Who is responsible
The British Bench is independently edited by Stephen O'Connor. Privacy questions and requests can be sent to Stephen@thebritishbench.com.
What the website measures
The site uses Vercel Web Analytics to understand overall readership and improve navigation, maker records and editorial coverage. It provides aggregated information such as page views, referring sites, broad country or regional location, device type, browser and operating system.
Google Analytics 4 is also available as an optional analytics service. The Google tag is installed on every page using Google Consent Mode v2, with analytics storage, advertising storage, advertising user data and advertising personalisation denied by default. In that denied state, Google may receive limited cookieless consent or diagnostic signals, but Google Analytics cookies and persistent analytics identifiers are not deliberately written.
When you select Accept analytics, analytics storage is changed to granted. Google Analytics may then process page paths, referrers, approximate location, device and browser information and pseudonymous analytics identifiers so that readership and navigation can be understood over time.
Analytics are used to understand the publication. Google advertising personalisation, Google Signals and advertising storage remain disabled in the site configuration.
Consent Mode starts with analytics and advertising consent denied. Full Google Analytics measurement and analytics cookies begin only after you accept optional analytics.
Custom interaction events must contain only non-personal labels such as a maker slug, map view or comparison position.
Reports are reviewed as trends and totals rather than individual browsing histories.
Your choice is stored in your browser's local storage. Use the Cookie settings control in the footer to reopen the choice. Rejecting optional analytics keeps analytics storage denied and does not prevent you from using the site.
Analytics providers
Vercel provides the site's existing aggregate web analytics and hosting. Google provides the optional Google Analytics 4 service using measurement ID G-LQYVPMH6FJ. Google may process analytics information on infrastructure outside the UK under its own contractual and legal safeguards.
The British Bench does not use the Google Analytics configuration for targeted advertising, remarketing or cross-site advertising personalisation.
When you contact the site
The corrections form does not send information to a website database. It prepares an email in your own email application. When you send that email, the message may include your name, email address, relationship to the subject, supporting links, attachments and the content of your submission.
Correspondence is used to respond, assess evidence, maintain accurate editorial records and document permissions or image rights. Routine correspondence is normally retained for up to 24 months after the last meaningful contact. Evidence supporting a published record, permission or legal obligation may be retained for longer while it remains relevant.
Technical delivery and security
Vercel and Cloudflare help deliver and protect the website. Like most hosting and security services, they may process technical request information such as IP addresses, user-agent details, timestamps and requested URLs for delivery, abuse prevention, diagnostics and security. Their own retention and processing arrangements apply to that infrastructure.
Lawful reasons for processing
Google Analytics cookies and full analytics measurement are enabled only after consent. Before a choice is made, or when analytics are rejected, the Google tag remains in a denied-consent state and may send limited cookieless consent or diagnostic signals. Other limited information is processed where necessary for legitimate interests in operating and protecting an independent publication, responding to correspondence, checking factual claims and maintaining evidence for published records. These interests are balanced against the limited amount and sensitivity of the information involved.
Sharing and international processing
Personal information is not sold. It may be processed by service providers used for hosting, security, email and analytics, or disclosed where legally required. Some providers operate internationally and may process data outside the UK using their contractual and legal safeguards.
Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may ask for access, correction, deletion, restriction or objection to processing of your personal information. Contact Stephen@thebritishbench.com with enough detail to identify the relevant correspondence. You may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office.
Changes to this notice
This page will be updated before introducing materially different analytics, advertising, account systems, newsletters or other personal-data uses. The revision date at the top will change when the policy changes.