Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how serverman.co.uk collects, uses, stores, and shares your personal data when you visit or use this website. It applies to all pages, features, and services offered on serverman.co.uk, including the blog, product reviews, online shop, and contact form.

Please read this policy carefully. By using serverman.co.uk you acknowledge that you have read and understood how we handle your data. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the site.

This policy was last updated on 6 May 2026.

2. Data Controller

The data controller for serverman.co.uk is the owner and operator of this website, trading as serverman.co.uk.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, you can contact us at:

We are not currently required to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller, but we are fully committed to complying with UK GDPR and associated data protection legislation.

3. What Data We Collect

3a. Data You Give Us Directly

We collect personal data that you actively provide to us in the following circumstances:

  • Contact form: When you submit a message via our WPForms contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message.
  • Account registration: If you create a user account on serverman.co.uk, we collect your username, email address, and a hashed password.
  • Purchases via WooCommerce: When you place an order through our online shop, we collect your name, email address, billing address, shipping address, and order details. Payment card details are processed directly by our payment processor and are not stored by us — see Section 7 for more information.

3b. Data Collected Automatically

When you visit serverman.co.uk, certain data is collected automatically by our systems and third-party tools:

  • IP address: Your IP address is logged by our server and by security software (Wordfence) for the purpose of detecting and preventing malicious activity such as brute-force attacks.
  • Browser and device information: We collect information about the browser and device you use to access the site, including browser type and version, operating system, and screen resolution.
  • Pages visited and usage data: We collect data about which pages you visit, how long you spend on them, how you arrived at the site (e.g., search engine or referral link), and your interactions with content. This is collected via Google Analytics — see Section 6.

3c. Session Recording Data via Microsoft Clarity

We use Microsoft Clarity on this website. Clarity is a behavioural analytics tool that records user sessions in significantly more detail than standard analytics. When you visit serverman.co.uk (subject to your cookie consent preferences), Clarity may record:

  • Mouse movements and cursor position
  • Clicks and taps
  • Scroll behaviour
  • Pages visited during your session
  • Text you type into form fields (Clarity automatically masks sensitive fields such as passwords and payment inputs, but you should be aware that this tool observes on-screen interactions in detail)

This data is sent to and stored by Microsoft. We use it to understand how visitors interact with our site and to improve usability. Because session recording is more intrusive than standard analytics, we treat it as requiring your explicit consent. You can withdraw consent at any time via our cookie consent banner. Please see Section 5 for full details.

3d. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. We operate a Google-certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) under the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework, which presents a consent banner when you first visit the site. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time. Please see Section 8 and our separate Cookie Policy for full details of the cookies we use.

4. Why We Collect Your Data (Legal Basis)

UK GDPR requires us to have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The legal basis we rely on depends on how and why we are using your information:

  • Contact form submissions: Legitimate interests — we have a legitimate interest in responding to your enquiry. We do not use contact form submissions for marketing without your separate consent.
  • User account data: Contract performance — your account data is necessary to provide the account-based features you have requested.
  • Purchase and order data: Contract performance — we need this data to process and fulfil your order, and legal obligation to retain financial records as required by HMRC and applicable tax law.
  • Security logging (IP addresses via Wordfence): Legitimate interests — we have a legitimate interest in protecting our website from unauthorised access, fraud, and malicious attacks.
  • Google Analytics: Consent — analytics cookies are only set after you have given your consent via our cookie consent banner.
  • Microsoft Clarity session recordings: Consent — because of the detailed nature of session recording, we only activate Clarity for users who have given explicit consent via our cookie consent banner.
  • Essential cookies: Legitimate interests — cookies that are strictly necessary for the site to function (such as your shopping cart session or login session) do not require consent under PECR.

5. Microsoft Clarity

We use Microsoft Clarity, a product of Microsoft Corporation, to help us understand how visitors use serverman.co.uk. Clarity works by recording anonymised session replays and generating heatmaps that show aggregate patterns of clicks, scrolls, and mouse movements across the site.

