Last updated: October 22, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Elegant Years (“we”, “us”, “our”), the publisher of elegantyears.com (the “Site”), collects, uses and protects information when you visit the Site, subscribe to our newsletter or send us a message. By using the Site you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.
1. Information we collect
Information you give us
- Contact form. When you use our Contact page, we collect your name, email address, the topic you choose and the message you write.
- Newsletter. When you join The Elegant Years Letter, we collect your email address.
Information collected automatically
- Server and log data. Like most websites, the Site’s web server and hosting provider may automatically record technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, the pages you request and the date and time of each request. This is used to deliver the Site, keep it secure and diagnose problems.
- Spam protection. Our forms use a hidden field, a timing check and a limit on how many messages one visitor can send per hour. To apply that limit, the Site temporarily stores a counter linked to a one-way hashed version of your IP address for up to one hour.
We do not ask for, and you should not send us, sensitive personal information such as payment card numbers, government ID numbers or health details.
2. How we use your information
- To read and reply to messages you send us.
- To send you a welcome email and our newsletter if you subscribe.
- To protect the Site against spam, abuse and security threats.
- To maintain and improve the Site and our content.
- To comply with legal obligations.
- To show advertising on the Site, where advertising is enabled (see section 6).
3. Newsletter
If you subscribe, your email address is saved in the Site’s database, a notification is sent to the Site’s owners, and you receive a welcome email. You can unsubscribe at any time by replying to any newsletter email or contacting us through the Contact page and asking us to remove you. We will not sell or rent your email address.
4. Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small files placed on your device by a website. Elegant Years does not set its own advertising or tracking cookies. WordPress, the software that runs the Site, may set essential cookies for logged-in administrators and editors; these are not used for visitors who simply read the Site.
Some features load resources from third parties, which may receive information such as your IP address and browser details when your browser requests them:
- Google Fonts. The Site’s typefaces are loaded from Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com). See Google’s Privacy Policy.
- Social media links. Links to our Facebook and LinkedIn pages take you to those services, which have their own privacy policies and cookies.
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the web work for you.
5. Analytics
At the time of writing, the Site does not run a third-party analytics service. If we add one in the future, we will describe it in this policy and, where the law requires, ask for your consent first.
6. Advertising, Google AdSense and third-party cookies
We may display advertising on the Site, including ads served by Google through Google AdSense and ads from other advertising partners. The following applies whenever such ads are shown:
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s previous visits to this Site or other websites.
- Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this Site and/or other sites on the Internet.
- Ad providers may collect or receive information such as your IP address, browser and device details, and information about the ads you view or interact with, and may combine it with other information they hold. We do not control the cookies set by these third parties and do not have access to them.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising from Google by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info.
- To learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
- Where the law requires consent for advertising cookies (for example, for visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland), we will request it before personalised ads are shown, and you can change your choice at any time.
The appearance of an advertisement on the Site is not an endorsement by Elegant Years of the advertiser or its products.
7. How we share information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only:
- with service providers that help us run the Site, such as our web hosting and email delivery providers, who may process it on our behalf;
- with advertising partners, as described in section 6, where advertising is enabled;
- when required by law, court order or a valid request from public authorities; or
- to protect the rights, safety and security of our visitors, the Site or others.
8. How long we keep information
Contact messages are emailed to the Site’s owners and also stored in the Site’s database, which keeps the most recent messages (currently up to 200). Newsletter email addresses are kept until you ask us to remove them. Spam-protection counters expire automatically within an hour. We may keep information longer where needed to meet legal obligations or resolve disputes.
9. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to ask us to access, correct, delete or restrict the use of your personal information, to object to certain processing, to withdraw consent you have given, and to complain to your local data protection authority. To make a request, please use our Contact page. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
10. Security
We take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold, but no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Children’s privacy
The Site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
12. International visitors and data transfers
The Site may be accessed from anywhere in the world. Our service providers, and third parties such as Google, may process information in countries other than your own, which may have different data protection laws.
13. Links to other websites
The Site may link to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their policies.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when it was last revised. Please check back periodically; continued use of the Site after changes means you accept the updated policy.
15. Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please reach us through the Contact page.