Privacy Policy
Last updated: Oct 18, 2026
This policy explains what information is collected when you visit ananthpranav.com (the "site"), how it is used, and the choices you have. The site is run by Ananth Pranav, based in India ("I", "me").
The short version
- No cookies for analytics or personalised ads are set until you agree in the cookie banner.
- I use Google Analytics to understand which pages are useful, and Google AdSense to show a small number of ads on blog posts.
- If you create an account, I store your email address (and a name, if you add one) to sign you in. You can download or delete your account at any time.
- I don't sell your personal data.
- You can change your choice at any time using Cookie settings in the footer.
Information I collect
Information you send me. If you email me or use the contact form, I receive your name, your email address, the topic you pick and your message. I use this only to reply to you. Messages from the form are delivered to my inbox through Amazon Simple Email Service, and a copy is kept in a private database for 180 days so I can find and answer them. It's then deleted automatically (within a few days of that date, and from encrypted backups within a further 35 days).
Your account. If you sign in, I store your email address, an optional name and, for each signed-in device, the browser and system (for example "Safari on iPhone"), your country and when it was last used. If you add a passkey, only its public key is stored; the private key never leaves your device. Sign-in codes, sign-in links and session cookies are stored only in hashed form, so they can't be read back. Account data is kept with Amazon Web Services in India (the Hyderabad region), and sign-in emails are sent through Amazon Simple Email Service. You sign in with a one-time code or a passkey; there are no passwords.
Newsletter. If you subscribe, I store which emails you chose (new posts, letters, shop news), how often you get new posts, and a record of your consent: the wording you agreed to, the page and the time. You confirm by pressing a link in an email first, and a sign-up you don't confirm is deleted after 7 days. Newsletter emails are sent through Amazon Simple Email Service from news.ananthpranav.com. They have no tracking pixels; links to this site carry utm_source=newsletter, so Google Analytics (only if you allowed it) can count visits from the newsletter. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link and a link to change what you get. If an email to you bounces for good, or you mark one as spam, I stop sending to that address.
Bot protection. The contact form, the "Show email address" button and the sign-in and newsletter forms use Cloudflare Turnstile to check that you're a person, not a spam bot. Turnstile loads only when you use them, and processes technical data such as your IP address and browser details to make that check. It doesn't use cookies to track you across sites.
Purchases. When you buy a PDF, I keep the order: what you bought, the amount, the date, its status and Razorpay's payment and order numbers. Razorpay handles the payment itself, so your card, UPI or bank details go to Razorpay, never to this site. Each copy you download carries your email and order number on every page, to discourage sharing.
Membership. If you become a member, I keep your plan, its status, your renewal date and Razorpay's subscription number, plus an order for each charge. Razorpay sets up the recurring payment (a card mandate or UPI AutoPay) and sends you the notices the rules require before each charge.
Videos. Video thumbnails are served from this site. The YouTube player (from the privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com domain) loads only when you press play, and from then on Google's privacy policy applies to that video.
Analytics (only with your consent). If you allow analytics, Google Analytics 4 collects information such as the pages you view, how you got to the site, the type of device and browser you use, and your approximate location (city or country), which Google derives from your IP address. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. Google Analytics sets cookies on your device (see the Cookie Policy). If you don't allow analytics, the Google Analytics script is not loaded at all.
Advertising. Blog posts may show ads served by Google AdSense.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site or other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
- If you don't allow advertising cookies, Google may still show non-personalised ads, which use only limited data such as your general location and the page you're reading.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info or youronlinechoices.eu.
See How Google uses information from sites that use its services for more.
Technical data. Like most websites, the hosting and DNS providers (Amazon Web Services and Cloudflare) process technical data such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested. This is needed to deliver the site and to protect it from abuse.
Stored on your device. The site saves your cookie choice and your light/dark theme preference in your browser's local storage. If you sign in, it also sets a cookie that keeps you signed in, remembers whether you've seen the offer to add a passkey and, for 15 minutes after you ask for a sign-in email, keeps the address you typed so the link can show it. See the Cookie Policy.
Why I use your information
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Replying to your messages | Legitimate interests |
| Running your account | Providing the service you asked for |
| Sending the newsletter you asked for | Your consent |
| Stopping spam on the contact form | Legitimate interests |
| Understanding how the site is used | Your consent |
| Showing personalised ads | Your consent |
| Showing non-personalised ads | Legitimate interests |
| Keeping the site secure and available | Legitimate interests |
Who I share information with
I only share information with the service providers that help run the site:
- Google (Google Analytics, Google AdSense, the YouTube player): Google Privacy Policy
- Amazon Web Services (hosting, storing account data, and sending contact form messages and sign-in emails): AWS Privacy Notice
- Razorpay (payments for PDFs and membership; it gets your email and the payment details you enter in its checkout): Razorpay Privacy Policy
- Cloudflare (DNS, Turnstile bot protection on the contact and sign-in forms): Cloudflare Privacy Policy
These providers may process data in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where required, they rely on safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
I don't sell your personal data. I may disclose information if required by law.
How long I keep it
- Emails: as long as needed to handle your message, and then deleted when no longer needed. Contact form messages: 180 days, then deleted automatically (backups roll off within a further 35 days).
- Google Analytics data: kept for up to 14 months, then deleted automatically.
- Account data: until you delete your account. Deleting it removes your data straight away; encrypted backups of the database roll off within 35 days.
- Orders: as long as tax and accounting rules require, even if you delete your account (the account's library goes with it).
- Sign-in codes and links: 15 minutes. Signed-in devices: 90 days after they were last used.
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe or delete your account. Addresses that bounced for good or reported spam stay on a do-not-send list so they never get mail again.
- Cookies: see the durations in the Cookie Policy.
Your choices and rights
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using Cookie settings in the footer. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser, or install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Depending on where you live, including under the EU and UK GDPR, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and US state privacy laws such as the CCPA, you may have the right to:
- access the personal data I hold about you,
- correct or delete it,
- object to or restrict how it's used,
- receive a copy of it in a portable format,
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier processing,
- opt out of personalised advertising, and
- complain to your local data protection authority.
If you have an account, you can download your data or delete your account yourself on your account page. To use any of these rights, or to raise a grievance, email me at . I'll respond within 30 days.
Children
The site is not directed at children, and I don't knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has sent me personal data, please contact me and I'll delete it.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS. Accounts have no passwords: you sign in with a one-time code or a passkey, and codes, links and session cookies are stored only as hashes. Contact form messages are kept in a private database for 180 days, then deleted. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, but I take reasonable steps to protect any information I receive.
Changes to this policy
If I make changes, I'll update this page and the "Last updated" date above. Significant changes will also be noted on the site.
Contact
Questions about this policy? Email .