This page explains, in plain language, what commonsworld.org collects, why, and how to have it removed. If anything here is unclear, write to us and we will answer properly.
The short version
We run no advertising. We do not sell or share your information. We build no profiles of readers. If you simply read the site, the most that happens is that the visit is added to an anonymous tally, and only if you agreed to that on the consent bar. We hold something about you only when you choose to send it to us through one of our forms.
What we collect
Only what you type into a form, plus the anonymous visit count described further down. Depending on which form you use, that is:
- The free books and the meeting guide: your email address and first name.
- The Visible World launch list: your email address and first name.
- The contact form: your name, email address and message.
- Donation interest: your email address.
- Sending the books to a friend: your friend’s email address, plus your name and a short note if you choose to add them. Their address is used once, to send that single email, and is never stored on the site or added to any list.
There are no visitor accounts on this site, and no payments are taken here. The donation buttons currently read “Coming soon” and collect no money and no card details.
What we do with it
We use your details to do the thing you asked for: to send you the free PDFs, to answer your message, or to tell you when The Visible World is published. Every submission is stored in this site’s own database, where only site administrators can see it. Messages sent through the contact form also arrive in our own mailbox at contact@commonsworld.org. Requesting the books triggers an automatic email from the site delivering the two PDFs.
The mailing list
Our mailing list is kept in this site’s own database, alongside the other form submissions, and only site administrators can see it. If you request the free books or the meeting guide, or join The Visible World launch list, your email address and first name are recorded so we can send you what you asked for and occasional Commons World updates. If we ever move the list to an external mailing service, this page will name it before any address is transferred.
This is single opt-in. You are on the list because you asked to be, and nobody is added without asking. You can leave at any time: write to contact@commonsworld.org and we will take you off. Enquiries sent through the contact form are never added to the mailing list.
Who else is involved
One company handles information on our behalf, and no others:
- Hostinger hosts the website and its database, and carries our email.
Nothing is passed to anyone beyond that, and nothing is ever sold.
Cookies and measurement
Ordinary visitors are given no cookies at all. The one exception is cw_analytics_consent, a single first-party cookie saved only after you answer the consent bar, purely to remember your answer. People who log in to run the site also receive the standard WordPress session cookies. The cookie policy sets this out in full.
If you accept on the consent bar, the site counts your visit itself: which page was opened, roughly when, and which site you arrived from. The counting is done by the website, the figures stay in this website’s own database, and no third party receives them. It uses no cookies to do it. If you decline, or simply leave the bar alone, nothing is counted at all. That does mean our figures undercount our real readership, and we would rather have it that way round.
How long we keep it
We keep form submissions only as long as we need them to do what you asked and to keep a sensible record of the request. Mailing list entries stay until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove them. The anonymous visit counts are deleted automatically after twelve months. If you would like something deleted sooner, say so and we will delete it.
Your choices
Write to contact@commonsworld.org and you can ask what we hold about you, ask for a copy of it, ask us to correct it, or ask us to erase it. You can unsubscribe from any email using the link at the foot of it. We will not make this difficult.
Changes to this policy
If our practice changes, this page changes with it, and the date below changes too.
Last updated: 17 August 2026