Privacy Policy

Last updated: 19 June 2026

Personal data includes any information relating to an identifiable person, like names, addresses, or online identifiers. Data processing involves any operation performed on this data, whether automated or manual, such as collecting, storing, or sharing.

Understanding these concepts is key to ensuring compliance with data protection laws like GDPR, which aim to safeguard individual privacy rights.

Who we are

Backyard Banshee is a UK-based tarot reading and astrology business operated as a sole trader. Our website address is: https://backyardbanshee.com.

For the purposes of UK data protection law — including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 — Backyard Banshee is the “data controller” for the personal data we collect through this website. This means we decide why and how your personal data is used.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, you can reach us at:
Email: backyardbansheecontent@gmail.com

What personal data we collect and why we collect it

We only collect the data we need to run our website, deliver our services, and stay in touch with people who want to hear from us. Below is a breakdown of what we collect, why we collect it, and the lawful basis we rely on under UK GDPR.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string. We use this to help with spam detection and to keep discussions on our site safe and genuine.

An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to check whether you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After your comment is approved, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (running and moderating our website, and protecting it from spam and abuse).

Media

If you upload images to the website through blog comments, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.

Contact forms

If you contact us through a form on our site or by email, we collect the details you choose to share — usually your name, email address, and the content of your message. We use this information only to respond to your enquiry and to keep a record of our correspondence.

We do not use contact form submissions for marketing unless you have separately opted in to our newsletter. We keep contact messages for as long as needed to handle your query and for a reasonable period afterwards in case you get back in touch, then we delete them.

Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (responding to and managing enquiries), or steps taken at your request before entering into a contract (for example, when you ask about booking a reading).

Newsletter subscriptions

If you sign up for our newsletter, we collect your name and email address. We use these to send you updates, offers, tarot and astrology content, and news from Backyard Banshee.

Our newsletter is managed through ConvertKit, which stores your details securely on our behalf. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every email, or by emailing us directly. ConvertKit’s privacy policy is available at https://kit.com/privacy.

Lawful basis: Consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time without affecting anything we did before you withdrew it.

Bookings

If you book a reading or session with us, we use Calendly (calendly.com/backyardbanshee) to manage scheduling. Calendly collects information such as your name, email address, the date and time of your booking, and any details you add when you book.

We use this information to arrange and deliver your booking and to communicate with you about it. Calendly’s privacy policy is available at https://calendly.com/privacy.

Lawful basis: Performance of a contract (providing the service you have booked).

Payments

Payments for our services are handled securely by Stripe and PayPal. When you pay, you share your payment details directly with these providers — we never see or store your full card details.

These providers process limited information (such as your name, email, and transaction details) to complete your payment and to help prevent fraud. You can read their privacy policies here:

Lawful basis: Performance of a contract (processing your payment), and legal obligation (keeping financial records as required by UK law).

Complaints

You have the right to complain directly to Backyard Banshee about the way we use your data. You can contact us via email at backyardbansheecontent@gmail.com, and we aim to respond within 30 business days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator. You can reach the ICO at https://ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Cookies

If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience, so you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies last for one year.

If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to check whether your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.

If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after one day.

We also use cookies for analytics and advertising, as described in the Analytics and Mediavine sections below. Where required, we ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies, and you can change your cookie preferences at any time through your browser settings or our cookie banner.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor had visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction if you have an account and are logged in to that website. There is zero liability from Backyard Banshee regarding the other websites and their content.

Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)

 

The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.

First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.

Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.

The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:

  • IP Address
  • Operating System type
  • Operating System version
  • Device Type
  • Language of the website
  • Web browser type
  • Email (in hashed form)

Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.

If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.

For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.

Lawful basis: Consent for non-essential advertising cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use our site. This helps us improve our content and see which pages are most popular.

Google Analytics collects information such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, your approximate location, the type of device and browser you use, and how you arrived at our site. Where possible, we use settings that limit the data collected and anonymise IP addresses.

This information is collected in a way that does not directly identify you. Google processes this data on our behalf, and you can read more in Google’s privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy. You can also opt out of Google Analytics using the browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Lawful basis: Consent for analytics cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time through your browser or cookie settings.

Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data, and we never will. We only share your data with trusted service providers who help us run our business, and only to the extent needed. These include:

  • ConvertKit — to manage and send our newsletter
  • Calendly — to manage bookings and scheduling
  • Stripe and PayPal — to process payments
  • Google Analytics — to understand website usage
  • Mediavine and its advertising partners — to serve advertising
  • Gravatar (Automattic) — to display profile pictures with comments

We may also share data where we are legally required to do so — for example, to comply with a court order, tax obligations, or a request from a regulator such as the ICO.

How long we retain your data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

For users who register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

For other data:

  • Newsletter: We keep your details until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you.
  • Bookings: We keep booking records for as long as needed to deliver the service and for a reasonable period afterwards.
  • Payments: We keep financial records for at least six years, as required by UK tax law.
  • Contact enquiries: We keep these for as long as needed to handle your query and a short period afterwards.

When we no longer need your data, we delete or anonymise it securely.

What rights you have over your data

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights over your personal data. You have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Correct any data that is wrong or incomplete
  • Erase your data (“the right to be forgotten”)
  • Restrict how we use your data in certain situations
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
  • Data portability — receive your data in a usable format
  • Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at backyardbansheecontent@gmail.com. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge.

You also have the right to complain to the ICO at https://ico.org.uk.

Where we send your data

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

Some of our service providers are based outside the UK, including in the United States. Where your data is transferred outside the UK, we make sure it is protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or an adequacy decision recognised by the UK government.

Your contact information

If you have any questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy or this policy, please contact us:

Backyard Banshee
Email: backyardbansheecontent@gmail.com
Website: https://backyardbanshee.com

We aim to respond to all data-related requests within 30 business days, and within one month for formal requests under UK GDPR.

Additional information

How we protect your data

We take reasonable steps to keep your data safe. These include:

  • Using secure, password-protected accounts and limiting who can access data
  • Working only with reputable service providers who maintain their own strong security
  • Using HTTPS encryption across our website
  • Storing as little personal data as possible and deleting it when no longer needed
  • Keeping our software and plugins up to date

While no online service can be completely secure, we work hard to protect your information from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access.

What data breach procedures we have in place

If a personal data breach happens that we are made aware of, we will act quickly to assess what has occurred and limit any harm. Where a breach is likely to put your rights and freedoms at risk, we will report it to the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, as required by law.

If the breach is likely to result in a high risk to you, we will also contact you directly and explain what has happened, what we are doing about it, and what steps you can take.

What third parties we receive data from

We may receive data about you from the third-party services we use to run our site and business. For example:

  • Google Analytics provides aggregated data about website visitors
  • Mediavine and its advertising partners may share advertising-related data
  • Stripe and PayPal confirm payment details and transaction status
  • Calendly provides booking details you submit through their platform
  • Gravatar confirms whether a profile picture is