What happens to your data here. Short answer: very little.
Last updated: 8 November 2026
There are no ad trackers, no Google Analytics and no social media pixels on this site.
If you subscribe, your email address is kept to send you the newsletter, until you unsubscribe.
Your data is never sold or rented to anyone, and you can ask for it to be deleted at any time.
1Who runs this site
This website (aibutuseful.com) and its newsletter are run by AI, But Useful, a one-person project. I’m responsible for any personal data collected through them (the “data controller”, in GDPR terms).
For anything about your data, email hello@aibutuseful.com.
2What’s collected, and why
Only what’s needed for each of these four things:
The newsletter
- What
- Your email address, when and from which IP address you subscribed and confirmed, and whether you open the emails or click links in them.
- Why
- To send you the weekly tested tool, prove you asked for it, and see which emails people find useful.
- Legal basis
- Your consent. You confirm it with the link in the first email, and you can withdraw it any time with the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email.
- Handled by
- MailPoet, the newsletter plugin on this site, and the MailPoet Sending Service, which delivers the emails.
Visiting the site
- What
- Standard server logs: your IP address, browser type, the page you asked for and the time. This happens on every website.
- Why
- To deliver the pages, keep the site fast, and protect it from attacks and spam.
- Legal basis
- Legitimate interest in running a secure website.
- Handled by
- Hostinger, which hosts the site and runs its content delivery network (CDN).
Emailing me
- What
- Your email address, name if you give it, and whatever you write.
- Why
- To reply: tool suggestions, questions, sponsorship enquiries.
- Legal basis
- Legitimate interest in answering messages you send.
Comments
- What
- If you leave a comment on a post: the name, email and website you enter, plus your IP address and browser type for spam checks.
- Why
- To show your comment and keep spam out.
- Legal basis
- Legitimate interest. Your email address is never shown publicly.
- Also
- WordPress may send a scrambled version of your email address (a “hash”) to Gravatar to show your profile picture, if you have one.
3Cookies
This site doesn’t use advertising or analytics cookies. These are the ones a normal visitor can get:
| Cookie | Set by | What it does | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
theme-mode | The site’s theme | Remembers whether you picked light or dark mode. | 1 year |
mailpoet_page_view | MailPoet | Counts page views so the newsletter can tell which pages subscribers visit. Not linked to you unless you’re a subscriber. | About 13 months |
mailpoet_subscriber | MailPoet | Set after you subscribe, so the site recognises you as a subscriber. | About 13 months |
comment_author_* | WordPress | Only if you comment and tick “save my details”, so you don’t have to type them again. | 1 year |
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site still works without them.
4Other services the site uses
Some parts of the site are delivered by other companies. When your browser loads them, those companies receive your IP address, the same way any website you visit does.
| Service | What it’s for | Their policy |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Web hosting, the CDN, and a small script for Hostinger’s email tools | hostinger.com |
| Google Fonts | The fonts you’re reading right now | policies.google.com |
| MailPoet (Automattic) | Sending the newsletter | automattic.com |
| Gravatar (Automattic) | Profile pictures next to comments | automattic.com |
Some of these companies are based in, or process data in, the United States. Where that happens, they use the legal safeguards GDPR requires for international transfers, such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or the EU’s standard contractual clauses.
5Links to other sites
This site links to the tools it reviews, to YouTube, and to other websites. Once you click through, that site’s own privacy policy applies, not this one. Videos aren’t embedded here, so YouTube only sees you if you click a link to it.
Some tool links may be affiliate links, which can let the tool’s website set its own cookie to record that you came from here. The affiliate disclosure lists which links do that.
6How long it’s kept
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. After that, your address is only kept on a “do not email” list so you’re never added back by mistake, unless you ask for it to be fully deleted.
- Emails you send: as long as needed to reply and follow up, then deleted.
- Comments: as long as the comment is on the site.
- Server logs: for as long as Hostinger keeps them for security and running the service.
Nothing here is used for automated decisions about you, and it’s never sold or rented.
7Your rights
If you’re in the EU, the UK or another place with similar laws, you have the right to:
Get a copy of the personal data held about you.
Have anything wrong corrected.
Have your data erased.
Get your data in a format you can move elsewhere.
Object to how it’s used, or ask for it to be used less.
Unsubscribe any time. It doesn’t affect what happened before.
You can also complain to your local data protection authority. I’d appreciate the chance to sort it out first, though.
To use any of these rights, email me. I’ll reply within one month, usually much sooner.
hello@aibutuseful.com8Changes and children
If this policy changes, the “last updated” date at the top changes too. If it’s a big change and you’re subscribed, you’ll hear about it in the newsletter.
This site isn’t aimed at children under 16, and I don’t knowingly collect their data. If you think a child has subscribed, email me and I’ll remove them.