Privacy Policy

Last updated 2026-05-26.

This site is read mostly by people who don't want their attention farmed. Here is what does and doesn't happen on whynotyou.info.

What this site collects directly

Nothing.

There is no signup, no account, no comment system, no profile. The only thing the site itself writes to your browser is a small localStorage entry for the theme (light, dark, or blackout) you picked, so it persists across visits. That value never leaves your device.

What third parties on the page can see

• Google AdSense serves the ads and sets cookies to do that. Until you choose "Accept" on the consent banner, AdSense serves only non-personalized ads (no behavioral targeting). If you accept, AdSense may serve personalized ads. You can change your mind by clearing site data in your browser.
• Cloudflare Web Analytics counts page views with a privacy-first JavaScript beacon. No cookies, no fingerprinting, no IP storage beyond a few seconds.
• Cloudflare serves the site (CDN + WAF) and logs the standard request data (IP, user-agent, request path) for security and performance, per Cloudflare's own privacy policy.
• Substack hosts the newsletter. Clicking Subscribe hands you off to Substack, where signup is handled by Substack under their terms. Your email is never stored on this site.
• Stripe processes donations. Clicking Donate sends you to a Stripe-hosted payment page; this site never touches your card data.

What this site does not do

• No accounts or profiles stored on the site.
• No user-generated content — comments live on Substack, if anywhere.
• No retargeting or behavioral pixels beyond AdSense's standard cookies.
• No selling, renting, or sharing of any visitor data with anyone, ever.

Cookies in plain language

• AdSense cookies — set by Google to serve ads and (only with your explicit consent) personalize them.
• Theme preference — a single localStorage entry kept on your device.
• Consent state — a single localStorage entry recording whether you accepted or rejected non-essential cookies, so the banner doesn't keep reappearing.

That is the entire list. If you reject the AdSense cookies via the banner, only the two localStorage entries remain, and neither leaves your browser.

Your rights (GDPR / CCPA)

If you are in the EU/EEA, California, or anywhere else with similar legislation, you have the right to access, correct, or delete personal data held about you. For data held by Cloudflare, Google AdSense, Substack, or Stripe, contact each per their own privacy policies — this site cannot reach into those systems on your behalf. For anything the site author can directly act on, write to the address on the contact page.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 13 (or 16 in jurisdictions where that is the threshold), and no such users are knowingly served personalized content.

Changes

Material changes to this policy will update the "Last updated" date at the top. The site is small and the policy is unlikely to shift often.