The data collected by Clarity — including your interactions, device information, and browsing behaviour on this site — is transmitted to and stored on Microsoft’s servers. Microsoft may process this data in countries outside the United Kingdom, subject to appropriate transfer safeguards (see Section 13).

We do not use Clarity data to identify individual users by name or to make automated decisions about you. Clarity automatically masks password fields and payment inputs so that sensitive data is not captured.

Because session recording is inherently more intrusive than standard page-view analytics, we classify Clarity as requiring opt-in consent. It will only activate if you have accepted analytics or behavioural tracking cookies via our consent banner. You can withdraw your consent at any time by revisiting our cookie preferences.

For full details of how Microsoft handles data collected via Clarity, please refer to the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

6. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, provided via Google Site Kit, to collect anonymised data about how visitors use serverman.co.uk. This helps us understand which content is popular, how visitors find the site, and how we can improve the user experience.

Google Analytics collects information including:

  • Pages visited and the sequence in which you visit them
  • Time spent on the site and on individual pages
  • The source of your visit (e.g., search engine, social media, direct link)
  • Your approximate geographic location (at country/city level — not precise location)
  • Device type, operating system, and browser

We have IP anonymisation enabled, meaning your full IP address is truncated before it is processed by Google. We do not use Google Analytics to collect data that identifies you personally by name or email address.

Analytics data is only collected after you have given consent via our cookie banner. Google Analytics cookies remain active for up to 26 months by default, after which the data is automatically deleted by Google.

Data collected via Google Analytics is sent to Google LLC, which may process it on servers located outside the United Kingdom. For more information, please see the Google Privacy Policy.

7. WooCommerce and Online Purchases

When you make a purchase through our online shop, we collect the following information to process and fulfil your order:

  • Full name
  • Email address
  • Billing address
  • Shipping address
  • Details of the items ordered

Payment details: We do not store your full payment card details on our servers. Card payments are processed directly by our payment processor, which operates under its own security and privacy standards including PCI DSS compliance. Only a tokenised reference to your payment method may be retained where necessary for processing refunds.

Order records: We retain order records, including your name, address, and purchase details, for a minimum of 7 years in order to comply with our legal obligations under HMRC tax regulations and applicable financial record-keeping requirements.

The legal basis for processing your purchase data is contract performance (to fulfil your order) and legal obligation (to retain financial records as required by law).

8. Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use cookies for a number of purposes, including keeping you logged in, remembering your shopping basket, and (with your consent) collecting analytics and behavioural data.

When you first visit serverman.co.uk, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner managed by our Google-certified Consent Management Platform (CMP ID: 300), which operates under the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF). You can choose which categories of cookies to accept or decline.

Our cookies fall into the following categories:

  • Essential cookies: These are strictly necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They include cookies that manage your login session, your shopping cart, and security tokens. No consent is required for these cookies under PECR.
  • Analytics cookies: These allow us to measure how visitors use the site (via Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity). These cookies are only set with your consent.
  • Marketing and targeting cookies: These may be set by third-party advertising networks. They are only activated with your consent.

For a full list of the cookies we use, their purposes, and how long they remain active, please see our Cookie Policy. You can update your cookie preferences at any time using the “Manage Cookie Preferences” link in the footer of this website.

9. Affiliate Links

Some links on serverman.co.uk are affiliate links, including links to products on Amazon.co.uk as part of the Amazon Associates programme, as well as links to other retailers and suppliers. When you click an affiliate link, you will be taken directly to the third-party website.

Please note:

  • When you click an affiliate link, the third-party website may set cookies on your device and collect personal data about you in accordance with their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for the data practices of third-party websites.
  • If you make a purchase after clicking an affiliate link, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
  • We do not receive or process any personal data that you provide to a third-party retailer through an affiliate link.

We recommend that you review the privacy policy of any third-party website before providing your personal data to them.

10. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

  • Google LLC: Analytics data collected via Google Analytics and any data processed through Google Site Kit or Google’s Consent Management Platform is shared with Google in accordance with Google’s data processing terms.
  • Microsoft Corporation: Session recording and heatmap data collected via Microsoft Clarity is shared with Microsoft in accordance with Microsoft’s data processing terms.
  • Payment processor: When you make a purchase, your payment details are transmitted securely to our payment processor for the purpose of completing the transaction. The payment processor acts as an independent data controller for payment card data.
  • Wordfence / Defiant Inc.: Our Wordfence security plugin may share IP address and threat intelligence data with Defiant Inc. in order to maintain its threat feed and protect websites from malicious activity. Only technical security data (IP addresses, request headers) is shared for this purpose.
  • Legal and regulatory requirements: We may disclose personal data to law enforcement, regulators, or courts where we are required to do so by law or a legally binding court order.
  • Business transfer: In the unlikely event that serverman.co.uk is sold, transferred, or merged, personal data held by us may be transferred to the new owner as part of that transaction. We would notify you in advance if this were to occur.

11. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our standard retention periods are:

  • Contact form submissions: 12 months from the date of receipt, after which messages and associated personal data are deleted.
  • Purchase and order records: 7 years from the date of the transaction, in order to comply with HMRC record-keeping requirements.
  • User account data: Retained for as long as your account remains active. If you request deletion of your account, your personal data will be removed within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
  • Google Analytics data: Retained for 26 months by default within Google’s systems, after which it is automatically deleted.
  • Microsoft Clarity session data: Retained for 13 months by Microsoft, after which session recordings are deleted.
  • Security logs (Wordfence / server logs including IP addresses): Retained for 30 days, after which logs are automatically purged.

12. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025), you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
  • Right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you have the right to ask us to delete your personal data (“right to be forgotten”). This right does not apply where we are required by law to retain the data.
  • Right to restriction: You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example whilst a dispute about accuracy is resolved.
  • Right to data portability: Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract, and is carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.
  • Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent as the legal basis for processing (such as for analytics and session recording cookies), you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at admin@serverman.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month of receiving your request. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

There is no charge for exercising your rights in most circumstances. If a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, we may charge a reasonable administrative fee or refuse to act, in which case we will explain our reasons.

Right to Complain to the ICO

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data or responded to your rights request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection authority:

  • Website: ico.org.uk
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113
  • Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO, so please do get in touch with us first.

13. International Data Transfers

Some of the third-party services we use — in particular Google (Google Analytics, Google CMP) and Microsoft (Microsoft Clarity) — may process your personal data on servers located outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States and other countries.

Where data is transferred internationally, we rely on the following safeguards to ensure your data remains protected to a standard equivalent to UK law:

  • UK adequacy regulations: The UK Government has recognised certain countries as providing an adequate level of data protection, meaning transfers to those countries are permitted without additional safeguards.
  • Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) / UK International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs): Where transfers are made to countries without an adequacy decision, we rely on our data processors (Google, Microsoft) having appropriate contractual protections in place, including UK-approved International Data Transfer Agreements or equivalent mechanisms.

Both Google and Microsoft operate under the UK-US Data Bridge (part of the UK’s extension of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework) and maintain appropriate data processing agreements. You can review their respective data transfer arrangements within their privacy policies linked in Sections 5 and 6 above.

14. Children’s Privacy

serverman.co.uk is a technology blog aimed at adult IT professionals, enthusiasts, and home lab users. It is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided personal data to us, please contact us at admin@serverman.co.uk and we will promptly delete the information.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the services we use, or applicable legislation. When we make significant changes, we will update the “last updated” date at the top of this page. Where changes are material, we may also display a notice on the website or notify registered users by email.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data. Your continued use of serverman.co.uk after any changes constitutes your acknowledgement of the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all data protection enquiries within 5 working days and to all formal rights requests within one calendar month.