing is sent.

Legal basis: your consent, both for forwarding your details and for sending your messages to OpenAI when you use the chat.

The contact form

When you send the contact form, your name, email, company (if you give one), the topic you picked and your message are saved to a Google Sheet that only I can open, and Google emails me a copy. With it I store where your visit started: the page you first landed on, the site that linked you here, and any campaign tags in that link (such as utm_source=linkedin). I use this only to reply to you and to see which of my posts bring people here.

I delete enquiries that don't lead anywhere within 12 months. Legal basis: taking the steps you asked for, such as answering a question or discussing work together.

Emailing me directly

If you email me, I use your message only to reply, and I delete enquiries that don't lead anywhere within 12 months. Legal basis: taking the steps you asked for, such as answering a question or discussing work together.

Who processes your data

• Vercel: hosting
• OpenAI: chat replies
• Resend: delivering forwarded chat enquiries to me
• Google: Gmail, Google Sheets (contact form messages), and Google Analytics if you allow it

Each of them handles data only on my instructions, under its own data processing terms.

These companies may store or process data outside India, the EU and the UK, mostly in the United States. Where they do, they rely on recognised safeguards set out in their data processing terms, such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.

Your rights

Wherever you live, you can ask me to do any of the following. These are the rights the DPDP Act and the GDPR give you, and I apply them to everyone.

• tell you what personal data I hold about you and who I shared it with,
• give you a copy of it in a common format, to keep or pass on,
• correct or update it,
• delete it,
• pause using it while a question about it is sorted out,
• stop using it, by withdrawing your consent or objecting,
• let someone you nominate act for you if you die or can't act yourself.

Withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it: email me, or use the analytics button above. Withdrawing doesn't affect anything done before you withdrew.

Contact and complaints

For any request or complaint about your data, email shankerdhand@gmail.com. I'll reply within 30 days, and I may ask you to confirm your identity first so I don't hand your data to someone else.

You can also complain to a regulator:

• in India, the Data Protection Board of India,
• in the EU, the data protection authority in the country where you live or work,
• in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Under India's DPDP Act you need to raise your complaint with me first. Under the GDPR you can go straight to the regulator, though I'd welcome the chance to fix things first.

Children

This site is meant for adults. If you're under 18, please don't share your contact details in the chat.

Changes to this notice

If I change what the site collects or who processes it, I'll update this page and the date at the top.