Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 October 2026

Guitar Theory Online values privacy. I have designed this site to collect as little information as possible, and I have made a clear commitment to never sell your data to third parties. I do not build advertising profiles. We collect limited usage data through Google Analytics to understand how the site is used and improve it.

Who we are (data controller)

Guitar Theory Online is the data controller for this website.
Contact email: info@guitartheoryonline.co.uk

What this site is and is not

This site is an educational resource. It does not require accounts, logins, or paid subscriptions.

As a result, I do not collect personal data like names, addresses, payment information, or user profiles through the site itself. However, the analytics information described below may include online identifiers and technical information about a visit.

Personal data we process

Email enquiries

If you contact us at info@guitartheoryonline.co.uk, we will process:

• your email address
• the content of your message
• any information you choose to include

Emails are used only to respond to your message and to keep basic correspondence records. Email addresses are not sold or shared for third-party marketing.

Future mailing list note: if we ever add an optional internal mailing list (for example, updates about new tools or major content changes), it will be opt-in only. You will be able to unsubscribe at any time.

Website analytics

We use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to manage website measurement tags and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use the site. GTM does not itself create visitor profiles; it loads the analytics tag configured for the site.

GA4 may collect information such as pages viewed, interactions with the site, approximate location derived from IP address, device and browser information, referral source, and a pseudonymous online identifier stored in cookies or similar technologies. We use this information in aggregated form to measure site performance, identify technical issues, and improve content and tools. We do not use GA4 for advertising profiling or to sell personal data.

Google acts as a service provider for these analytics services. Analytics data may be processed outside the UK or EEA, including in the United States, subject to the safeguards used by Google for those transfers. You can read more in Google's Privacy Policy.

Analytics cookies are non-essential. Where consent is required by applicable law, our lawful basis for using them is your consent. You can withdraw or change your cookie choices at any time through the site's cookie controls when available, or block/delete cookies in your browser settings. You can also use Google's Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

How we use personal data and lawful bases

UK GDPR and EU GDPR require a lawful basis for processing personal data.

Responding to emails

Purpose: replying to enquiries and providing support
Lawful basis: legitimate interests (it is reasonable to expect we must process your email to reply)

Website analytics

Purpose: understanding usage, maintaining and improving the site
Lawful basis: consent where required for non-essential analytics cookies

If we introduce a mailing list in the future, we will use consent for that purpose.

Service providers

To run the site and receive emails, standard services are used (for example, website hosting and email delivery). If you contact us by email, your message is processed by our email provider as part of normal delivery and mailbox storage.

These providers process data only to provide the service and under our instructions. They are not permitted to use your information for their own marketing or any unrelated purpose.

Third-party software notice

Some interactive music notation and tablature features on this site use alphaTab, an open-source library by CoderLine.

alphaTab is made available under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0). For more information, see the alphaTab project repository and the MPL-2.0 license text.

Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes above.

Email correspondence

We keep emails for as long as needed to handle the conversation and maintain basic records, then delete them periodically. If you want us to delete a specific email thread sooner, contact info@guitartheoryonline.co.uk.

Analytics data

We retain analytics data for the period configured in our Google Analytics property. Cookie lifetimes are controlled by Google Analytics and your browser settings. We review these settings periodically and keep them no longer than necessary for the purposes described above.

Your rights

Depending on your location and the lawful basis being used, you may have rights including:

• access to your personal data
• correction of inaccurate data
• deletion (erasure)
• restriction of processing
• objection to processing based on legitimate interests
• data portability (in some cases)
• withdrawal of consent (where we rely on consent)

To exercise any of these rights, email info@guitartheoryonline.co.uk.

Complaints

UK: You can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
EU/EEA: You can complain to your local data protection authority.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the site and minimise the data we process. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we focus on data minimisation and sensible security practices.

Children

The site is intended as a general educational resource and is not designed specifically for children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the site evolves. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it was last revised.