Privacy Policy

Last updated: 26 September 2026

8-Bit Architecture (“we”, “us”, “our”) publishes 8bitarchitect.net, a website about vintage computing and video game history. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit the site or sign up for our newsletter, why we collect it, and what rights you have over it.

We’re a small, independent site, and we collect as little as we can.

1. Who we are

8-Bit Architecture, trading as “8-Bit Architecture” / “8bitarchitect.net”, is responsible for your data. For any privacy question, email george@8bitarchitect.net.

2. What we collect

Newsletter. If you sign up for The 8-Bit Architect Weekly, we collect your email address and, if you choose to give it, your first name. We only use your name to say hello at the top of each email. Our email provider, Mailchimp, also records the date, time and IP address of your signup, as a record that you asked to join. You’ll get a welcome email when you sign up, then one email a week, and every email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom.

Mailchimp tells us when an email is opened and which links in it are clicked. It does this with a tiny image inside the email and with links that pass through its servers. We use these figures to see which stories readers find useful. If you’d rather your opens weren’t counted, set your email app not to load images automatically.

We keep your details for as long as you’re subscribed. When you unsubscribe, Mailchimp keeps your email address on a “do not email” list so you’re never sent anything by mistake. If you’d like it erased completely, email us.

If you reply to one of our emails, the reply comes to our inbox and we treat it like a contact form message.

Contact form. If you use the contact form on the site, we collect your name, email address and message, so we can reply to you. It’s sent straight to our inbox, and it isn’t added to the newsletter or shared with anyone else. We keep these messages for as long as we need to deal with your enquiry, and for a reasonable time afterwards in case you follow up.

Analytics. We use Google Analytics to see which articles and pages people read, how they found us and roughly where in the world they are. It only runs if you accept “Statistics” cookies in the cookie banner. It uses two cookies, _ga and one starting _ga_, to tell a returning visitor from a new one. Google Analytics doesn’t store your IP address, and we don’t use it to identify you. Google keeps this data for up to 14 months.

Cookies. Our cookie consent tool (WPConsent) asks your permission before any non-essential cookie is set, and saves a small cookie to remember your choice. At the moment the only non-essential cookies on the site are the Google Analytics ones above. You can change your mind at any time with the “Cookie settings” link in the site footer.

Search engine data. We use Google Search Console to see how the site performs in search results, for example which searches lead people to us and how often. This is aggregated data about searches, and it doesn’t identify you.

Server logs. Like almost every website, our hosting provider (Ionos) automatically logs basic technical information, such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested, for security and reliability. We don’t use it to track individuals.

3. Not active yet

Two things are planned but not running:

• Advertising: display ads (for example Google AdSense) are a longer-term plan, several months away at least.
• Affiliate links: links to retro hardware and parts retailers that may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. They’ll be clearly marked where used.

We’ll update this policy before either goes live.

4. Why we process this data (legal basis)

• Newsletter, including open and click counts: your consent, given when you tick the box on the signup form. You can withdraw it at any time with the unsubscribe link in any email, or by emailing us.
• Contact form: your consent, given when you send the form.
• Analytics and other non-essential cookies: your consent, given in the cookie banner. Strictly necessary cookies, like the one that remembers your cookie choice, don’t need consent.
• Search Console and server logs: our legitimate interest in keeping the site secure and understanding how people find it.

5. Who we share data with

We don’t sell or rent your data. It’s handled by the service providers who help us run the site, each under its own privacy policy:

• Ionos: web hosting.
• Mailchimp (Intuit): sends the newsletter and stores the subscriber list. Mailchimp is based in the United States. Your data is transferred there under the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which Mailchimp is certified under, with Standard Contractual Clauses as a fallback.
• Google: Google Analytics (only if you accept it) and Search Console. Google is also certified under the Data Privacy Framework for data transferred to the United States.

6. Your rights

If you’re in the UK or EU, you have the right to access, correct or delete the personal data we hold about you, to object to or restrict some processing, and to withdraw your consent at any time. To do any of these, email george@8bitarchitect.net. For the newsletter, the unsubscribe link in any email works too. If you’re not happy with our response, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk) or your local data protection authority.

7. Children’s privacy

This site isn’t aimed at children, and we don’t knowingly collect data from anyone under 13.

8. Changes to this policy

We’ll update this page whenever what we collect changes, and always before advertising or affiliate links go live. The date at the top shows when it last changed.

9. Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: george@8bitarchitect.net.