Last updated:
This Privacy Policy explains how Qiyu Yan (“I”, “me”) collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit qiyuyan.com (the “Site”). I run this Site as an individual based in China, and I am the person responsible for your data (the “data controller” under the EU and UK GDPR).
If you have any questions, email me at contact@qiyuyan.com.
1. Information I Collect
Information you give me directly
- Newsletter: your email address and, if you choose to give it, your first name.
- Contact form: your name, email address, the subject, and the content of your message.
Information collected automatically
- Technical data: when you visit any website, your browser sends certain information, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, and the pages you request. My hosting provider records this in standard server logs for security and to keep the Site running.
- Analytics data (only with your consent): if you agree to analytics cookies, Google Analytics collects information such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, your approximate location (country/city level), and your device and browser type. See Section 4.
Please don’t send sensitive personal information (such as details about your own health) through the contact form.
2. How I Use Your Information and Why (Legal Basis)
| Purpose | Data used | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Sending you the newsletter you signed up for | Email address, first name (optional) | Your consent |
| Replying to your messages | Name, email, subject, message | My legitimate interest in answering people who contact me |
| Keeping the Site secure and working | Technical data (incl. IP address) | My legitimate interest in running a safe website |
| Understanding how visitors use the Site, so I can improve it | Analytics data | Your consent (via the cookie banner) |
I do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
3. Third-Party Services
This Site uses the following third-party services, which may process your data under their own privacy policies:
| Service | What it does | Where data is processed | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Website hosting and server logs | Hostinger data centre used for this Site | hostinger.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Brevo | Newsletter and contact forms, newsletter delivery, storing contact-form messages | European Union | brevo.com/legal/privacypolicy |
| Google Analytics (only with your consent) | Visitor statistics | United States and other countries | policies.google.com/privacy |
Contact form: your message is stored in Brevo on a separate list and a copy is emailed to my inbox, so I can reply. Sending a message does not subscribe you to the newsletter.
Newsletter emails: Brevo uses standard tracking to tell me whether an email was opened and whether a link was clicked. I use this only to see which topics readers find useful. To make sure it’s really you, I ask you to confirm your subscription with a link in a confirmation email (double opt-in).
Fonts: the fonts on this Site are served from my own hosting, not loaded from third-party font services.
4. Cookies
A cookie is a small text file your browser stores. This Site uses two kinds:
- Necessary cookies: needed for the Site to work and to remember your cookie choice. These do not need your consent.
- Analytics cookies (optional): set by Google Analytics, only if you click “Accept” on the cookie banner. If you reject them, or ignore the banner, no analytics cookies are set.
When the cookie banner is active, you can change your choice at any time using the Cookie settings link at the bottom of the page. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
5. International Data Transfers
Brevo stores data within the European Union. Hostinger stores Site data in the data centre used for this Site, which may be in a different country from yours. If analytics is enabled, Google may process data in the United States; Google LLC is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (and its UK and Swiss extensions). Where data leaves the EEA or UK, my providers use approved safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
I am based in China, so I access this information from there — for example, when I read and reply to your message or manage the newsletter list. Data protection law in China may differ from the law where you live. Wherever I access your data, I apply the protections described in this policy.
6. How Long I Keep Your Data
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and your address is removed from the mailing list once you click it.
- Contact messages: up to 12 months after our conversation ends, then deleted from Brevo and my inbox, unless we are still in touch.
- Server logs: kept by Hostinger for a short period under its standard retention policy.
- Analytics data: user-level data is kept for 2 months in Google Analytics (its default setting), then automatically deleted.
- Backups: backups of the Site may contain the data above for a limited time before being overwritten.
7. How I Protect Your Data
The Site uses HTTPS encryption. Only I can access the Site’s admin area, my inbox, and my Brevo account, and these are protected with strong passwords. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, but I take reasonable steps to protect your information.
8. Your Rights
Depending on where you live (for example, in the European Economic Area, the UK, or California), you may have the right to:
- Access: ask for a copy of the personal data I hold about you.
- Correction: ask me to correct inaccurate data.
- Deletion: ask me to delete your data.
- Restriction: ask me to limit how I use your data.
- Objection: object to my use of your data based on legitimate interest.
- Portability: receive your data in a commonly used format.
- Withdraw consent: at any time, for example by unsubscribing or changing your cookie settings. This does not affect anything done before you withdrew it.
To use any of these rights, email contact@qiyuyan.com. I will reply within 30 days. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
9. External Links
My articles may link to other websites, such as LinkedIn or research sources. I am not responsible for how those sites handle your data. Please check their privacy policies.
10. Children’s Privacy
This Site is not directed at children under 16, and I do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has sent me personal data, contact me and I will delete it.
11. Changes to This Policy
I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example when I add or change a tool. The “Last updated” date at the top shows the latest version. If a change is significant, I will let newsletter subscribers know.
12. Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy or your data? Email me at contact@qiyuyan.com.