Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

Who I am

My name is Stephen H and I run Number ONE (number1.co.za), a blog about software engineering, AI, DevOps, and related topics.
My email address is: admin[at]number1.co.za

What personal data I collect and why

Comments

If you leave a comment on this site, I collect the data shown in the comment form, your IP address, and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.
An anonymised string created from your email address (a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Contact form

If you use the contact form, I collect your name, email address, and message. This data is sent to me via email and is stored only for the purpose of responding to your enquiry. It is not used for marketing or shared with third parties.

Cookies

If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so you do not have to fill in your details again when leaving another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you visit the login page, a temporary cookie is set to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, several cookies are set to save your login information and screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select "Remember Me", your login persists for two weeks. If you log out, the login cookies are removed.
An additional cookie is saved in your browser when you edit or publish an article. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after one day.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you had visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Analytics

This site does not use Google Analytics or any third-party analytics service. I may review server access logs (which include IP addresses, browser user agent, and page requests) for diagnostic and security purposes only. These logs are not shared with third parties.

Affiliate links

Some posts on this site contain affiliate links (e.g., the opencode go referral link). If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. These links are clearly disclosed within the relevant posts.

Who I share your data with

I do not sell, trade, or share your personal data with third parties except:

• As required by law (e.g., a valid legal request from a South African authority)
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of this site, its users, or others
  

  How long I retain your data

  If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so I can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
  For users that register on this site (if applicable), I also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

  What rights you have over your data

  If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data I hold about you, including any data you have provided to me. You can also request that I erase any personal data I hold about you. This does not include any data I am obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

  Where your data is sent

  Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service (Akismet). This site is hosted in South Africa.

  Contact

  For any questions about this privacy policy or to exercise your data rights, contact me at:
  Email: stephen[at]number1.co.za

  South African POPIA compliance

  In accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa, I take reasonable steps to protect your personal information and respect your rights regarding access, correction, and deletion of your data.