What this site is
Gorden Web Design (gordenwebdesign.com) is a one-person web design and AI-built-site operation run by Douglas Gorden Jr. This site is the studio’s portfolio, learning center, and contact point. It does not run advertising networks, sell user data, or operate any marketplace. It runs WordPress with a small number of self-hosted plugins and a contact form.
This page explains what information the site collects, what it does with that information, and the choices you have. It is written in plain English on purpose. If anything here is unclear, get in touch and Douglas will answer directly.
Information collected automatically
When you load any page on this site, the web server records a standard access log. Each log entry contains:
- Your IP address (used by the server to send the response back to you)
- The page you requested
- The time of the request
- The user agent string your browser sends
- The referring URL, if any
These logs are kept on the server for up to 30 days for operational reasons (debugging, rate limiting, abuse prevention). They are not sold, shared with third parties, or used for advertising. After 30 days the logs are deleted on a rolling basis.
Cookies
This site uses a small number of strictly necessary cookies. It does not use analytics, advertising, or cross-site tracking cookies. The cookies that may be set are:
- WordPress session cookie — set when you submit the contact form. It preserves your form state across the submission and prevents cross-site request forgery. It expires when you close your browser.
- Rate-limit cookie — a short-lived cookie used to enforce a per-IP cap on contact form submissions. It expires after one hour.
That is the complete list. No Google Analytics, no Meta Pixel, no HubSpot tracking, no Hotjar, no third-party cookies of any kind.
Information you submit
The contact form on the Contact page collects the fields you fill in: your name, email address, and the message body. The form uses a honeypot field (hidden from humans) to catch automated bots.
When you submit the form, the information is sent to the studio’s email inbox at douglas@gordenwebdesign.com and to a small database that backs the contact form. The data is held on the same server that runs this site. It is not shared with any third party.
Affiliate links
Some pages on this site (the Learning Center guides, in particular) contain affiliate links to external retailers and service providers. The retailers include Amazon Associates, Hostinger, and ClickBank via Rakuten. When you click one of these links and make a purchase, the retailer may set its own cookies and may share order information back with the affiliate program. That is governed by the retailer’s own privacy policy, not this one.
The studio earns a small commission on qualifying purchases. The presence of an affiliate link does not change the price you pay. Affiliate and referral links are always disclosed on the page where they appear.
If you email the studio directly (douglas@gordenwebdesign.com), your email and its contents are received by the studio’s email provider. The studio uses a standard IMAP/SMTP email service. Emails are retained on the server for operational reliability and are not shared with any third party.
The studio does not maintain a marketing mailing list. If you sign up for one in the future, you will be asked for explicit consent and given an unsubscribe link in every message.
Third-party services
The site uses a small number of third-party services to operate. Each one is selected for the smallest possible data footprint:
- Hostinger — web hosting. The site runs on Hostinger’s shared platform. Hostinger’s server logs cover the access logs described above.
- Cloudflare — DNS and CDN. Cloudflare caches static assets and serves them from edge nodes. Cloudflare’s own privacy policy applies to traffic it processes.
- Email provider — standard IMAP/SMTP service for douglas@gordenwebdesign.com.
The site does not embed third-party widgets, social-share buttons, fonts, or trackers. There is no Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or X/Twitter pixel on any page.
Children’s privacy
This site is not directed at children under 13. The studio does not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information through the contact form, email douglas@gordenwebdesign.com and the studio will delete it.
Your rights and choices
You can at any time:
- Ask what information the studio holds about you (access request)
- Ask the studio to correct or delete that information (deletion / correction request)
- Withdraw consent for any optional processing
- Complain to a data protection authority if you believe the studio has mishandled your information
Send any of these requests to douglas@gordenwebdesign.com. The studio replies within 7 business days.
Data retention
Summary of how long things are kept:
- Server access logs — up to 30 days, then deleted on a rolling basis
- Contact form submissions — kept while the studio is in active correspondence with you; deleted on request or after 24 months of inactivity
- Direct emails — kept on the email server indefinitely unless you request deletion
Security
The site uses HTTPS via TLS for all traffic. The contact form is protected against CSRF and includes a honeypot plus per-IP rate limiting. The server is patched on a regular schedule. There is no perfect security, but the studio applies reasonable care to the data it holds.
If you discover a security issue on this site, please email douglas@gordenwebdesign.com. The studio responds to security reports within 48 hours.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes materially, the studio will update the effective date at the top of this page and, for substantial changes, post a notice on the homepage. Small editorial corrections (typos, clarifications) do not trigger a notice.
Contact
Questions, complaints, or data requests: douglas@gordenwebdesign.com. Postal mail is accepted at the address listed on the Contact page.