Privacy Policy

About this policy

paulthinks.com is the personal website of Paul Hewett. This policy explains what personal information I collect when you visit the site or interact with me, how I use it, who I share it with, and your rights under Australian law.

This is a personal site. There is no business entity behind it. The "I" in this policy refers to me, Paul Hewett, personally.

If you have questions about this policy or how I handle your information, email hello@paulthinks.com.

Who this policy covers

This policy applies to:

visitors to paulthinks.com
subscribers to my Field Notes newsletter
subscribers to SMS messages from me
people who contact me through the site

What personal information I collect

I collect personal information you give me directly:

Newsletter signup: email address, optionally first name.
SMS signup: mobile phone number, optionally first name.
Contact: your name, email or phone number, and the content of your message.
Replies and conversations: any information you choose to share when you reply to a newsletter or message me.

I also collect some technical information automatically through analytics tools (see Analytics and cookies below).

I do not collect payment information through this site. There are no paid products or services for sale here.

How I use your information

I use the personal information I collect for these purposes:

Send you newsletters and SMS messages you've subscribed to.
Reply to you when you contact me.
Analyse aggregated traffic patterns to improve the site.
Comply with legal obligations.

I do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. I do not use it for any purpose other than those stated above without your consent.

Marketing consent and Spam Act compliance

I send marketing communications (newsletter, SMS) only to people who have explicitly subscribed. This complies with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), which requires:

Consent: you must have actively opted in.
Identification: every message must clearly identify me as the sender.
Unsubscribe: every message must include a working unsubscribe option.

You can unsubscribe at any time:

Email: click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any newsletter.
SMS: reply STOP to any message.
Either: email hello@paulthinks.com.

After you unsubscribe, you'll get one final confirmation message, then no more.

Who I share your information with

I use the following third-party service providers to operate this site:

Service	Used for	Data location
Mailchimp	Newsletter and SMS delivery	United States
Cloudflare	Website hosting and edge delivery	Global edge network
Google Analytics (planned)	Website traffic analysis	Global, controlled by Google

These providers process your information on my behalf, under their respective privacy policies. They are not authorised to use your information for any other purpose.

I will share your information without your consent only when required by law (court order, regulatory investigation) or to protect the rights, property, or safety of others.

Cross-border data transfers

When you subscribe to the newsletter or SMS service, your contact details are transferred to and stored by Mailchimp in the United States. By subscribing, you consent to this transfer. This transfer is conducted under Australian Privacy Principle 8.

Cloudflare may serve content from servers globally, including outside Australia. Personal information is not stored by Cloudflare in the ordinary course of website hosting.

Analytics and cookies

This site uses minimal analytics. Currently, it uses Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is cookieless and anonymous. It does not track individuals.

In the future, I may add additional analytics tools, including Google Analytics 4. When this happens:

I will update this policy.
Cookies and tracking will be disclosed.
You will have a clear opt-in or opt-out where required.

I do not use third-party advertising trackers on this site.

Your rights under Australian law

Under the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you have the right to:

Access the personal information I hold about you.
Correct any information that's inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date.
Request deletion of your personal information.
Withdraw consent for marketing at any time.
Complain if you believe your privacy has been breached.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@paulthinks.com. I'll respond within 30 days.

Notifiable Data Breaches scheme

If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to you, I am required to notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. I take data security seriously and use reputable service providers (Mailchimp, Cloudflare) that maintain industry-standard security controls.

How long I keep your information

Information	Retention period
Newsletter and SMS subscriber data	While subscribed, plus 12 months after unsubscribe
Email correspondence	Up to 7 years for record-keeping
Anonymised analytics	Per provider's default (typically 14 months)

I will delete or de-identify your information sooner if you request it, unless I'm required to retain it by law.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about how I've handled your personal information:

Contact me first at hello@paulthinks.com. I'll investigate and respond within 30 days.
If you're not satisfied, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 18. I do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided me with personal information, contact me and I'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

I may update this policy from time to time. The "Effective" date at the top will reflect when the latest version came into force. If I make significant changes, I'll notify newsletter subscribers by email.

Contact

For any questions, requests, or complaints related to this policy:

Paul Hewett
Email: hello@paulthinks.com
Postal address: provided on request.