Short version: I collect as little as I can, I don’t sell any of it, and Scout itself doesn’t phone home.
What I collect on this site
When you use the contact form or join the mailing list, I get what you type: your name, your email address, and your message. It’s stored in this site’s database so I can read it and write back.
When you visit, my host and the Jetpack plugin record ordinary traffic information: which pages were viewed, roughly what country the visit came from, what site sent you here, what browser you used. I look at it to see which posts people actually read. I don’t use it to build a profile of you.
Spam filtering. Form submissions and comments are checked by Akismet, which means their contents get sent to Automattic to be compared against a spam database. That’s how the junk gets caught before it reaches me.
Who else can see it. This site is hosted by HostGator, and Jetpack and Akismet are made by Automattic. Data passing through their systems is handled under their own privacy policies, not just mine.
What I don’t do
- I don’t sell your information. Not to anyone, not ever.
- I don’t run advertising trackers on this site.
- I don’t put you on a mailing list you didn’t ask to be on.
If you’re on the Scout mailing list, it’s because you ticked a box asking to be. Every email I send has an unsubscribe link and it works right away. If you’d rather just tell me, tell me, and I’ll take you off.
The Scout device
Scout works offline. There’s no account to make, no app to install, and it doesn’t send anything back to me. Your tracks and waypoints are files on your own SD card. If you want me to see one, you have to send it to me on purpose.
Cookies
WordPress sets cookies to keep you signed in if you have an account here, and to remember your details if you leave a comment. Jetpack’s stats may set some too.
Getting your data back, or deleted
Write to me through the contact page and say what you want. If you ask me to delete what I have about you, I’ll delete it and tell you when it’s gone. You don’t have to give me a reason.
Changes
If I change this page, I’ll change the date below.
Last updated 29 August 2026.