Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-05-23.

Stack Quarterly is a static publication. The architecture of the site limits how much data we could collect about you even if we wanted to, and we have chosen the small possible-data set over the maximal one. This page describes what we actually collect, what we do not collect, and how the limited data we touch flows.

What we collect

Server logs from the static host

Every visit to a Stack Quarterly page produces a line in the access log of the static-hosting platform we use. The line records:

The path you requested (the URL after the domain).
The HTTP status code we returned (200, 404, etc.).
The timestamp of the request.
The user-agent string your browser sent.
A truncated form of your IP address used for abuse detection and aggregate analytics.

These logs are retained by the hosting platform for a rolling 30 days and used to operate the site (debug broken pages, measure traffic, and detect abuse). They are not joined to any other data we hold about you because we hold no other data about you.

If you submit your email to the newsletter form, your email address is stored by the email-service provider we use to send the newsletter. You can unsubscribe from any email we send. Unsubscribing removes your address from the provider’s list.

We do not sell, share, or rent the newsletter list. We do not segment the list by demographic attributes we did not collect. We do not run “open-rate” trackers (one-by-one tracking pixels) in our email; we look at aggregate open rate reported by the provider.

Submissions to the corrections, tips, and editorial inboxes

If you write to one of our addresses, your email is read by a human on the editorial team. The thread is retained until the matter is resolved and for a reasonable time after, in case we need to refer back. Tips marked sensitive or confidential are handled per the policy described at /contact/ and at /editorial-guidelines/.

Bookmarks and reading-progress state

If you save an article using the “Save” button, your bookmarks are stored in your browser’s localStorage. They never leave your device. We do not see them, sync them across your devices, or have any way to read them. If you clear your browser data, the bookmarks are gone.

Search queries

Stack Quarterly’s search is powered by Pagefind, a static-site search library that runs entirely in your browser. Your search queries do not reach our servers. The search index is downloaded to your browser the first time you open search and cached locally.

What we do not collect

We do not run:

Third-party advertising trackers. There are no ad networks on this site.
Analytics products that fingerprint visitors (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, etc.).
Heatmap or session-replay tools (Hotjar, FullStory, etc.).
Social-network embeds that report your visit to the network (Facebook Pixel, X Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, etc.).
Affiliate-link trackers.
Cross-site cookie chains.

The static-publication architecture is the privacy posture. We did not pick it for the privacy posture, but we like the consequence.

Cookies

Stack Quarterly itself does not set cookies for analytics, advertising, or session tracking. The static host may set a small cookie to enforce its own caching rules; we have no visibility into the contents of that cookie. We use localStorage for the dark/light mode toggle, the bookmarks feature, and the reading-progress indicator. localStorage is similar to a cookie but cannot be read by sites other than this one.

Third-party services

The third-party services in the data path of this site are:

The static host (used to serve the pages and aggregate access logs). Hosting platform’s privacy policy applies to its access-log data.
The DNS provider (resolves the domain). Standard DNS resolution; no application-layer data passed.
The newsletter provider (stores newsletter signups, sends newsletter, reports aggregate stats). Its privacy policy applies to its data.
The mail provider (delivers email to the editorial team’s inboxes). Its privacy policy applies to mail in transit.
Pagefind (search). Pagefind runs in your browser and does not transmit data to its developers.

We do not embed third-party scripts from networks we have not listed above. If we add a third-party service that touches reader data, we update this page first.

Your rights

If you are in the EU/EEA, the UK, or California (or are otherwise covered by a similar regime), you have rights to:

Request the data we hold about you.
Request correction of inaccurate data.
Request deletion of your data.
Object to processing.
Withdraw consent (for newsletter signups, by unsubscribing).

The most common case — “delete my newsletter subscription” — is handled by the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any newsletter we send. For other requests, write to editorial@stackquarterly.com with the request and the email address you used. We respond within 30 days.

We do not sell personal information. We have no personal information about you to sell.

Children

Stack Quarterly is written for working engineers and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has submitted their email through the newsletter form, write to editorial@ and we will remove the entry.

Changes to this policy

When this policy changes, we update the “Last updated” date at the top and post a note in the corrections log at /corrections/. Material changes — new third-party services, new categories of data — are flagged in a newsletter issue before they take effect.

Contact

Privacy questions go to editorial@stackquarterly.com. The named editor reads the inbox. For Singapore-specific PDPA requests, identify the request as such in the subject line and we will route it appropriately.