Privacy Policy

The short version

Verdicairn uses an essential cookie to protect the contact form. It does not run analytics or advertising trackers or load third-party scripts, fonts or widgets. We receive information you submit through the form and technical information described below.

Information you send us

If you use the contact form, we receive your name, email address, chosen topic and message. We use them only to read and reply to your message. The message is delivered to our mailbox by email; the website itself does not keep a copy in a database. Please do not include confidential details about a legal matter: messages are not confidential or privileged, and no attorney-client relationship is created.

Information collected automatically

• Server logs. Our hosting provider keeps standard logs, which can include IP address, browser type, pages requested and timestamps. These are used for security and operating the service.
• Spam protection. When the contact form is submitted, a one-way hashed identifier derived from your IP address is stored temporarily in a small file to limit repeated submissions. It cannot be reversed to reveal your IP address, and expired files are periodically deleted.
• Error logs. Technical error logs may record the time and a description of a server problem. They do not include the content of messages.

Cookies

The contact page sets an essential security cookie called vc_form, which expires after two hours. A second essential cookie, vc_sent, confirms a successful form submission and expires after two minutes or when the confirmation is displayed. It binds submissions to the browser that opened the form and is not used for advertising or analytics.

Links and sharing

Articles include links to government and other third-party websites, and share links for services such as X, Facebook and LinkedIn. Those links send you to other sites only when you click them, and those sites have their own privacy policies. Opening an article does not send any information about you to those services.

How long we keep information

Correspondence is kept only as long as needed to respond and to keep a record of corrections or requests. You can ask us to delete your correspondence at any time.

Your choices

To ask what information we hold about you, or to ask us to delete it, use the contact page. Your rights may depend on where you live.

Children

Verdicairn is written for adults and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to this policy

If we change how information is handled, for example by adding analytics, advertising or other tracking, we will update this policy before the change takes effect.