Last updated: 15 September 2026
This policy explains what personal information Flashes & Flames collects when you read the site, subscribe to the newsletter, buy a subscription or download a report, why we collect it, and what rights you have over it.
Who we are
Flashes & Flames is published by Flashes & Flames Media Ltd (company number 12865884), registered at 8 Hampstead Gate, 1a Frognal, Hampstead, London NW3 6AL, England. We are the data controller for the information described here.
For any question about this policy, or to exercise any of the rights below, contact: colin@flashesandflames.com.
What we collect, and why
When you read the site
We collect pages viewed, approximate location (country or city, from your IP address), device and browser type, how you arrived, and how you move around a page. Our hosting provider also keeps server logs containing your full IP address and browser identifier for security and troubleshooting.
Why: to understand what readers find useful and to keep the site working and secure.
When you register for the free newsletter
Your email address, and where you choose to give them, your name, job title and employer. Our newsletter platform records whether you open each edition and which links you click.
Why: to send you the newsletter you asked for, and to understand which stories readers value.
When you buy a subscription
Your name, email address, billing details and subscription history. Card details are entered directly with our payment processor and are never seen or stored by us.
Why: to give you access to what you paid for, take payment, handle renewals, and meet our accounting and tax obligations.
When you download a report or fill in a form
Your name, work email address, employer and job title, plus whether you opened the report. If you tick the box, we add you to the newsletter.
Why: to send you the report, and to understand which organisations are interested in our work.
When you buy an event ticket
Ticket purchases are handled entirely by our ticketing provider on their own website. Their privacy policy applies to that transaction.
Our lawful bases
- Contract – running your subscription, taking payment and giving you access to subscriber-only content.
- Consent – non-essential cookies, analytics and marketing emails to people who are not subscribers. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legitimate interests – keeping the site secure, preventing fraudulent signups, answering questions you ask SmartAnswers, and sending existing customers information about similar products. You can object at any time.
- Legal obligation – keeping financial records.
Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers. We use the following providers, each of which processes some data on our behalf:
| Provider | What it does | What it receives |
| Google Analytics | Site analytics | Pages viewed, approximate location, device, referrer |
| Automattic (Jetpack / WordPress.com) | Site statistics, link-click tracking, security and login monitoring | Pages viewed, links clicked, IP addresses of login attempts |
| beehiiv | Newsletter delivery | Email address, name, job title, employer, opens and clicks |
| Stripe | Payment processing | Name, email, billing and card details |
| Kinsta and Cloudflare | Hosting, content delivery and bot protection on our forms | IP address, browser identifier, pages requested |
| Miso.ai | SmartAnswers, our AI question-and-answer tool | The questions you ask, which page you are on and how long you spend on it, your IP address and a random ID that only lasts while that page is open. If you are logged in, your account ID and whether you are a subscriber. Nothing is stored in your browser |
| Adobe (Typekit) | Web fonts | IP address and browser identifier when fonts are loaded |
| BeyondWords | Audio versions of articles | Which audio is played, device |
| Ticket Tailor | Event ticketing | Name, email and payment details you give them directly |
We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or to establish or defend a legal claim.
Where your information goes
Most of these providers are based in the United States, so your information is transferred outside the UK. Those transfers rely on the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, or on the International Data Transfer Addendum to the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses, depending on the provider.
Cookies
Essential cookies keep you logged in, remember your subscription and secure forms. These cannot be switched off.
Non-essential cookies power analytics. We ask before setting these, and you can change your mind at any time using the Cookie Policy link in the footer.
SmartAnswers doesn’t use cookies or store anything else on your device, so it works whether or not you accept cookies.
How long we keep it
- Analytics: individual event data for 2 months; user-level data for 14 months.
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe, then a suppression record so we do not email you again by mistake.
- Subscription and payment records: for the life of your subscription and then [6 or 7] years, to meet UK accounting requirements.
- Server logs: a small number of days, then deleted automatically.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask us to: give you a copy of what we hold; correct anything wrong; delete it; restrict or object to how we use it; or send it to another provider. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
Every newsletter has an unsubscribe link at the bottom, and using it takes effect immediately.
To make a request, email colin@flashesandflames.com. We will respond within one month.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Children
This site is written for media industry professionals and is not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update the date at the top. If the change is significant, we will say so in the newsletter.