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Privacy Policy for The Unpaid CEO

Effective date: 2026-05-15

Last updated: 2026-05-15

1. Introduction

Welcome to The Unpaid CEO. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://theunpaidceo.co.uk (the "Site").

This policy applies to all visitors, users, and others who access the Site, including the full-stack version 2 of our platform.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

  • Account information (name, email address, username, password hash)
  • Profile information (bio, profile picture, preferences)
  • Contact form submissions (name, email, message content)
  • Comments or forum posts (if applicable)
  • Newsletter subscriptions (email address)

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

  • IP address and device identifiers
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited and time spent on pages
  • Referring website URLs
  • Clickstream data
  • Cookie data (see Section 6)

2.3 Information from Third Parties

  • Authentication providers (if you sign in with Google, GitHub, etc.)
  • Payment processors (if applicable - transaction confirmation only)
  • Analytics providers (aggregated usage data)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

  • To provide and maintain the Site - Including account management, content delivery, and feature functionality
  • To improve user experience - Analyzing usage patterns to optimize site performance and content
  • To communicate with you - Responding to inquiries, sending service updates, and marketing communications (with your consent)
  • For security purposes - Detecting and preventing fraud, unauthorized access, and other malicious activities
  • To comply with legal obligations - Meeting regulatory requirements and responding to lawful requests

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Compliance)

If you are located in the UK or European Economic Area (EEA), we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

  • Consent - You have given clear consent for us to process your data for specific purposes (e.g., marketing emails)
  • Contractual necessity - Processing is necessary for a contract we have with you (e.g., to provide account services)
  • Legitimate interests - Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests (e.g., improving our services, preventing fraud)
  • Legal obligation - Processing is necessary to comply with the law (e.g., tax records, data breach notifications)

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

5.1 Service Providers

We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating our Site:

  • Hosting providers (e.g., Vercel, Netlify, AWS, Heroku)
  • Database providers (e.g., MongoDB Atlas, Supabase, PostgreSQL hosting)
  • Email service providers (e.g., SendGrid, Mailchimp, Resend)
  • Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics, Plausible, Umami)
  • Authentication providers (e.g., Auth0, Clerk, Supabase Auth)

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., court orders, government agencies).

5.3 Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your personal data may be transferred. We will provide notice before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5.4 With Your Consent

We may share your information with third parties when you have given explicit consent to do so.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our Site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

6.1 Types of Cookies We Use

  • Essential Cookies: Required for basic site functionality (login, session management, security). Cannot be disabled.
  • Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (theme, language).
  • Analytics Cookies: Collect anonymous usage data to improve our Site (Google Analytics, etc.).
  • Functionality Cookies: Enable enhanced features (comments, sharing).

6.2 Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

  • View cookies stored on your device
  • Delete existing cookies
  • Block third-party cookies
  • Block all cookies
  • Receive notifications when cookies are set

Note: Disabling essential cookies may affect site functionality.

6.3 Cookie Consent

When you first visit our Site, you will see a cookie banner allowing you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy:

  • Account data: Retained until you delete your account, plus 30 days for recovery purposes
  • Usage data: Retained for 12 months for analytics and improvement purposes
  • Communication data: Retained for 24 months from last contact
  • Transaction data: Retained for 7 years to comply with tax laws (if applicable)
  • Newsletter subscriptions: Retained until you unsubscribe

After retention periods expire, data is either deleted or anonymized for statistical use.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your data:

  • Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers uses TLS/SSL encryption (HTTPS)
  • Password security: User passwords are hashed and salted using bcrypt
  • Access controls: Limited employee access to personal data
  • Regular security audits: We perform vulnerability scans and security reviews
  • Data backups: Encrypted backups stored securely

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Rights and Choices

9.1 For UK and EEA Residents (GDPR)

You have the following rights under data protection laws:

  • Right to access - Request a copy of your personal data
  • Right to rectification - Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Right to erasure - Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Right to restrict processing - Limit how we use your data
  • Right to data portability - Receive your data in a machine-readable format
  • Right to object - Object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Right to withdraw consent - Withdraw previously given consent at any time

9.2 For California Residents (CCPA)

  • Right to know what personal information we collect
  • Right to delete personal information
  • Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell data)
  • Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

9.3 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@theunpaidceo.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days. You may also manage your preferences through your account settings.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately. If we discover we have collected personal data from a child without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information promptly.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. For users in the UK/EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers, including:

  • Using standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission
  • Transferring only to countries with adequacy decisions
  • Obtaining your explicit consent for specific transfers

12. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, plugins, or applications. Clicking those links may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by:

  • Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last updated" date

Your continued use of the Site after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us: