Privacy

Crucible is built to be read, not to harvest data. This page explains, in plain terms, exactly what we collect, why, who else can see it, and what you can do about it. There is not much to explain — and that is the point.

What we collect, and what we don't

We do not run ads, we do not sell data, and we do not build profiles of our readers. There is no advertising network behind Crucible and no business model that depends on tracking you.

The only personal information we ever hold is what you give us directly: the contents of any message you send us. Everything else described below is either anonymous or never leaves your device.

Cookies and local storage

Crucible sets no advertising or tracking cookies. There is no cross-site tracking. A consent banner asks before any session recording starts.

The only thing the site itself stores in your browser is a single preference that remembers whether you chose light or dark mode. It stays on your device, is readable only by this site, and is never sent to us or anyone else.

Crucible is delivered through Cloudflare, the network described under "Who else handles your data" below. To run its security and performance features, Cloudflare may set its own functional cookies in your browser. These are not used for advertising and not used to track you across other sites; they exist to keep the site fast and protected.

Analytics

We use two measurement tools. Umami is cookieless and counts page views in aggregate. Microsoft Clarity records anonymised sessions and heatmaps, and loads only if you press Accept on the banner; it never loads if you decline or your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, and once accepted it sets cookies and Microsoft processes the data for us. Clear this site's local storage to change your choice. We do not use advertising analytics or cross-site tracking.

When you email us

If you email us — a pitch, a field note, a question, or just to say hello — we keep that correspondence so we can read it, reply, and follow up. We do not add people who email us to any list. Your message is used for nothing beyond the conversation you started.

Server logs and the network

Like almost every website, the origin server that delivers Crucible keeps standard access logs: the requesting IP address, the page requested, the time, and the browser's user-agent string. These are ordinary operational records — used to keep the site running and secure — and are not combined with anything else to identify or profile readers.

Crucible is also served through Cloudflare, a content delivery network that sits in front of the origin server. Because every request passes through Cloudflare, it necessarily processes the same kind of connection data — including your IP address — to deliver pages, cache content, and protect the site from abuse. This is a technical part of how the site reaches you; it is not used for advertising or to build a profile of you.

Who else handles your data

We keep the list of companies that can touch your information deliberately short:

• Cloudflare — the content delivery network that sits in front of the site, handling delivery, caching, and security. It processes connection data, including IP addresses, as part of serving each request.
• Our hosting provider — runs the origin server that delivers the site and keeps the access logs described above.

Each is used only for the narrow purpose listed. None of them may use your data for their own ends, and we do not sell or rent data to anyone.

How long we keep things

Email correspondence is kept as long as it is useful for the conversation and any follow-up, then deleted. Server logs are rotated and discarded on a short cycle. Analytics data is retained by Umami and Clarity under their own limits.

Your rights and choices

You are in control of the little we hold:

• You can ask us what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it.

To do any of these, email info@readcrucible.com. We act on reasonable requests promptly and at no cost.

Children

Crucible is written for people building companies and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16.

Who is responsible

Crucible is the data controller for the limited information described here. For any privacy question — or to exercise any of the rights above — write to info@readcrucible.com.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the "last updated" date at the top of the page will change with it.