Privacy Policy
Who I am
I’m Paul Cooke. This is my personal blog and campaign hub at paulcooke.blog. I’m committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data transparently.
What data I collect and why
| Data type | Why I collect it |
|---|---|
| Email address | If you sign up to my mailing list or submit a story, I store your email to contact you. Lawful basis: consent. You can unsubscribe at any time. |
| Story submissions | If you use my contact form to submit a story, I store the information you provide to follow up on your case. Lawful basis: consent. I delete submissions on request. |
| Website analytics | I use privacy‑respecting analytics to understand how people use the site. No personal data is collected for advertising. No third‑party advertising trackers are used. |
| Payment information | If you buy a book via Gumroad or Amazon, your payment data is handled entirely by those platforms. I do not store payment details. |
What I do not do
I do not sell your data. I do not share your data with third parties except where operationally necessary (for example, my email service provider). I do not use your data for advertising. I do not build profiles for marketing. I do not use tracking cookies for advertising purposes.
If I ever change any of the above, I will tell you clearly and in advance.
Your rights under UK GDPR
You have the right to access the data I hold about you, to correct inaccurate data, to request deletion, to restrict or object to processing, and to data portability. You also have the right to withdraw consent at any time where consent is my lawful basis for processing.
To exercise any of these rights, contact me via my contact page. I will respond within one calendar month.
If you are unhappy with how I have handled your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk. I would prefer you contact me first so I can put things right – but that right exists regardless.
Cookies
This site uses only essential cookies necessary for it to function, and analytics cookies if you consent. I do not use advertising cookies. I do not use third‑party tracking cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time.
Legal basis for journalism
My investigations may involve processing personal data about individuals in the public interest. Where I do this, my lawful basis is Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR (public interest task) and, where applicable, the journalism exemption under Schedule 2, Part 5 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
I apply this exemption narrowly and only where genuinely necessary for the purposes of journalism in the public interest. I do not use it as a blanket justification for careless data handling.
Retention
I retain email subscriber data for as long as you remain subscribed. I retain story submissions for as long as the investigation is active, then delete personal details unless you have agreed otherwise. I retain published correspondence as part of the permanent public record of investigations.
Contact
For any data protection enquiries, please use my contact page.
Last updated: September 2026