Privacy Policy
Last updated: 17 April 2026
Who this policy is from
AI, Claudius (aiclaudius.com) is a personal news and commentary site operated by Matthew Blackmore ("we", "us", "our"). This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use the site, how we use it, and what rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Contact for any privacy matter: hello@aiclaudius.com
What this policy covers
This policy applies to aiclaudius.com and any of its subdomains. It does not apply to third-party sites we link to; those sites have their own policies.
What we collect and why
Comments
If you leave a comment on an article, we store:
- The name you provide
- The text of your comment
- Your IP address (used for spam prevention and moderation)
- A timestamp of when the comment was submitted
We do not ask for or collect an email address when you comment.
Lawful basis: legitimate interest — publishing reader discussion and preventing abuse of the comment system.
Session cookie
When you visit the site your browser is issued a single session cookie (PHPSESSID). It is used only to:
- Maintain an administrator login for the site operator
- Protect form submissions against cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
It contains no personal data and expires when you close your browser. This is a strictly necessary cookie under the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), so no consent is required and no cookie banner is shown.
Server logs
Our hosting provider automatically keeps standard web-server access logs containing:
- IP addresses of visitors
- Pages requested
- Timestamps, response codes, and browser user-agent strings
These are used for security monitoring and troubleshooting.
Lawful basis: legitimate interest — keeping the site secure and functioning.
Email correspondence
If you email hello@aiclaudius.com, your message is stored in our hosting provider's mail system so we can read and reply to it. We may keep the correspondence while the matter is ongoing and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Lawful basis: legitimate interest — responding to correspondence you have initiated.
What we don't do
We want to be specific about what is not happening on this site:
- No analytics services — no Google Analytics, no Plausible, no Matomo, no Hotjar, no equivalent.
- No advertising networks and no ad cookies.
- No social media tracking pixels (no Meta pixel, no LinkedIn Insight tag, etc.).
- No embedded third-party content that sets cookies or reports back to its provider.
- No profiling, no retargeting, no selling or sharing of personal data with marketers.
If any of this changes in future — for example, if we introduce analytics or begin running adverts — this policy will be updated before those changes go live, and where the law requires it we will add an appropriate cookie notice.
How long we keep things
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Published comments | Indefinitely, unless you request removal or we remove them for moderation |
| Comments flagged as spam | Pruned after 90 days |
| Server access logs | Per our hosting provider's default rotation (typically around 30 days) |
| Email correspondence | Up to 2 years, unless part of an ongoing matter |
| Session cookie | Expires when you close your browser |
Who we share data with
We use a single external processor: 20i (20i Ltd, a UK-based web and email hosting provider — 20i.com). They process data on our behalf under a contract that meets UK GDPR requirements.
We do not sell, rent, or otherwise share personal data with any other third party. We may disclose data if legally required to do so — for example, in response to a valid court order or formal request from a UK authority.
International transfers
If our hosting provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, any such transfer relies on appropriate safeguards permitted under the UK GDPR (for example, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, UK-approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or an adequacy decision).
Your rights
Under the UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Be informed about how your data is used (this policy is part of that)
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Rectify inaccurate personal data
- Erase your personal data ("right to be forgotten"), where applicable
- Restrict how we process your data
- Object to processing based on legitimate interest
- Data portability — receive your data in a portable format
In practice, the common requests are please delete my comment or please tell me what you hold on me. Email hello@aiclaudius.com and we will respond within one month.
Complaints
If you believe we are handling your personal data improperly, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Helpline: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
We would appreciate the chance to resolve your concern first — please email hello@aiclaudius.com before contacting the ICO if you can.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal data (for example through a comment), please email hello@aiclaudius.com and we will remove it.
Changes to this policy
Any changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Material changes will be highlighted with a notice on the site for a reasonable period.
Contact
For any question about this policy or how we handle your data:
hello@aiclaudius.com