Legal / Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how TheBuilt collects, uses, stores, shares, protects, and deletes information when you use the-built.com, contact us, follow the site, interact with content, or use related services.
Effective date: June 24, 2026. Last updated: June 24, 2026.
Important: This policy is drafted to be clear and protective. It is not legal advice and should be reviewed by a qualified attorney for your exact jurisdiction, data stack, plugins, analytics, email systems, and business model.
1. Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to TheBuilt, available at https://the-built.com, including published articles, category pages, contact pages, legal pages, forms, comments if enabled, subscription or follow features, embedded content, analytics, security tools, and related website operations.
By accessing or using the website, you acknowledge that personal information may be processed as described in this policy. If you do not agree with this policy, do not submit personal information through the website.
2. Data controller and contact
The website is operated under the brand TheBuilt. For privacy-related requests, contact:
Email: thebuiltmedia@gmail.com
Website: https://the-built.com/contact/
For GDPR/UK GDPR purposes, TheBuilt may act as the data controller for information it decides to collect and use directly, such as contact messages, follow requests, and editorial correspondence. Certain service providers, including WordPress.com/Automattic and related infrastructure providers, may act as independent controllers or processors depending on the service involved.
3. Information we collect
Information you voluntarily provide
- Name or display name, if submitted.
- Email address, if submitted through contact, follow, subscription, comment, or other forms.
- Message content, inquiry details, correction requests, collaboration details, or other information you send.
- Any links, attachments, business information, or context you voluntarily include in a message.
- Comment content and related metadata, if comments are enabled.
Information collected automatically
- IP address or approximate location data derived from IP address.
- Browser type, device type, operating system, language, referring URLs, pages visited, timestamps, and interaction data.
- Security logs, spam detection data, server logs, and anti-abuse signals.
- Cookie identifiers, analytics identifiers, and similar technologies where applicable.
Information we do not intentionally request
Do not submit sensitive personal information unless specifically requested and necessary. This includes government ID numbers, financial account details, health data, precise location data, biometric data, login credentials, private family information, or confidential business secrets.
4. How we use information and legal bases
TheBuilt may use personal information for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Examples | Potential legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Operate the website | Hosting, displaying pages, routing forms, maintaining site functionality. | Legitimate interests; contract where applicable. |
| Respond to messages | Answering questions, collaboration requests, support requests, corrections. | Legitimate interests; consent; pre-contract steps where applicable. |
| Send requested updates | Follow notifications, email updates, or subscription-related messages. | Consent; legitimate interests where permitted. |
| Improve content and performance | Analytics, aggregate usage trends, technical diagnostics. | Legitimate interests; consent where required. |
| Security and abuse prevention | Spam prevention, bot detection, fraud prevention, system monitoring. | Legitimate interests; legal obligations. |
| Legal compliance | Responding to lawful requests, enforcing rights, record keeping. | Legal obligation; legitimate interests. |
Where consent is required, you may withdraw consent at any time, subject to lawful processing that occurred before withdrawal.
5. Cookies, analytics, logs, and tracking technologies
The website and its service providers may use cookies, pixels, local storage, server logs, and similar technologies to operate the site, remember preferences, measure traffic, understand content performance, protect against abuse, and deliver embedded functionality.
Cookie categories may include:
- Strictly necessary cookies: required for site operation, security, forms, session management, or login features.
- Analytics/performance cookies: used to understand site usage and improve content.
- Preference cookies: used to remember user choices where applicable.
- Embedded content cookies: placed by third-party media or content providers when embedded content is loaded.
Your browser may allow you to block, delete, or limit cookies. Blocking cookies may affect site functionality.
6. WordPress.com, Automattic, Jetpack, and other service providers
TheBuilt is operated through WordPress-related infrastructure and may use WordPress.com, Automattic, Jetpack, hosting, spam protection, analytics, email, search, forms, security, and media-delivery services. These providers may process technical, usage, and interaction data to deliver their services, protect the site, and provide statistics or operational functionality.
The website may also contain embedded content, links, images, scripts, forms, or services from third parties. Embedded content from other websites may behave as if you visited the third-party website directly and may collect information according to that third party’s own privacy policy.
