Privacy Policy
Last updated August 28, 2026
This policy explains what The Backyard Vault collects when you use thebackyardvault.com, why, and what you can do about it. We collect as little as we can and we do not sell your data.
Who we are
The Backyard Vault operates this website. For any privacy question, contact mikekoltas@gmail.com.
What we collect
Information you give us
- Email address, when you subscribe to the Backyard Project Planner or our updates. Handled through Hostinger Reach.
- Order and billing information, when you buy a digital product: name, email, billing address and the details needed to process payment. Handled through WooCommerce and our payment processor. We do not store your full card number.
- Message content, when you use a contact form: your name, email and whatever you write to us.
Information collected automatically
- Server logs, kept by our host for security and troubleshooting: IP address, browser type, pages requested, timestamps.
- Affiliate referral data, through the affiliate networks we belong to, currently including Impact. When you follow one of our links to a retailer, a cookie records that the referral came from us so the retailer can attribute any resulting sale. We see reporting on clicks and commissions, not on you personally.
- Cookies and similar technologies, including cookies set by WooCommerce to keep your cart and session working, by our caching layer, and by conversion tracking. See our Cookie Policy.
What we do not collect
We do not ask for or want sensitive personal information. Do not send us health, financial or government identification details through a contact form.
Why we use it
- To send you the free planner and the updates you asked for, and nothing else you did not.
- To deliver, support and provide access to digital products you bought.
- To reply to you when you contact us.
- To keep the site secure, working and reasonably fast.
- To understand which content and products are useful, in aggregate.
Where the UK GDPR or EU GDPR applies to you, our lawful bases are consent for marketing email and non-essential cookies, performance of a contract for orders and downloads, and legitimate interests for site security and aggregate analytics.
Who we share it with
We share personal information only with the service providers that make the site work, and only so far as they need it. These currently include our hosting provider, our email delivery platform, our ecommerce platform and our payment processor. We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or to protect our rights.
We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising as those terms are defined under California law.
How long we keep it
Subscriber email addresses are kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them. Order records are kept as long as tax and accounting law requires. Contact form messages are kept while they are useful and then deleted. Server logs rotate on our host’s schedule.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to show you what we hold, correct it, delete it, or stop emailing you. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and it works.
If you are in the EEA or UK, you also have rights to restrict or object to processing, to data portability, and to complain to your supervisory authority. If you are in California, you have rights to know, delete, correct and opt out, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising them.
To make any request, email mikekoltas@gmail.com. We may need to confirm who you are before we act.
Children
This site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Security and transfers
The site is served over HTTPS and we take reasonable measures to protect the information we hold. No website can promise perfect security. Our service providers are based in the United States, so information may be processed there.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update the date above. Material changes will be flagged on the site.