Privacy Policy. Plain English.

1. Who We Are

The FREE Websites is a web design and hosting service based in Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom. We build and maintain websites for small businesses on a subscription basis.

Contact: info@thefreewebsites.co.uk · 07376 389 472

2. What Data We Collect

Data you give us directly

• Your name and contact details (phone, email)
• Business name and industry
• Any message or information you submit via our contact form
• Payment information (processed securely by our payment provider — we do not store card details)
• Marketing preferences (if you opt in)

Data collected automatically

• IP address and browser type (via server logs)
• Pages visited and time spent on site (via analytics)
• Referring website or search term
• Cookie data (see Section 7)

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

• Respond to your enquiry and provide our services
• Build, maintain and host your website
• Process your subscription payments
• Send you service-related communications (invoices, updates, support)
• Send you marketing emails — only if you have opted in
• Improve our website and services
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under the following legal bases:

• Contract: To deliver the services you've signed up for
• Legitimate interests: To respond to enquiries and improve our service
• Consent: For marketing emails (you can withdraw consent at any time)
• Legal obligation: Where required by law

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• Payment processors — to handle subscription billing securely
• Hosting providers — to host your website
• Email service providers — to send transactional or marketing emails
• Analytics tools — anonymised data only

All third parties are required to handle your data securely and in accordance with UK GDPR.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Enquiry data: up to 12 months if no long-term contract is formed
• Client data: for the duration of your subscription plus 6 years (legal/accounting requirements)
• Marketing data: until you unsubscribe

7. Cookies

We use cookies to:

• Keep our website running correctly (essential cookies)
• Understand how visitors use our site (analytics cookies)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Refusing non-essential cookies will not affect your ability to use our website.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify inaccurate data
• Erase your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Object to or restrict processing
• Data portability — receive your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent for marketing at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@thefreewebsites.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. All data is transmitted over HTTPS encrypted connections.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page with the date it was last updated.

11. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your data, you can contact us at info@thefreewebsites.co.uk. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.