Jérôme Schmidt

Legal Policies

Last updated: 4 May 2026

Privacy Policy

1. Who I am

This website (jeromeschmidt.com) is a personal site operated by Jérôme Schmidt as a natural person. For the purposes of UK and EU data protection law, I am the data controller for the limited personal data I directly receive. You can reach me at hello@jeromeschmidt.com.

2. Scope

This policy covers personal data collected through jeromeschmidt.com. My newsletter is operated separately on Substack and is governed by Substack’s own privacy policy.

3. What is collected, and by whom

The site is hosted on WordPress.com (operated by Automattic Inc.). Most data is collected and held by Automattic, not by me. I see almost none of it.

  • Site analytics: Automattic collects standard log data (IP address, browser, device, referring URL, time on page) when you visit. I only see aggregated, anonymised reports through WordPress.com Stats: page views, top posts, country-level location, and referrer sources. I do not have access to individual visitor IPs or anything that identifies you personally. The raw data is processed by Automattic under their own privacy notice.
  • Cookies: see the Cookie Policy below.
  • Email correspondence: if you write to hello@jeromeschmidt.com, I receive your email address, the name attached to it, and the contents of your message. This is the only category of identifying personal data I actually hold.

4. Why this data is processed, and the legal basis (UK GDPR Art. 6)

  • Aggregated analytics: my legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) in understanding which posts are read. The data I see is aggregated and not used to identify individuals.
  • Site operation, security, and abuse prevention: Automattic’s legitimate interests in running the platform, on which I rely as a customer.
  • Responding to your enquiries: legitimate interests in answering correspondence sent to me.

5. How long it is kept

  • Logs and analytics held by Automattic are retained per their schedule.
  • Aggregated reports remain available to me via WordPress.com Stats for as long as my site exists on the platform.
  • Emails sent to me are kept for as long as the correspondence is reasonably useful, and deleted on request.

6. International transfers

This site is hosted by Automattic Inc., based in the United States. Data collected through the site is therefore transferred outside the UK and the EEA. Automattic relies on the UK International Data Transfer Addendum and the EU Standard Contractual Clauses as the safeguards for these transfers.

7. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR and EU GDPR you have the right to:

  • access the personal data held about you;
  • ask for inaccurate data to be corrected;
  • ask for your data to be deleted;
  • restrict or object to processing;
  • receive your data in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
  • lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk) or your local supervisory authority.

In practice:

  • For email correspondence I hold, write to hello@jeromeschmidt.com and I will action your request directly.
  • For server logs and platform-level data held by Automattic, those rights are exercised through Automattic via automattic.com/privacy/.

8. Security

I rely on Automattic’s security measures for the site itself. I do not export or store visitor data in any other system.

9. Children

This site is not directed at children and I do not knowingly process personal data from anyone under 16. The only personal data I directly receive is email correspondence sent to me; if you believe a child has written to me, contact hello@jeromeschmidt.com and I will delete the correspondence.

10. Changes

I may update this policy. The “last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent version. Material changes will be flagged on the site.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy: hello@jeromeschmidt.com.

Cookie Policy

1. What cookies are

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the site to function and to recognise return visits.

2. What this site uses

The cookies set on jeromeschmidt.com are placed by WordPress.com (Automattic Inc.) as part of running the site. They fall into two groups:

  • Strictly necessary cookies that keep the site working and allow logged-in users to manage the site. These do not require consent.
  • First-party analytics cookies used by WordPress.com Stats to count visits and produce the aggregated reports described in the Privacy Policy. These are first-party, are not shared with advertisers, and are used only to generate anonymised statistics.

I do not run third-party advertising, retargeting, or tracking pixels on this site.

3. Managing your choices

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Doing so may affect parts of the site. For details on cookies set by WordPress.com specifically, see Automattic’s cookie policy.

4. Third-party cookies on click-through

Links from this site to external services (for example, Substack or LinkedIn) may set their own cookies once you click through. Those cookies are governed by the relevant third party’s policy.

5. Contact

Questions: hello@jeromeschmidt.com.

Terms and Conditions

1. Agreement

By accessing jeromeschmidt.com you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.

2. Intellectual property

All written content, images, and design on jeromeschmidt.com is owned by me unless otherwise stated. You may quote short extracts with attribution and a link back to the original post. Republication of full posts and commercial reuse require my prior written permission.

3. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

  • use the site in a way that breaches applicable law;
  • attempt to gain unauthorised access to the site or its hosting infrastructure;
  • scrape or crawl the site at a rate that interferes with normal operation;
  • use the site to harm, harass, or impersonate any person.

4. Disclaimer

Content on this site is provided for general information and reflects my personal views at the time of writing. See the Disclaimer below.

5. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, I am not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of, or inability to use, this site or any content on it. Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

6. Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from these terms or from your use of the site, subject to any non-waivable rights you have under the law of your country of residence.

7. Changes

I may update these terms. The “last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the current version. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance.

8. Contact

hello@jeromeschmidt.com.

Disclaimer

1. General information only

Content on jeromeschmidt.com is published for general information and as a record of my personal thinking at the time of writing. It is not professional advice. Do not rely on it as a substitute for advice from a qualified professional in law, finance, medicine, or any other field.

2. Personal views only

The views I express on this site are mine alone. They do not represent the position of any organisation I am affiliated with. I write here in my personal capacity.

3. Accuracy

I write in good faith and try to be accurate, but I make no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, or current relevance of anything on this site. Posts are dated; older posts may no longer reflect my views.

4. External links

This site links to third-party content. I do not control, monitor, or endorse those sites and accept no responsibility for their accuracy, availability, or practices.

5. Contact

Concerns about anything on this site: hello@jeromeschmidt.com.