Privacy Policy

Effective date: 30 May 2026 — Last updated: 30 May 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how By Hook or By Crooke collects, uses, stores and protects your personal data when you visit byhookorbycrooke.com. It is written in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Irish Data Protection Act 2018, and the ePrivacy Directive.

1. Who We Are

By Hook or By Crooke is an independent editorial publication covering food, drink, craft, culture and local life in Waterford and Wexford, Ireland. We are the data controller for the personal data collected through this website.

Contact: privacy@byhookorbycrooke.com
Website: https://byhookorbycrooke.com
Data Protection Contact: privacy@byhookorbycrooke.com

2. What Data We Collect and Why

2.1 Data You Provide Directly

Newsletter sign-up: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address. We process this data on the basis of your consent (GDPR Article 6(1)(a)). You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us at privacy@byhookorbycrooke.com.

Purchases (WooCommerce): If you make a purchase through our site, we collect your name, email address, billing and delivery address, and payment details. Payment card data is processed directly by our payment provider and is not stored on our servers. We process order data to fulfil our contract with you (GDPR Article 6(1)(b)) and to comply with legal obligations including tax and accounting requirements (GDPR Article 6(1)(c)).

Contact enquiries: If you contact us by email, we collect the information you provide. We process this data on the basis of our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries (GDPR Article 6(1)(f)).

2.2 Data Collected Automatically

Usage and analytics data: We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our website. Google Analytics collects data including your IP address (anonymised), browser type, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring website. This data is processed on the basis of your consent where required, or our legitimate interest in understanding site performance (GDPR Article 6(1)(f)). You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Meta Pixel: We use the Meta Pixel (Facebook Pixel) to measure the effectiveness of our content and, where applicable, advertising. The Meta Pixel may collect data about your interactions with our website and associate it with your Facebook or Instagram account if you are logged in. This processing is based on your consent. You can manage your ad preferences at facebook.com/adpreferences.

Server logs: Our hosting provider automatically records standard server log data including IP addresses, browser types, and pages requested. This data is retained for security and technical purposes and is deleted within 30 days.

3. Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device. We use the following categories of cookies:

Cookie Type	Purpose	Examples	Legal Basis
Strictly Necessary	Required for the website to function. Cannot be disabled.	WordPress session cookies, WooCommerce cart cookies	Legitimate interest / contract performance
Analytics	Help us understand how visitors use the site.	Google Analytics (_ga, _gid, _ga_*)	Consent
Marketing	Used to measure and improve advertising effectiveness.	Meta Pixel (_fbp, _fbc)	Consent
Performance	Caching and site speed optimisation.	LiteSpeed Cache cookies	Legitimate interest

You can manage or withdraw your consent to non-essential cookies at any time through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or be notified when cookies are set. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit aboutcookies.org.

4. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:

• Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.
• Order data: Seven years, as required by Irish tax law (Taxes Consolidation Act 1997).
• Contact enquiries: Two years from the date of last contact.
• Analytics data: As configured in Google Analytics (default 26 months, retained by Google).
• Server logs: 30 days.

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with the following third-party processors who act on our instructions:

• Google LLC (Google Analytics, Site Kit) — analytics and site performance. Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy. Google is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
• Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (Meta Pixel) — analytics and advertising measurement. Privacy policy: facebook.com/policy.
• Hostinger — our website hosting provider, which processes server data on our behalf. Data is hosted within the EEA.
• WooCommerce / Automattic — e-commerce platform and related plugins. Privacy policy: automattic.com/privacy.
• Akismet (Automattic) — spam protection for form submissions.

We may also disclose your data where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of By Hook or By Crooke or others.

6. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party processors are based outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including in the United States. Where we transfer data outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with GDPR Chapter V. Google LLC is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. For other transfers, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the GDPR and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): You may ask us to delete your data where there is no legitimate reason for us to continue processing it.
• Right to restrict processing: You may ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: Where processing is based on consent or contract, you may ask us to provide your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Rights related to automated decision-making: We do not use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@byhookorbycrooke.com. We will respond within one month of receiving your request. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

8. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC), the supervisory authority in Ireland:

Data Protection Commission
21 Fitzwilliam Square South
Dublin 2, D02 RD28
Ireland
Phone: +353 (0)1 765 0100
Email: info@dataprotection.ie
Website: dataprotection.ie

9. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 16, please contact us at privacy@byhookorbycrooke.com and we will delete it promptly.

10. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or alteration. Our website is served over HTTPS (TLS encryption). Access to personal data is restricted to those with a legitimate need. We conduct regular security reviews and maintain backups via UpdraftPlus. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website contains links to third-party websites, including affiliate links marked with our disclosure. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Affiliate Links

Some links on this website are affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate partners may set their own cookies on your device. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for more information.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Last Updated: 30 May 2026