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Legal

Privacy Notice

Last updated: 2026-10-08

This notice covers idea-engine.studio (this portfolio and company site) only. Each Idea Engine product has its own privacy policy, listed on the Legal page.

Who we are

This site is operated by Idea Engine LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company (“we”, “us”). We are the controller of the personal information described here.

Idea Engine LLC, Wisconsin, USA. Mailing address available on request at privacy@idea-engine.studio. Privacy contact: privacy@idea-engine.studio.

What we collect and why

When you use the contact form

  • Your name, email address and message. We use them only to read and reply to your message. They are sent to us as an email through Amazon Simple Email Service and delivered to a Google Gmail mailbox.
  • Your IP address, for abuse control only. To stop automated spam, the server counts form submissions per IP address in memory for up to 10 minutes. The IP address is not stored, logged by our code, or included in the email we receive.

When you browse

  • An anonymous visit count. Your browser keeps two values in its own storage (portfolio:session in session storage and portfolio:last-seen in local storage) so a visit is counted once per browsing session. The count sent to Amazon CloudWatch carries no identifier.
  • Where a visit came from. When a visit starts, we also note the website that sent you (its domain only, for example google.com), any campaign tags in the link you followed (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content and source), whether that link carried a referral code (never the code itself), the page you arrived on, and whether your browser looked like an automated program (a yes/no worked out from its user-agent string, which itself is not kept). This record goes to our server logs in Amazon CloudWatch. It doesn't include your IP address or any identifier, and we use it only to see which links bring people here.
  • Your theme preference (light or dark), stored in your browser's local storage.
  • An offline cache. A service worker stores copies of this site's own pages and files in your browser so it loads faster and works offline.
  • Server and delivery logs. Like any website, our hosting (Amazon CloudFront and AWS Lambda) receives your IP address, browser user agent and the page requested in order to deliver the page. We use these logs only to run and secure the site.

We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels, and this site sets no first-party cookies.

Embedded content from other companies

  • Instagram (Meta). The lighting section can show posts from Instagram. Nothing is loaded from Instagram until you click to load the posts. Once you do, Meta receives your IP address and browser details and may set cookies under its own privacy policy.
  • YouTube (Google). The video in the day-job section shows a preview image served by YouTube's image server (i.ytimg.com), which receives your IP address. The video player itself loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play.
  • Microlink. Project preview images are normally served from this site. If a preview is missing, your browser may request a screenshot from Microlink (api.microlink.io), which then receives your IP address.
  • Plausible Analytics. We may turn on Plausible, a cookieless analytics service, to count page views. It is off today. If we turn it on, we will update this notice.

Service providers

We use these providers to run the site. They process data on our behalf, for the purposes above:

  • Amazon Web Services (hosting, CloudFront, Lambda, S3, Simple Email Service, CloudWatch), in the United States (us-east-1)
  • Google (Gmail mailbox that receives contact-form messages)

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.

How long we keep it

  • Contact-form messages: up to 24 months after our last exchange with you, then deleted.
  • Rate-limit counters: up to 10 minutes, in memory only.
  • Server logs, including the record of where a visit came from: kept by AWS for a limited period (about one month) and then deleted.
  • Browser storage: stays on your device until you clear it.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us to give you a copy of, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you, wherever you live. Email privacy@idea-engine.studio and we will respond within 45 days. We may need to confirm that the request comes from you (for example, by replying from the same email address). You can also clear this site's browser storage at any time, and you can leave the Instagram posts unloaded.

Some US states give residents specific privacy rights. We honour the requests above for everyone, and we will not treat you differently for making one.

Security

The site is served only over HTTPS, and access to our mailboxes and hosting accounts is restricted. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affecting your personal information occurs, we will notify you and any authority as required by applicable law, including Wisconsin's notice law (Wis. Stat. § 134.98). This site does not collect payment details, government ID numbers or account passwords.

Children

This site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it.

International visitors

We are based in the United States, and the information described here is processed in the United States.

Changes to this notice

We will update the “Last updated” date above when this notice changes. If a change materially affects how we use information you have already given us, we will tell you by email where we can.

Contact

Idea Engine LLC, privacy@idea-engine.studio