Last updated 26 September 2026
Privacy & Cookies Policy
This notice explains how Steve Lewis, trading as Every Clue Counts, handles personal information when you visit this website, request a free puzzle sampler, contact us or purchase a digital product.
1. Who is responsible for your information?
Steve Lewis, trading as Every Clue Counts, is the data controller. For privacy questions or requests, email info@everycluecounts.com. Please do not send passwords or payment-card details by email.
2. Information we collect
- Contact information, such as your name and email address.
- Order and transaction information, including the product purchased, payment status and transaction reference. Full card details are handled by the payment provider rather than stored by us.
- Messages and customer-support correspondence.
- Consent records, including when you requested emails or accepted or rejected marketing technology.
- Email address and signup information needed to open the free Hidden Number sampler and record your optional marketing choice. The sampler saves puzzle progress locally in your browser.
- Checkout-reminder information, including the product and payment provider you selected, when you expressly request reminder emails.
- Historical records from the retired browser case, including saved progress and pseudonymous events linked to a random session identifier. The online case was retired on 21 September 2026; its progress and event endpoints no longer accept new activity.
- Case reviews, including a rating, review text, optional display name and whether you gave permission for the review to be quoted publicly.
3. Why we use your information
| Purpose | UK GDPR lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Process orders, deliver downloads and provide customer support. | Performance of a contract and steps requested before a contract. |
| Provide access to the free five-puzzle sampler using the email address you enter. | Performance of the service you requested. |
| Send optional new-puzzle and offer emails if you tick the separate box. | Consent. You may unsubscribe at any time. |
| Send a saved checkout link and up to three reminders when you request them. | Consent. Reminders stop after a matched purchase or when you unsubscribe. |
| Keep transaction, consent and compliance records. | Legal obligation and legitimate interests in operating and defending the business. |
| Prevent misuse, fraud and security incidents. | Legitimate interests in protecting customers, the website and the business. |
| Retain limited historical activity records from the retired browser case under the retention periods below. | Legitimate interests in understanding and improving our product, using pseudonymous and minimised data. |
| Moderate and display previously submitted reviews of the retired browser case, labelled as reviews of that edition. | Consent for optional public quotation; legitimate interests for private product feedback and moderation. |
4. Email marketing
We send marketing only where we have an appropriate lawful basis. Checkout reminders are optional and are sent only after you tick the reminder consent box. You can withdraw consent using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal, and essential order or service messages may still be sent.
5. Who receives your information?
We use service providers only as needed to operate the website and deliver services. These may include:
- MailerLite, when connected, for consent-based email lists and campaigns;
- Stripe and PayPal, when enabled, for payment processing;
- website hosting, database, security and file-delivery providers; and
- professional advisers or public authorities where disclosure is legally required.
These providers may process information outside the UK. Where required, we rely on recognised safeguards, such as UK adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.
6. How long we keep information
We keep order and tax records for the period required by law, generally up to six years after the relevant financial year. Marketing information is kept until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or the account becomes inactive under our retention process. Pseudonymous browser-case events are retained only long enough to analyse starts, engagement and completion, normally no longer than 12 months. Support messages and consent evidence are kept only as long as reasonably needed for service, security and legal purposes.
7. Cookies and similar technology
Essential browser storage remembers whether you accepted or rejected analytics and marketing technology. It is necessary to respect your choice. The Google tag loads with analytics and advertising storage denied, and measurement is enabled only after you actively accept. Pinterest and the Meta Pixel are not loaded unless you accept. If accepted, Meta records page visits, product views, leads, checkout starts and completed purchases using Pixel ID 1822288762269424. A completed-purchase event may also be sent securely from our verified payment webhook using Meta’s Conversions API, but only when you previously gave marketing consent. Email addresses used for matching are normalised and irreversibly hashed before transmission. Full card details, form contents and payment references are not sent to Meta by this site.
| Service | Purpose | When used |
|---|---|---|
| Every Clue Counts consent storage | Stores “accepted” or “rejected” in your browser so the website remembers your choice. | Essential |
| Hidden Number sampler progress | Stores that you opened the sampler and saves your five puzzle marks, answers and current puzzle in this browser. A progress backup is downloaded only when you choose to save one; you can restore it on another device. Clearing site data removes locally saved progress unless you kept a backup. | Essential for remembering access and progress |
| Browser case progress and events | The browser case is retired. Previously stored cookies and local progress may remain on your device until they expire or you clear this site’s data. The download pages do not create or update browser-game progress or activity records. Entries in a downloaded PDF are saved in your chosen PDF app. | Historical storage from the retired online case |
| Page-view and add-to-cart measurement for Pinterest campaigns. Pinterest may set its own cookies or similar identifiers. | Only after consent | |
| Google Analytics | Website usage measurement using Google tag G-D4JB043JRK. Google may set cookies or similar identifiers. | Only after consent |
You may change your decision at any time using . Rejecting after previously accepting stops Google Analytics and Pinterest on future page loads. You can also clear website data in your browser.
8. Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access, correct, erase or restrict your information; object to certain processing; receive portable data; and withdraw consent. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
9. Complaints
Please contact us first at info@everycluecounts.com so we can try to resolve your concern. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this notice when our services, providers or legal obligations change. The current version and date will remain available on this page.
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