What I keep, and what I don’t

When you write in

The contact form, the resume request, domain enquiries and the Thoughts sign-up each save what you type, so that I can reply:

• What you send: your name, email and message.
• When and where: the time, and the page you sent it from.

The entries are stored in a private database and are seen only by me.

If you subscribe to Thoughts, your address also goes on my mailing list so I can send you new pieces. People who have written to me may hear about a new piece too. Every such email says how to stop them: write “unsubscribe” to hello@akshay.ink.

When you visit

The site keeps simple visit statistics, so I know which pages people read and how fast they load:

• The pages you open.
• Roughly where you are: city and country, worked out from your IP address.
• Your device and browser.
• The site that sent you here.

A random identifier in your browser’s storage tells a returning visit from a new one. There are no advertising trackers, no third-party analytics and no cookies set for this. The identifier is not tied to your name unless you also write in.

Who else sees it

Three services help run the site:

• Google Firebase stores the database.
• Brevo sends the automatic mail and runs the mailing list.
• Razorpay takes payments on the pay page. Card, UPI and bank details go straight to Razorpay; this site only keeps the name, email, amount and payment reference, for the receipt.

All three hold data on my behalf and under their own privacy terms. Nothing is sold, shared with advertisers or used for anything beyond replying to you and keeping the site working.

How long it stays

• Messages stay until I have dealt with them, and for a while after in case we pick the conversation up again.
• Mailing-list addresses stay until you unsubscribe.
• Visit statistics are kept in summary form only.

Changes

If this page changes in any way that matters, the date at the top moves.