The Watcher’s Defence

The Standing Disclosure

Privacy Policy

What the site collects, what it does not, and the reader’s rights.

Last updated: 14 May 2026

The Watcher’s Defence (the “site”) is operated by its editorial office (the “editors,” “we,” or “us”) at thewatchersdefence.com. This policy explains what data the site collects, how that data is used, who else handles it, and what choices the reader (“you”) has. The policy is written to be readable in addition to compliant.

The short version

  • The site does not run user accounts. You do not register.
  • If you subscribe to the newsletter, the site stores your email address to send you the newsletter. Nothing else.
  • If you send a contact form, the site stores your message and any address you provide so the editors can reply. Nothing else.
  • The site uses standard web traffic analytics, advertising cookies (Google AdSense), and affiliate tracking (Amazon Associates). These are explained in detail below.
  • The site does not sell your personal information.
  • The site is not directed to children under 13.

What the site collects directly

Newsletter subscription

If you submit the newsletter form (“Receive the Watcher’s Signal”), the email address you submit is stored by Netlify Forms (our hosting provider’s form-handling service) and is used by the editors to send the periodic newsletter. The address is not sold, traded, or shared with any third party for marketing purposes. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email. To request deletion of an address from the list outside of unsubscribe, write to the editors via the contact page.

Contact form

If you submit the contact form, the message text, any name you provide, and your email address are stored by Netlify Forms and delivered to the editors. The editors retain the correspondence for editorial reference. The contents are not shared with any third party and are not used for marketing. To request deletion, write to the editors at the same contact channel.

Cookies and tracking technologies used on the site

The site uses cookies and similar technologies for three purposes: analytics, advertising, and affiliate attribution. Each is described below.

Google AdSense and the DoubleClick cookie

The site is a participant in the Google AdSense advertising program. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on the site. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables Google and its partners to serve ads to users based on visits to this and other sites on the Internet, including the use of the DoubleClick DART cookie.

You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings page. You may also opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting the aboutads.info opt-out page or, for European users, the Your Online Choices portal.

Google’s privacy practices, including the data Google collects when it serves ads on this site, are described in the Google advertising policies and the Google Privacy Policy. The editors do not control Google’s data practices and refer the reader to Google’s own disclosures for the authoritative account.

Amazon Associates

The Watcher’s Defence is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When you click an affiliate link on this site and complete a qualifying action on Amazon (a purchase, a free-trial sign-up for Audible, Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Prime, or comparable program), Amazon attributes the action to the site through cookies set on your device by Amazon’s servers. The site earns a small commission on the qualifying action. This does not increase the price you pay.

The site does not see your purchase details. Amazon reports to the site only aggregated commission and click data. Amazon’s own privacy policy governs the data Amazon collects when you visit Amazon through a site link: Amazon Privacy Notice.

Analytics

The site may use privacy-respecting analytics (such as those provided by Netlify, the site’s hosting provider) to understand which pages are visited, in aggregate. These analytics do not identify individual readers and do not require cookies in the form Netlify currently provides. If the site later adopts a third-party analytics service that uses cookies, this policy will be updated to reflect that change before deployment.

Essential site cookies

The site does not use cookies for essential functionality. The newsletter form and contact form are submitted via Netlify Forms without setting tracking cookies on your device.

Server logs

Like virtually every web server, the site’s host (Netlify) maintains standard server access logs. These typically include the IP address from which a request originated, the page requested, the response code, the user-agent string, and the referring page. Netlify uses these logs for security, abuse prevention, and operational diagnostics. The editors do not use server logs to track individual readers.

Third parties at a glance

The following third parties handle data on behalf of the site:

Your rights under GDPR (European readers)

If you are accessing the site from the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you certain rights with respect to data the site holds about you:

  • The right of access — you may request a copy of what the site holds about you.
  • The right of rectification — you may request that inaccurate information be corrected.
  • The right of erasure — you may request that your information be deleted.
  • The right to restrict processing — you may request that we limit how your information is used.
  • The right to data portability — you may request a copy in a portable format.
  • The right to object — you may object to certain kinds of processing, including direct marketing.
  • The right to withdraw consent — where the site relies on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, write to the editors via the contact page. The editors aim to respond to verified requests within thirty days. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe the site has handled your data unlawfully.

Your rights under CCPA (California readers)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides additional rights, including the right to know what personal information has been collected, the right to delete personal information, the right to opt out of any sale of personal information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. The site does not sell personal information. To exercise any of your CCPA rights, write to the editors via the contact page.

Children

The site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and the editors do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to the site, please write to the editors so that the information may be removed. Some material on the site (the demonological reference, the discernment-of-spirits material, the more frank passages of the modern attack vector pages) is suitable for older teenagers and adults, and parents may wish to exercise their own judgement before directing younger readers to the site.

Security

The site is served exclusively over HTTPS. Form submissions are transmitted to Netlify over encrypted connections. The editors take reasonable measures to protect data, but no transmission over the Internet is fully secure, and the editors cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to this policy

The editors may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in the site’s practices, the services it uses, or the law. The “last updated” date at the top of the page will reflect the most recent revision. Material changes will be flagged at the top of the page for a reasonable interval after the change.

Contact about privacy

For any question about this policy, or to exercise any of the rights described above, write to the editors via the contact page. The editors will direct privacy correspondence to the editor responsible for data governance and aim to respond promptly.