Last updated: 25 August 2026.

Who we are

Writesides of History (writesidesofhistory.com) is an independent history publication. This is a static site — there is no comment system, no user accounts, and no login area. Most pages set no cookies at all, and the one measurement tool we use does not run unless you agree to it.

The party responsible for the personal data described on this page is:

Affiliate disclosure

Writesides of History is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, Writesides of History earns from qualifying purchases made through the book links on this site — in "Recommended reading", and in "Further reading" on older articles — at no extra cost to you.

Third-party services used on this site

Because the site itself doesn't run user accounts or a database, most data handling happens through the third-party services below, each governed by its own privacy policy:

• Shopify — powers the shop (shop.writesidesofhistory.com). If you make a purchase there, Shopify processes your order and payment details and may set functional cookies needed for checkout. See Shopify's Privacy Policy.
• Patreon — powers optional paid membership. If you join, Patreon handles your account, payment, and membership data. See Patreon's Privacy Policy.
• MailerLite — powers the newsletter. If you subscribe, your email address is stored by MailerLite for the purpose of sending you the newsletter, and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in every email. See MailerLite's Privacy Policy.
• PayPal — used only for optional one-off donations. See PayPal's Privacy Policy.
• Google Analytics 4 — measures which articles lead to shop visits, and only after you agree. Nothing is loaded and no request reaches Google until you choose "Allow" in the consent notice; choose "No thanks" and the measurement layer never runs. When it does run it records the article topic and the product link you clicked — never your name, email address, or any identifier for you. Google Signals and advertising personalisation are switched off. Your choice is stored on your own device as a single word so the question is not repeated; clearing your browser storage resets it. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Google Search Console — used by the site owner to see aggregate, anonymized search-performance statistics (clicks, impressions). It does not track individual visitors on this site.
• Instagram — the footer links out to our Instagram profile; Instagram's own privacy policy applies once you're there.
• Wikimedia Commons — some article images are hosted via images.weserv.nl, a public image-resizing proxy for public-domain/openly licensed images. It does not set cookies.

Advertising

This site currently carries no advertising. No advertising script is loaded, no ad request is made, no advertising cookie is set and no advertising identifier is read — not before you make a choice and not after, because there is nothing to choose about yet.

That is a technical fact about this build and not only a promise: the advertising layer is switched off unless a real publisher account and a Google-certified consent management platform are both configured, and neither is. If advertising is ever introduced, this section will describe exactly what is collected and by whom, a consent notice will ask you first, and no ad request will be made until you have answered it. Advertising would in any case never appear on search-result pages, error pages, checkout or product pages, and would always be visually distinct from articles and navigation.

Embedded content from other websites

Occasionally an article may link to or reference content from other websites (e.g. source material, further reading). Following such a link takes you to that website, which has its own separate privacy practices.

Data you send us directly

If you email us directly (info@writesidesofhistory.com) or use a contact/subscribe form, we only use the information you provide to respond to you or to send the newsletter you signed up for. We don't sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Your rights

You can ask what personal data we hold about you (typically just an email address, if you subscribed to the newsletter or joined as a member/patron) and ask us to delete it, subject to what our payment/membership providers (Shopify, Patreon, MailerLite) are separately required to retain. For newsletter subscribers, unsubscribing removes you from future emails immediately via MailerLite.

This page is provided for transparency and is not legal advice. If you have specific legal questions about how your data is handled, please consult the privacy policy of the relevant third-party service above or contact us directly.