# Privacy policy > What Headtilts collects when you read, comment, vote or sign up for an event, why, and how to see or delete it. - Updated: 2026-10-28 - Source: https://headtilts.com/pages/privacy *Last updated: 28 October 2026* Headtilts is an independent music publication based in India. This page explains, in plain words, what we collect when you read, comment, vote, subscribe, write to us or sign up for an event, why we collect it, and what you can do about it. The short version: you can read everything here without an account and without being tracked. We only use Google Analytics if you say yes. We don't run ads, and we never sell your information. ## Who we are and how to reach us Headtilts is responsible for the personal information described here. For anything about your data, including questions, requests and complaints, email us at [hello@headtilts.com](https://headtilts.com/mailto:hello@headtilts.com) or write to us through our [contact page](https://headtilts.com/pages/contact). Put “Privacy” in the subject so it reaches the right person. ## Reading the site You don't need an account to read Headtilts. Like every website, our server records basic technical details when you visit: your IP address, your browser type, the page you asked for and the time. We use these records only to keep the site running and secure, for example to spot attacks and fix errors. We don't use them to build a picture of you. ## How we count readers The site keeps its own simple count of how often each page is read, so we know which stories people like. When a page loads, your browser tells us only which page it was. We add one to that page's count for the hour, and that's all we keep: no cookies, no IP address and nothing that could identify you or link one visit to another. Our team's own visits aren't counted. The totals are kept for about 13 months. ## Google Analytics (only if you agree) To understand which stories people read, we use Google Analytics. It only switches on after you click **Accept** on the cookie banner. Until then, nothing is sent to Google and no analytics cookies are set. If you accept, Google Analytics collects information like the pages you visit, how long you stay, how far you scroll, links you click, the device and browser you use, and your approximate location (city level). It also records a few actions on our site: voting in a poll, posting a comment or reaction, sharing a poll and signing up for an event. It sets cookies named `_ga` and `_ga_…`, which last up to two years. Google processes this information on its servers, which may be outside India. You can read [Google's privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and how it [uses data from sites like ours](https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites). **Changing your mind:** click **Cookie settings** at the bottom of any page. If you switch analytics off, we stop sending data and delete the Google Analytics cookies from your browser. If your browser sends the [Global Privacy Control](https://globalprivacycontrol.org/) signal, we treat that as a no and won't even ask. ## When you comment To post a comment we ask for your name, email address and the comment itself. Your name and comment are shown publicly. **Your email address is never published**. We use it only to deal with spam or abuse, or to contact you about your comment if we need to. Comments may be checked by our team before they appear. Next to comments we may show a small picture from [Gravatar](https://gravatar.com). We send Gravatar a scrambled code made from your email, not the email itself, and the code can't be traced back to you. Your browser loads the picture directly from Gravatar, so Gravatar can see your IP address. To save you typing, your browser remembers the name and email you used, but only on your own device. ## Reactions and polls When you react to a post or comment, or vote in a poll, we store your choice along with a random ID kept in your browser and your IP address. We use these only to count fairly: one vote or reaction per person, without asking you to sign in. When you share a poll, we create a personal share link so we can count how many people it brings in. If you fill in a recipient's name, email address or a note in the share form, we store those with the link. The message itself is sent from your own email app, not by us. If you arrive at a poll through someone's share link, we may ask whether you'd like to tell us your name, gender and age. That's entirely optional: you can skip it, and our team uses the answers only to understand who our polls reach. ## The contact form When you write to us, we receive your name, email address and message, together with what you chose to write about and any details that form asks for. For example, a music submission asks for the band, the release and where to listen, and a correction asks for a link to the story. We get these by email and keep them in our admin area so we can reply and follow up. You can send a news tip anonymously. If you do, we don't ask for your name or email address, so we can't reply to you. ## Events and tickets To register for an event, we ask for your name, email address, optionally your phone number, how many tickets you want, and any extra questions that particular event asks. We use this to issue your ticket, email you about the event (for example, a change of time or venue), and check you in at the door. Paid tickets are processed by [Razorpay](https://razorpay.com/privacy/). You enter your card or UPI details on Razorpay's secure checkout, and they never reach us. We only receive the payment reference, amount and whether it went through. ## The newsletter If you sign up for the newsletter, we keep your email address, how often you want it (daily or weekly), the sections you picked, and any stories, series or tags you choose to follow. Nothing is sent until you click the link in the confirmation email we send you. Every newsletter has a link to unsubscribe in one click, and to a private page where you can change what you get. When you unsubscribe, we stop emailing you straight away and remove what you followed. We keep a note that your address unsubscribed, so it isn't signed up again by mistake; ask us if you'd like it removed completely. ## Breaking-news alerts in your browser If you turn on alerts, your browser gives us a delivery address for notifications, which belongs to your browser's maker (for example Google, Mozilla or Apple). We