Website privacy notice
This notice explains how the counselnote.uk website handles personal data. It is separate from the CounselNote app itself, which stores all pupil and session data only on your own computer — this website never has access to anything inside the app.
The controller for this website is 4CF Group, a business based in the United Kingdom. Contact: privacy@counselnote.uk.
What we collect and why
| What | Why | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Emails you send us (name, email, school, message) | To reply to your enquiry or quotation request | Legitimate interests |
| Purchase details (name, email, billing address, tier) | To take payment, issue your licence key and keep accounting records | Performance of a contract; legal obligation (tax records) |
| Website usage data via Google Analytics | To understand which pages are useful and improve the site | Consent (where required) |
| Advertising cookies via Google AdSense (content pages only) | To show ads that help fund the free guides | Consent (where required) |
| Hosting logs (IP address, browser type) | To run and secure the website | Legitimate interests |
Payments
Card payments are processed by Stripe and PayPal payments by PayPal. We never see or store your card details. We receive your name, email address, billing address and what you bought, so we can issue your licence key and an invoice. Licence keys are sent by email using our email delivery provider.
Cookies, analytics and advertising
This website uses:
- Google Analytics to measure visits and page usage. We use Google Consent Mode, which means analytics cookies are not set unless consent is given; without consent, Google may receive limited, cookieless measurement signals.
- Google AdSense on our guide and information pages (never on checkout, download or account-related pages). Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on visits to this and/or other sites on the internet.
Where the law requires it, you will be asked for consent before non-essential cookies are used, and you can change your choice at any time. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings, and learn more at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
How long we keep data
- Enquiry emails: for as long as reasonably needed to deal with your enquiry and any resulting purchase, then deleted.
- Purchase and invoice records: six years, to meet UK tax and accounting requirements.
- Google Analytics data: according to the retention setting in our Google Analytics account (no longer than 14 months).
Who we share data with
We share data only with the service providers that help us run the website and sell licences — our hosting provider (Vercel), Stripe, PayPal, our email delivery provider, and Google (Analytics and AdSense). Some of these providers may process data outside the UK under appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or adequacy regulations. We do not sell personal data.
Your rights
You have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict certain processing, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time. Email privacy@counselnote.uk. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Pupil data
CounselNote is designed so that pupil and session data never reaches us. Please do not send pupil information, session notes or your vault passphrase to us by email.
Last updated: 25 September 2026.