Privacy Policy
BigForkSteering (the site) is operated as an independent editorial catalogue. This page explains what data we collect, what we do not collect, how we use the data, and what rights you have. It applies to all visitors regardless of jurisdiction. Where local law (GDPR, UK GDPR, UK GDPR, PIPEDA) grants stronger protections, those protections apply.
Data controller
For the purposes of GDPR Article 13 and equivalent laws, the data controller is the editorial operator of BigForkSteering, established in United Kingdom. There is no EU representative because the site does not target the European Union as a primary market; EU visitors are nevertheless covered by the protections in this policy where applicable. Controller contact: editorial@bigforksteering.org.
What we do not collect
We do not require an account to browse the catalogue. We do not collect names, postal addresses, phone numbers, payment information or any other personally identifying information from ordinary visitors. We do not sell, trade or share data with third-party advertisers or data brokers. We do not use third-party analytics scripts that profile users across sites (no Google Analytics, no Facebook Pixel, no Hotjar, no Segment, no comparable trackers). We do not run third-party ad scripts.
What we collect automatically
When you visit the site, our edge infrastructure (Cloudflare Workers + D1 database) processes the request to deliver the page. As part of that delivery, the following data is written to an internal log database:
- Page views — every HTML page request logs the path, page type (homepage, category, software, etc.), IP address, user-agent classification (bot vs. human), and the referring URL (if your browser sends one). This applies to all visitors, including humans, not only bots.
- Click events — when you click a download or call-to-action button instrumented for diagnostics, the page, button identifier, software slug (if applicable) and IP address are logged.
- Bot identification — requests that match a known crawler signature (Googlebot, Bingbot, ClaudeBot, etc.) are tagged in the page-view log; the editorial team uses this to verify indexing coverage.
- Error logs — when a page fails to render or a 404 occurs, the path, user-agent, IP address and referrer are logged so we can fix broken links.
None of this data is enriched with third-party identifiers. None of it is shared with advertisers, brokers, or third-party analytics platforms. It is not used to build behavioural or marketing profiles. Logs are retained until manually purged for operational review; we are working toward an automated rolling-window deletion of records older than 180 days. Until that automation is in place, logs may persist longer than 180 days. If you want a record tied to you (typically an IP address from a recent visit) deleted earlier, contact editorial@bigforksteering.org with the approximate date and time of your visit.
Cookies
BigForkSteering does not set tracking cookies. The site may set strictly necessary technical cookies for session continuity or anti-abuse purposes (e.g., a Cloudflare anti-bot challenge cookie if you trigger a security check). These cookies do not identify you across sites and cannot be used for advertising. See our cookies policy for the current list.
Third-party services
The site is served by Cloudflare as the edge platform; Cloudflare may log request metadata on its own infrastructure under its own privacy policy. The site references font files from Google Fonts for typography; loading those fonts results in a request to Google’s CDN with your IP address and user-agent. The site may proxy software icons and screenshots through an internal image proxy; the image proxy fetches images from developer sites on your behalf, which means those developer sites see only our server’s IP, not yours. We do not embed analytics, advertising, or social-media widgets that would phone home with your data.
Your rights
You have the right to ask what data we hold about you, request its deletion, and (under GDPR) lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Because we do not collect personally identifying information from ordinary browsing, in practice there is usually no record tied to you as an individual to delete. To exercise your rights, contact editorial@bigforksteering.org.
Children
The catalogue is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect any data from children under 13 (or under 16 in jurisdictions where that threshold applies). If you believe a child has provided information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we materially change what data we collect or how we use it, we will update this page and the "Last reviewed" date at the top. Continued use of the site after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. Substantive changes will be noted in the changelog at the top of this section.
Contact
Privacy questions: editorial@bigforksteering.org. For copyright concerns see DMCA; for general inquiries see contact.
Common Privacy Questions
What data does BigForkSteering actually collect?
Very little, honestly. I run Cloudflare Web Analytics, which records aggregate page views, referrers and rough country-level geography without setting any third-party cookies and without fingerprinting your browser. The edge servers also keep standard request logs (IP address, user agent, requested URL) for a short window so I can spot abuse and broken pages. If you submit the contact form, I keep the email you send. That’s it — no advertising pixels, no session recording, no behavioural profiling.
Do you use cookies?
No tracking cookies and no advertising cookies. The site may set a single functional cookie if you change a preference (for example, a theme toggle), and Cloudflare may set a short-lived security cookie to block bots and DDoS traffic. Cloudflare Web Analytics is deliberately cookie-less. There’s no consent banner because there’s nothing here that requires consent under the PECR rules — strictly necessary cookies are exempt. See cookie policy.
Do you share data with third parties?
No. The only third party in the stack is Cloudflare, which acts as my hosting provider and data processor. I don’t sell data, I don’t pass it to advertisers, and I don’t embed third-party trackers from Google, Meta or anyone else. Outbound links to software vendors are plain HTML links — clicking them sends you to the vendor’s own site, where their privacy policy takes over.
How long is data retained?
Server logs are purged on a rolling basis after roughly 30 days. Aggregate analytics in Cloudflare are retained for the dashboard period (typically six months) and contain no personal identifiers I could tie back to you. Messages sent through the contact form are kept only as long as needed to reply — once the thread is finished, I delete them. There’s no long-term customer database here because there are no customers; the site is free.
Can I request my data be deleted?
Yes. Send a request through the contact form and I’ll deal with it within 30 days, which is the UK GDPR timeframe. In practice there’s usually nothing to delete beyond a contact-form email, since the analytics layer doesn’t hold anything personal. You can also ask for a copy of what I hold on you (subject access request) or ask me to correct it. No charge, no forms, no ID checks unless I genuinely can’t verify the request.
Is BigForkSteering GDPR-compliant, and who is the data controller?
Yes — the site is built to UK GDPR, EU GDPR and ICO guidance standards, and Cloudflare is engaged under a standard data-processing agreement. I’m based in United Kingdom, so the UK GDPR and applicable US state privacy law apply, with EU GDPR observed for European visitors. I’m the data controller in my own name as the site operator. If you think I’ve handled something badly, write to me first; if you’re still unhappy you can complain to the the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.