keep that address, and anything you follow, such as a live blog. It isn't linked to your name or email. Alerts are delivered through your browser maker's notification service. You can turn them off at any time with the link at the bottom of any page or in your browser's settings, and we then delete the address. ## What's stored on your device Apart from the Google Analytics cookies described above, which only appear if you accept, Headtilts doesn't use cookies to follow you. It does keep a few small notes in your browser's storage so the site works the way you left it. These stay on your device and are not sent to anyone: - **theme**: light, dark or automatic mode. - **analytics-consent**: your answer on the cookie banner. - **ht\_visitor\_id**: a random ID that makes one-vote-per-person and reactions work. - **ht\_comment\_author**: the name and email you last commented with, to fill in the form for you. - **celebration-seen-…**: remembers that you've already seen today's artist birthday or anniversary pop-up. - **ht:reading**: the stories you've started on this device, and how far you got, so the front page can offer to pick up where you left off. - **Saved for offline**: stories you save to read without a connection are kept in your browser's storage, along with the files the site needs to open offline. Our team also gets a login cookie when signing in to the admin area, and a small **ht-staff** note so their own visits aren't counted. Readers never receive either. You can clear all of this at any time in your browser settings. ## Videos, music players and maps Some posts include players and maps from other services, such as YouTube (in its privacy-enhanced mode), Spotify, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Apple Music and Google Maps. When a page with one of these loads, your browser connects to that service. The service can then see your IP address and may set its own cookies, under its own privacy policy. The share buttons on our site are plain links: nothing is sent to Facebook, X, WhatsApp or LinkedIn unless you click one. ## How we use your information - To run the site and the features you choose to use (comments, polls, events, contact). - To keep things fair and safe: one vote per person, and stopping spam, abuse and attacks. - To reply to you and to send messages about events you've registered for. - If you agreed to analytics, to understand what readers enjoy so we can cover more of it. We don't sell your information, use it for advertising, or make automated decisions about you. Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, we rely on your consent, which you give by accepting analytics or by choosing to comment, vote, write to us or register. For basic security logs, we rely on the legitimate use of keeping the site safe. If you're in the EU or UK, the GDPR equivalents are consent, performing what you asked for, and our legitimate interest in security. ## Who we share it with We only share personal information with the services that help us run Headtilts, and only as much as they need: - **Our email provider**, to deliver emails such as event confirmations, newsletters and messages from the contact form. - **Your browser's notification service** (from Google, Mozilla or Apple), to deliver alerts, only if you've turned them on. - **Razorpay**, to take payment for paid tickets. - **Google**, for analytics, and only if you've agreed. We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect our readers, our team or the site from harm. ## How long we keep it We keep information only as long as we need it for the reason we collected it: - Published comments stay until you or we remove them. - Newsletter sign-ups are kept until you unsubscribe (and, after that, only the note that you did). Browser alert addresses are deleted when you turn alerts off, or when your browser stops accepting them. - Our page-view totals contain nothing personal and are kept for about 13 months. - Contact messages and event registrations are kept while they're useful, for example until the event has passed and any follow-up is done, plus whatever period the law requires for payment records. - Our web server's access logs are overwritten automatically as new traffic comes in. In our activity records (for example, “a vote was cast” or “someone registered for an event”), IP addresses and browser details are erased automatically after 90 days. - The IP addresses stored with poll votes and reactions are kept so the one-vote-per-person rule keeps working. You can ask us to delete yours. - We keep backups so we can recover from problems. They're stored securely and replaced regularly, so deleted information disappears from them over time. ## Your rights You can ask us to: - tell you what personal information we hold about you and how we use it; - correct anything that's wrong or out of date; - delete your information, including your comments; - withdraw your consent at any time (for analytics, use **Cookie settings** at the bottom of any page). To make a request, email [hello@headtilts.com](https://headtilts.com/mailto:hello@headtilts.com) or use our [contact page](https://headtilts.com/pages/contact). We'll reply as soon as we can, within 30 days at the latest. If you're not happy with our answer, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India, or, if you're in the EU or UK, to your local data protection authority. Under India's data protection law you can also nominate someone to exercise these rights for you if you die or are unable to. ## Children Headtilts is written for adults. If you're under 18, please ask a parent or guardian before you comment, vote in a poll or register for an event. If you think a child has given us personal information without that permission, tell us and we'll delete it. ## Keeping it safe Only our team can see the information described here, and each person sees only what their role needs. Staff passwords are stored in scrambled form, and staff accounts can use two-step sign-in. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach ever puts your information at risk, we'll tell you and the authorities as the law requires. ## Changes to this policy If we change how we handle your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a change is significant, for example a new kind of tracking, we'll make it clear on the site and ask for your consent again where needed. --- From Headtilts: https://headtilts.com/llms.txt lists more of the site.