PRIVACY POLICY

LAST UPDATED: 29 JULY 2026

Areas Grey is operated by Adam Middleton trading as Areas Grey.

This Privacy Policy explains how Areas Grey collects, uses and protects personal information when you use this website, contact Areas Grey, download a free Areas Grey File or purchase a digital product through the Areas Grey Payhip store.

Contact Details

For privacy-related questions, contact: A.Grey@AreasGrey.com

WHAT INFORMATION AREAS GREY COLLECTS

Areas Grey may collect personal information when you submit an enquiry through the contact form or contact Areas Grey directly by email.

This may include:

your name;
your email address;
your enquiry type;
your message;
whether your enquiry is time-sensitive;
confirmation that you understand the sensitive-information notice;
confirmation that Areas Grey may use your details to review and respond to your enquiry;
any other information you choose to include in your message.

Please avoid sending precise sensitive-location details, protected-site information, ownership details, access routes or sensitive material in an initial enquiry unless necessary.

STORE, DOWNLOADS AND PAYMENT PLATFORMS

Areas Grey uses Payhip to provide its online store, checkout system and digital-file delivery. Stripe is used to process card payments, refunds and related payment-security checks.

When you request a free download or purchase an Areas Grey File, Payhip may collect information including your email address, country or general location, the product requested, order value, taxes or discounts applied, payment status, download activity and responses to required checkout questions.

Areas Grey may receive and retain relevant customer and order information from Payhip where necessary to fulfil the order, provide access, respond to enquiries, maintain financial records, issue refunds, handle disputes, prevent misuse and administer Areas Grey Files.

Payment-card information is processed by Stripe. Areas Grey does not directly receive or store your full payment-card details.

Payhip and Stripe process information under their own privacy policies and may use service providers or processing locations outside the United Kingdom subject to their own legal safeguards.

HOW AREAS GREY USES THIS INFORMATION

Areas Grey uses enquiry information to:

read, assess and respond to enquiries;
decide whether a historical lead, research question, media request, collaboration or project idea is relevant;
keep a basic record of correspondence;
handle sensitive location, ownership, access or research details responsibly where relevant;
protect active research, vulnerable places or people where necessary.
manage downloads, respond to customer enquiries, maintain records and administer Areas Grey Files or other digital products.
fulfil orders and provide download access;
provide customer support and restore legitimate access;
issue corrections, replacements, refunds or price reductions where appropriate;
maintain accounting, tax and transaction records;
investigate fraud, misuse, disputes or chargebacks;
administer and enforce the Areas Grey Files personal-use licence;
comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

Areas Grey does not use enquiry information for marketing mailing lists unless you separately choose to sign up to one in future.

LAWFUL BASIS FOR USING PERSONAL INFORMATION

Areas Grey relies on different lawful bases depending on how information is used:

Contract: where processing is necessary to provide a requested download, complete a purchase, deliver a file, maintain access or respond to an order-related request.
Legal obligation: where information must be kept or used for accounting, tax, consumer-protection, fraud-prevention or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: for managing correspondence, operating Areas Grey, protecting publications and research, preventing misuse, handling disputes and maintaining effective business records.

Consent: where someone separately chooses to receive optional marketing communications or agrees to another voluntary use of their information.

Downloading or purchasing an Areas Grey File does not automatically subscribe the customer to marketing communications.

GOOGLE FORMS AND GOOGLE SERVICES

The enquiry form is provided through Google Forms and embedded on this website. Information submitted through the form is handled using Google services.

Google may process technical and form-related data as part of providing those services. Areas Grey does not control Google’s own platform-level processing.

WHO PERSONAL INFORMATION IS SHARED WITH

Areas Grey does not routinely sell, rent or share personal information with third parties.

Information may be shared only where necessary, for example:

with Google as the provider of Google Forms and related services;
with a trusted collaborator where this is necessary to respond to a relevant enquiry;
where required by law;
where necessary to protect people, historical sites, ownership details, vulnerable locations or active research.

Where possible, sensitive information will be kept broad or withheld unless there is a clear reason to share it.

Information may also be processed or shared where necessary with:

Payhip, as the ecommerce and digital-delivery platform;
Stripe, as the payment processor;
accountants, insurers or professional advisers where reasonably necessary;
HM Revenue & Customs, regulators, courts or law-enforcement bodies where legally required.

HOW LONG INFORMATION IS KEPT

General enquiries may be kept for up to 24 months, then deleted if no longer needed.

Information connected to an active project, research lead, collaboration, publication, dispute, legal issue or sensitive historical matter may be kept for longer where reasonably necessary.

Order, payment, refund and accounting records will normally be retained for at least the period required for tax and business records. For a self-employed business, this is generally at least five years after the relevant 31 January Self Assessment submission deadline.

Records may be retained longer where reasonably necessary for continuing download access, fraud prevention, disputes, legal claims or regulatory obligations.

Payhip and Stripe apply their own retention policies to information processed through their services.

You may request deletion of your personal information, although some information may need to be retained where there is a legitimate reason to do so.

ANALYTICS AND COOKIES

Areas Grey may use basic technical tools required to operate the website and embedded forms.

Areas Grey may use analytics tools in future to understand general site traffic and improve the website. If analytics are added, this Privacy Policy will be updated to explain what is collected and how it is used.

Google Sites and embedded Google services may use cookies and technical data to deliver the website, operate embedded forms and analyse traffic as part of Google’s platform services.

Areas Grey currently uses Payhip for ecommerce and digital-file delivery and Stripe for payment processing. Areas Grey is not currently using a separate mailing list or additional marketing analytics system. If additional analytics, tracking or mailing-list services are introduced, this Privacy Policy will be updated.

YOUR RIGHTS

Under UK data protection law, you may have rights including the right to:

ask for a copy of personal information held about you;
ask for inaccurate information to be corrected;
ask for personal information to be deleted in some circumstances;
ask for the use of your information to be restricted in some circumstances;
object to the use of your information in some circumstances;
ask to receive certain information in a portable format where that right applies;
withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent.
complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your information is handled.

To make a privacy request, contact:

A.Grey@AreasGrey.com

COMPLAINTS

If you have concerns about how Areas Grey handles personal information, please contact Areas Grey first so the issue can be reviewed.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK data protection regulator.

UPDATES TO THIS POLICY

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time, especially if Areas Grey changes how the website, contact forms, analytics, store, mailing list or other services operate.

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