Last updated: 3 October 2026
This privacy policy explains what information Gradient (“we”, “us”) collects when you use www.gradientco.net, how we use it, who we share it with and the choices you have. You can read Gradient without creating an account or telling us who you are.
If you have a question about this policy or your information, email us at info@gradientco.net.
Information we collect
When you visit the site
Like most websites, our hosting provider and security tools automatically record technical information when you load a page. This includes your IP address, browser and device type, the page you asked for, the page that referred you, and the date and time. We use it to deliver pages, keep the site secure and fix errors.
Cookies and similar technologies
We and our partners use cookies and similar technologies for advertising, analytics, measuring ad performance and protecting against invalid ad clicks. The cookies section below explains each type and how to control them.
When you contact us
If you email us, we receive your email address, your name if you include it, and whatever you write. We use it only to reply and to keep a record of the conversation.
When you comment
If comments are open on an article and you leave one, we collect the name, email address and website you enter, your comment, and your IP address and browser details to help detect spam. Your name, website and comment are shown publicly; your email address is not. WordPress may send a scrambled version of your email address (a hash) to the Gravatar service to check whether you have a profile picture there. Gravatar’s privacy policy is at automattic.com/privacy.
Writers and editors
People who write or edit for Gradient have a user account. We store their name, email address, username, an encrypted password and their public author bio. Sign-in codes for two-factor authentication are sent to their account email address.
Email updates
If we offer an email newsletter and you sign up, we store your email address and subscription status until you unsubscribe. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.
We do not ask for sensitive information such as health details, financial account numbers or government ID numbers, and we ask you not to include them in emails or comments.
How we use information
- To publish the site and show you the pages you ask for
- To keep the site, its accounts and our advertisers safe from abuse, spam, invalid ad clicks and attacks
- To understand which articles are read and improve them
- To show ads that fund the site, as described below
- To reply to your messages and comments
- To comply with the law and respond to lawful requests
Advertising
Gradient is free to read because it shows ads served by Google AdSense.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
- Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
- You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at www.aboutads.info.
- If you opt out, you will still see ads, but they will be based on the page you are reading and your general location rather than your interests.
Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are shown a consent message from Google before personalised ads and related cookies are used, and can choose not to allow them. Google explains how it uses information from sites that show its ads at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
We use a plugin that records IP addresses and counts ad clicks so that repeated or automated clicks on ads can be blocked. This information is used only for that purpose and is not used to identify you.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics, connected through Google Site Kit, to see how many people visit, which pages they read and how they found us. Google Analytics uses cookies and receives your IP address, which Google uses to estimate your general location. We see this information only in aggregated reports. You can stop Google Analytics from collecting your visits with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored in your browser. These are the types used on this site:
| Type | Set by | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Gradient (WordPress) | Keeps writers and editors signed in and, if you ask the comment form to, remembers your name and email |
| Advertising | Google and its partners (for example __gads, __gpi, IDE) | Shows ads, limits how often you see the same ad, measures ad performance and, where allowed, personalises ads |
| Consent | Google (for example FCCDCF, FCNEC) | Stores the choice you made in the consent message |
| Analytics | Google Analytics (for example _ga) | Counts visits and shows how readers use the site |
| Ad click protection | Gradient | Counts clicks on ads to block invalid clicks |
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking all cookies may stop parts of the site from working. If you clear this site’s cookies, the consent message will appear again where it applies, so you can make a new choice.
Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information only with:
- Service providers that run the site for us: our web host and its content delivery network, which store the site and deliver pages; Gravatar for profile pictures; and Unsplash, which serves some photos in our articles directly from its own servers, so your browser connects to Unsplash when you view them
- Google, for advertising, analytics and the consent message, as described above
- Authorities, when the law requires it or to protect the rights, safety or property of Gradient, our readers or others
- A new owner, if Gradient is ever sold or transferred, who would have to follow this policy
Some laws in the United States treat the use of advertising cookies for personalised ads as “sharing” personal information. You can opt out of personalised ads at any time using the links in the Advertising section.
Where your information is processed
Our hosting provider stores the site on servers in the United Kingdom and delivers pages through servers around the world. Google processes information in the United States and other countries. These countries may have different data protection rules from yours. Where the law requires it, our providers use approved safeguards for these transfers.
How long we keep information
- Server and security logs: a limited time, set by our host and security tools
- Emails you send us: as long as needed to deal with your message
- Comments: for as long as the comment is published, unless you ask us to remove it
- Analytics data: according to the retention period set in Google Analytics
- Writer and editor accounts: until the account is closed
Your choices and rights
You can opt out of personalised ads and analytics using the links above. You can also email info@gradientco.net to ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it, for example to remove a comment. We may need to confirm it is you before acting, and we will reply within one month.
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you also have the right to object to or restrict how we use your information, to receive it in a portable format, and to complain to your local data protection authority. We rely on your consent for advertising and analytics cookies where the law requires it, and on our legitimate interests to run and secure the site and reply to messages. You can withdraw consent at any time.
Children
Gradient is written for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email us and we will delete it.
How we protect information
The site is served only over encrypted HTTPS connections. Administrator and editor accounts use two-factor authentication, and we take backups and use security tools to check for problems. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Links to other websites
Our articles link to other websites, such as the sources we cite. Their privacy practices are their own, so please read their policies when you visit them.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when our practices change and change the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will make it clear on the site.
Contact us
Email info@gradientco.net or use our contact page.