Privacy Policy
Last Updated: August 2026 • Effective Date: August 24, 2026
Privacy at a Glance
We respect your privacy. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We do not use invasive tracking or advertising cookies. Any information you share through our contact form is solely used to respond to your inquiry and deliver freelance web development or IT consulting services.
1. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for the personal data collected through this website is:
Patrick McGonigle
Trading as: mcgonigle.dev / The Website Guy
Location: United Kingdom
Website: https://mcgonigle.dev
2. Information We Collect
We only collect information that is strictly necessary to communicate with you and operate a secure, reliable website:
- Contact Inquiries: When you submit the contact form, we collect your name, email address, project type/requirements, and any message details you provide.
- Technical Server Logs: Standard web server logs may temporarily record anonymous technical telemetry such as IP address, browser type, operating system, and request timestamps for diagnostic and security purposes.
- UI Theme Preference: Your selected theme preference (dark/light) is stored locally in your browser's
localStorage. No personal information is contained in this setting.
3. Legal Basis & Purposes for Processing
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018, we process your personal data under the following lawful bases:
Contractual Necessity & Pre-Contract Steps
To respond to your quote requests, scope project briefs, and prepare proposals or service agreements for freelance work.
Legitimate Interests
To maintain site security, prevent automated spam attacks, and communicate professionally with prospective clients.
4. Anti-Spam Protection (Google reCAPTCHA v3)
This site uses Google reCAPTCHA v3 on the contact form to protect against automated spam and bot attacks. reCAPTCHA works in the background by analyzing hardware and software information (such as device characteristics and interaction signals) to verify genuine human submission.
Use of reCAPTCHA is subject to theGoogle Privacy Policy andGoogle Terms of Service .
5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
mcgonigle.dev does not use tracking or advertising cookies.
We use browser localStorage strictly to persist your preferred color theme across page loads. This remains purely on your client device and is never transmitted to our servers or third parties.
6. Data Retention & Security
We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to safeguard your information:
- •All communications with this website are encrypted via modern TLS/HTTPS.
- •Inquiries are retained only as long as necessary to facilitate your project discussions, provide services, or comply with statutory accounting/tax obligations.
- •We never sell or disclose your contact information to commercial brokers or advertisers.
7. Your Rights (UK & EU GDPR)
You have clear statutory rights regarding your personal data:
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, theInformation Commissioner's Office (ICO).
8. Contact & Data Requests
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any of your data rights, or want your contact records removed, please reach out directly: