This website is published by me, Melanie Thewlis, and I am responsible for its content. This website uses various third party tools, some of which engage in tracking of users. This page explains what tools I use, and how you can disable or prevent tracking for each of them. If you have feedback on this data privacy statement, or questions about your data privacy online, feel free to reach out either using the contact form on this website or directly via my email address, which is mail at this domain. Please note I don't use encrypted email at this stage. If you would like to learn more about how to control how your online presence is tracked, I recommend using the resources published by the Tactical Tech collective.
External Content
First the basics: if you leave this website to follow an external link, including to any of the social media services in the footer, I have no control over the content and your actions may be tracked by those websites.
Web Hosting
I host this website on Squarespace. Squarespace uses cookies to anonymously collect data related to the security and performance of their platform. Their data privacy policy is here, but the relevant sections for you are as follows (in this case you, site visitor, are the End User):
If you are an End User of our Users’ sites, we also get information about your interactions with their sites, though we use this in anonymous, aggregated or pseudonymized form which does not focus on you individually. We use this data to evaluate, provide, protect or improve our Services (including by developing new products and services).
Some of this information is collected automatically using cookies and similar technologies when you use our Services and our Users’ sites. We let our Users control what cookies and similar technologies are used through their sites (except those we need to use to provide the Services properly, such as for performance or security related reasons). You can read more about our use of cookies in our Cookie Policy. Some of this information is similarly collected automatically through your browser or from your device.
[Retrieved 3 June 2018]
If you submit a form to contact me, the data will be encrypted and sent to Squarespace, stored on Squarespace's servers, and then sent to me via email. If you prefer to contact me directly, you can do so via my email address, which is mail at this domain.
Analytics
I use Google Analytics to anonymously count how many visitors come to the website, and their approximate location. I have selected the option for Analytics to anonymise IP addresses, so I do not store personally identifying data about any of my visitors. You can find more information about how Google uses data from Google Analytics here. You can also install a browser extension to block Analytics on all websites and read the full privacy policy from Google here. If you are still uncomfortable, again I highly recommend using the resources from the Tactical Tech collective to learn how to block tracking, not just on this website but across the internet.
Embedded Content
I show embedded content from Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Open Street Maps and Vimeo on various pages of this website. These services engage in tracking, which means they put cookies in your browser, and in this way are able to follow you around the internet and build up a profile of your internet activities. Again, I recommend the resources at Tactical Tech if you would like to prevent this activity from occurring.
Vimeo
I use videos hosted on Vimeo to show documentation of my work. Vimeo will not track your activity unless you click to watch one of the videos. If you do not want to be tracked by Vimeo, do not watch the videos. If you do choose to watch the videos, your IP address and information about your browser and device will be sent to Vimeo. This is a normal and unavoidable part of how the web works. If you have a Vimeo account, Vimeo may associate your activity on this site with your Vimeo account. You can find Vimeo's privacy policy here.
I use embedded Instagram posts to show my work in progress or reactions to my work. Your IP address and information about your browser and device will be sent to Instagram. Instagram uses cookies to track your activity, and if you have a Facebook account or a Facebook cookie in your browser your activity on this site could be linked to your Facebook account, affecting which ads and other personalised content are shown to you. You can find Instagram's privacy policy here.
I use embedded Pinterest boards to show my work process. If you choose to view the boards, your IP address and information about your browser and device will be sent to Pinterest. If you have a Pinterest account, your activity on this site may be associated with that account. You can find Pinterest's privacy policy here.
Open Street Maps and Carto
I use Open Street Maps (OSM) and Carto Basemaps to show the location of site specific work. Through viewing a map on this site, your IP address will be sent to OSM. OSM do not retain personally identifying data, however they will place a cookie in your browser. As OSM is a free (as in price) service, this allows them to refuse service to websites who place too much demand on their servers. You can find the OSM privacy policy here and the Carto privacy policy here.
I use embedded tweets to show reactions to my work. If you choose to view the embedded tweets, log data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, the referring web page, pages visited, location, your mobile carrier, and device information will be sent to Twitter. Twitter does not associate this web browsing history with your name, email address, phone number, or username, and they delete, obfuscate, or aggregate it after no longer than 30 days. They do not collect this data from browsers that they believe to be located in the European Union or EFTA States. You can find Twitter's privacy policy here.