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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 1st July 2025

Hey there!

Welcome to Builtbytrent! This is a passion project and hobby focused on digital autonomy, ethical tech, diy, and self-hosting. So, with that it makes sense to have a simple and direct privacy policy (and to keep with the UK GDPR Rules). This isn’t a business, and thus at no time is data sold, gifted or anything else of the sort.

I use Umami, which is a self-hosted web analytics service which doesn’t use cookies and anonymises your IP address. This allows me to understand which pages are visited, how long they’re visited for and from what browser. This information is just for my own curiousity more than anything. If the link above to Umami doesn’t asnwer your questions, please email me at [email protected] and I’m happy to answer. Of course, I should mention, by the nature of email I’ll then have your address (but I’m happy to delete the email chain after).

In short, I’m here to share things I think are interesting and fun. Not to feed into the data resell economy.

Cheers!

Trent

Ps: The bits below are a longer version of the same

  1. Who’s Behind This Site?

This website builtbytrent.xyz is run by me, Trent.

You can reach me at: [email protected]

When it comes to the data collected on this site, I’m what’s called the “Data Controller” under UK GDPR. Basically, that means I’m responsible for it.

  1. What Information Do We Collect? (And Why It’s Pretty Minimal!)

Here’s the cool part: we don’t use cookies for analytics or tracking you around the web. We’re all about privacy-first solutions!

To understand how folks use the site (like which articles are popular or if something’s broken), I use a self-hosted analytics tool called Umami Analytics. It’s designed to be really privacy-friendly.

Umami collects some basic, anonymised info about your visit. This helps me improve the site for everyone. It includes things like:

Anonymised IP address: Your IP address is scrambled right away so it can't be linked back to you personally. It's just used to get a general idea of where visitors are coming from (like which country).

What pages you visit: To see what content is interesting.

How long you spend on a page: Again, helps understand engagement.

Where you came from: If you clicked a link from another site.

Your browser type and operating system: To make sure the site looks good and works on different devices.

Important: None of this data is used to identify you personally, and because Umami doesn’t use cookies, it’s a very light-touch way of doing analytics.

Why do we collect this? Purely to make the site better. It’s in my “legitimate interest” (that’s the fancy GDPR term) to know if the site is working well and if the content is useful, and I do this in a way that respects your privacy as much as possible.

  1. Where Does Your Info Live? (And How We Keep It Safe)

All the analytics data Umami collects is stored on my own self-hosted server, located in Yorkshire, UK. It’s not sitting on some big tech company’s cloud.

I take reasonable steps to keep this data secure, like:

Keeping the server software up-to-date.

Using secure access methods.

Making sure only I have access to the analytics dashboard.

Think of it like keeping your notes safe in your own private notebook – they’re not being shared around.

  1. How Long Do We Keep This Info?

I keep the anonymised Umami analytics data for about 12 months. After that, it gets deleted or is no longer needed for understanding trends.

  1. Do We Share Your Info?

Absolutely not! This is a core principle of this site. The analytics data collected via Umami stays with me and is not shared with any third parties. It’s self-hosted, private, and for my eyes only (to help make the site better for you!).

  1. Your Privacy Rights (In Plain English)

Even with minimal data collection, you still have rights under UK GDPR. You can:

Ask what info I have: You have the right to know what personal data I hold about you. (For Umami data, this is tricky as it's anonymised, but if you contacted me directly, I'd have your email, for example).

Ask for corrections: If any personal data I hold is wrong, you can ask me to fix it.

Ask for deletion: In some cases, you can ask me to delete your personal data. Again, for anonymised analytics, this generally doesn't apply directly to individual visitors.

Object to how your data is used: You can object to me processing your personal data.

Complain: If you're unhappy with how I've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK.

If you want to exercise any of these rights, just drop me an email at [email protected].

  1. Changes to This Policy

From time to time, I might update this policy to reflect new tools or practices. If I do, I’ll update the “Last Updated” date at the top. So, feel free to check back now and then!

  1. Got Questions?

Seriously, if anything in this policy is unclear or you just want to chat about it, don’t hesitate to reach out! I’m happy to explain.

You can email me at: [email protected]

  1. The Official Complaint Route (Just In Case)

If, for any reason, you’re not satisfied with how I’ve handled your privacy concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s independent authority for data protection:

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/