TheBuilt is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites, platforms, plugins, processors, or services that it does not control.
7. How information may be shared
TheBuilt does not sell personal information in exchange for money. Personal information may be shared only in limited circumstances:
- With hosting, infrastructure, security, analytics, email, form, or website service providers.
- With professional advisers, legal counsel, accountants, or compliance support where necessary.
- When required by law, subpoena, court order, governmental request, or lawful process.
- To protect rights, security, users, property, site integrity, or prevent abuse.
- In connection with a business transfer, merger, reorganization, sale, or similar transaction involving the site or brand.
- With consent or at your direction.
Where applicable privacy law treats certain analytics, advertising, or cross-context tracking as a “sale,” “sharing,” or targeted advertising, you may have opt-out rights depending on your jurisdiction and the tools active on the site.
8. Data retention
TheBuilt keeps personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
| Data type | Typical retention approach |
|---|---|
| Contact messages | Kept as long as needed to respond, maintain records, resolve disputes, or manage relationships. |
| Follow/subscription records | Kept until you unsubscribe, request deletion, or the service account is removed, subject to provider records. |
| Security logs | Kept for a limited period needed for abuse prevention, diagnostics, and legal protection. |
| Analytics data | Kept in aggregate or provider-managed systems according to provider settings and business need. |
| Legal records | Kept as necessary to comply with laws, enforce terms, resolve disputes, or protect rights. |
9. Your privacy rights
Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal information. These may include:
- Right to know whether personal information is processed.
- Right to access personal information.
- Right to correct inaccurate personal information.
- Right to request deletion.
- Right to object to or restrict certain processing.
- Right to data portability.
- Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
- Right to opt out of certain sales, sharing, profiling, or targeted advertising where applicable.
- Right not to be discriminated against for exercising legally protected privacy rights.
To exercise privacy rights, email thebuiltmedia@gmail.com with the subject line Privacy Request. TheBuilt may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. If a request relates to data controlled by a third-party platform, you may need to contact that provider directly.
EEA / UK users
If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, GDPR/UK GDPR rights may apply. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
California and other U.S. state privacy rights
If you are a resident of California or another U.S. state with applicable privacy laws, you may have rights to know, access, delete, correct, opt out of certain uses, and limit certain sensitive data processing, depending on whether the law applies to TheBuilt. TheBuilt does not knowingly sell personal information for money.
10. International transfers
TheBuilt may be operated from one jurisdiction while service providers, hosting systems, email tools, analytics tools, and infrastructure may process data in other countries. By using the website, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in countries that may have different privacy laws than your location.
11. Data security
TheBuilt uses reasonable technical, organizational, and administrative measures intended to protect information. However, no website, email transmission, hosting platform, plugin, database, or internet-connected system can be guaranteed completely secure. You submit information at your own risk.
12. Children’s privacy
TheBuilt is not directed to children under 16 and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact TheBuilt and reasonable steps will be taken to delete it where required.
13. Affiliate links, advertising, and commercial disclosures
TheBuilt may publish affiliate links, sponsored references, product mentions, or commercial content. Affiliate tracking may involve cookies or similar technologies controlled by third-party providers. See the Affiliate Disclosure for more information.
14. AI, automation, and editorial operations
TheBuilt may use software, automation, AI-assisted tools, or workflow systems to support drafting, editing, publishing, site operations, research organization, or administrative workflows. Do not submit confidential, sensitive, privileged, or highly personal information unless expressly requested.
15. Do Not Track and browser signals
Some browsers provide Do Not Track or privacy preference signals. TheBuilt’s response to those signals depends on the tools and providers active on the site. Where legally required and technically supported, opt-out or consent signals may be honored by relevant systems.
16. Changes to this policy
TheBuilt may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date. Continued use of the website after updates means you acknowledge the revised policy.
17. Contact
Privacy questions, data requests, and concerns should be sent to:
Email: thebuiltmedia@gmail.com
Contact page: https://the-built.com/contact/
Privacy standard
Clear data. Clear rights. Clear contact path.
For privacy requests, use the contact email and include enough information to identify the request.