Last updated: 5 October 2026
StrideNote (“we”, “us”) publishes stridenote.net, an independent research publication. This policy says what information the site collects when you read it, who else receives it, and the choices you have. StrideNote is responsible for that information, which data protection law calls being the controller. We are based in the United Kingdom and apply the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the EU GDPR to every reader, wherever you are.
What we collect
- When you subscribe to the newsletter: your email address. The subscribe box sends it straight to Substack, which stores it and sends the emails for us.
- When you email us: your address and whatever you choose to write.
- As you read: the pages you open, the site that sent you, your approximate location worked out from your IP address, and your device and browser type. Google Analytics collects this, and our host keeps standard server logs that include your IP address.
- For advertising: the cookies described under Advertising below.
The site has no reader accounts and no comments, so we hold no profiles, passwords or comment data. We do not sell your information for money.
Advertising
The site carries Google AdSense. Google and its advertising partners use cookies and similar identifiers to show ads, to limit how often you see the same one, and to measure whether ads work. Those cookies let Google and its partners show you ads based on your visits to this site and to other sites. Google chooses the ads. We do not pick them one by one, and we see totals only, such as how many ads were shown.
You control this in three ways:
- In the UK, the European Economic Area and Switzerland: we use Google’s consent message. When it appears, your choice there decides whether advertising is personalised, and you can reopen it from the link it leaves on the page.
- In US states with privacy laws: a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link appears on the page. Some of those laws count advertising cookies as sharing, and the link lets you opt out.
- Anywhere: you can switch off personalised ads in Google’s Ads Settings, or for many ad companies at once at aboutads.info.
Google explains its side in How Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Cookies and similar storage
These are the ones the site uses:
- Google Analytics: cookies whose names begin with
_ga. They tell one visit from another so we can count readers and see which pieces are read. - Google’s consent message: a cookie named
FCCDCFand an entry in your browser’s storage, which record the choice you made. - Google AdSense: advertising cookies, set when an ad is shown.
- Google’s “Add to Preferred Sources” button: entries in your browser’s storage from Google’s news service, which draws the button.
- The site itself: one entry in your browser’s storage that remembers whether you chose the light or the dark theme. It never leaves your device.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser’s settings, and the site still works without them. To opt out of Google Analytics on every site, Google offers a browser add-on.
Who else receives your information
We share information only with the companies that help us run the site:
- Google: analytics, advertising, the consent message, search performance and the Preferred Sources button.
- Substack: the newsletter.
- Hostinger: website hosting and server logs.
Each handles it under its own privacy policy. Google and Substack are based in the United States, so your information may be processed outside the UK and the EEA. Where that happens, it is under the transfer safeguards those companies set out in their own policies.
Why we are allowed to use it
- Your consent: for the newsletter, and for cookies that are not essential. You can withdraw it at any time.
- Our legitimate interests: keeping the site secure and working, understanding in aggregate what is read, and replying when you write to us.
How long we keep it
We keep a newsletter subscription until you unsubscribe, and emails for as long as we need to reply and keep a reasonable record. Google Analytics keeps visit data for the period set in our account, which is 14 months at most. Server logs are kept on our host’s own schedule. You can ask us to delete your information at any time.
Your rights
You can ask us to show you the information we hold about you, correct it, delete it, restrict or stop our use of it, or send you a copy. You can withdraw consent at any time, and unsubscribe from the newsletter with the link in any email. To use any of these rights, email and we will answer within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, or to the data protection authority where you live.
Children
The site is written for a general adult audience and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will remove it.
Security
We take reasonable measures to protect the information we hold, but no website can be completely secure. Please share sensitive information with care.
Changes
We will update this policy as the site changes, and change the date at the top when we do.