Privacy and cookies
Smiths Family Life is owned by Steven Smith (contact: hello@smithsfamilylife.co.uk). This page explains what the site stores and what other companies may see.
What we store
- No visitor accounts, no comments, no forms and no analytics or tracking scripts. (The only sign-in is our own admin area, which uses a session cookie for us alone.)
- When someone clicks a link to another website, we count the click (the link name, the page it was on and the time — nothing about you). Our web host also keeps normal server logs.
- If you email us, we keep your email only as long as we need it to reply.
Banner ads and the cookie choice
The first time you visit, a bar asks whether you accept ads cookies. If you choose Accept ads cookies, the page loads banners from 5od (our own ad service at 5od.co.uk), and the banners come from the affiliate network Awin, which may set cookies when a banner loads or when you click it (see Awin’s privacy notice). If you choose Reject, or have JavaScript turned off, nothing is requested from 5od or Awin. We remember your choice on your device for six months (in your browser’s storage, or a first-party cookie called ads_consent). You can change it any time with Cookie settings.
Affiliate links
Links marked Ad go through Awin or Amazon. When you click one, that company may set cookies so it knows you came from us. That happens on their website, under their privacy policy.
YouTube videos
Our videos don’t load until you press play. When you do, the video loads from YouTube in its privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com), as described in YouTube’s help page. YouTube (Google) then receives your IP address and may store information on your device; see Google’s privacy policy. GoPro videos are links that open on GoPro’s own website.
Maps
Our maps use Leaflet (stored on this site). The map pictures (“tiles”) load from OpenStreetMap when a map comes into view, which means your browser sends your IP address to them. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (licence).
Our own privacy
We write trips up after we’re home, and we never show where we live.
Your rights
You can ask what we hold about you, or ask us to delete it, by emailing us. If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your information you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk.