Legal
Privacy notice
Last updated 11 November 2026
This notice explains how eddiebase.com collects and uses personal data when you visit this website, search for a domain, send us an enquiry, or use our client area. We follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who we are
The data controller is Eddie Smith, trading as eddiebase.com, based in the United Kingdom. You can contact us about privacy at esmith@eddiebase.com.
2. What we collect
- Enquiry details: your name, email address, phone number (if you give one), domain (if you give one), what you say you need, and your message. We also record that you confirmed you had read this notice.
- Contact form messages: anything you send through our general contact page.
- Domain searches: the domain names or keywords you type into our domain search. These are sent to the official domain registries (for example Nominet for .uk names and Verisign for .com) to check whether they are available. Each lookup contains only the domain name, not your details.
- Client account details: if you create a client account, your name, email address, business name and a securely hashed version of your password (we never see or store your actual password).
- Design briefs and uploads: what you write in your design brief, and the logo, inspiration images and documents you upload, plus the AI design ideas and images created for you.
- Visit statistics: we count page visits on our own server: the page viewed, the time, the website that sent you (if any) and the device type (desktop, mobile or tablet). We do not store your IP address. To count unique visitors we keep a scrambled code made from it that changes every day, so it cannot be used to identify you or follow you between days. No cookies are used for this.
- Technical data: like any website, our hosting provider’s servers may record standard request logs, for example IP address, browser type, pages requested and time.
We do not take online payments or store card details on this website.
3. Cookies
We only use strictly necessary cookies:
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
eb_enquiry | A session cookie that keeps the enquiry form secure (it protects against forged form submissions) and limits how often the form can be sent. It holds no personal details. It is sent only over HTTPS and cannot be read by scripts. | Deleted when you close your browser |
eb_client | Keeps you signed in to the client area and protects its forms against forged submissions. Used only within the client area. It holds no personal details, is sent only over HTTPS and cannot be read by scripts. | Deleted when you close your browser or sign out |
Because these cookies are essential for the site to work securely, they do not need your consent. Our site does not use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.
4. Why we use your data and our lawful basis
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Reading and answering your enquiry or contact message | Legitimate interests (and steps towards a contract if you ask us to quote or take on work) |
| Checking domain availability when you search | Legitimate interests: answering your search request |
| Keeping a short record of enquiries for follow-up and accountability | Legitimate interests |
| Running your client account and storing your design brief and uploads | Contract (providing the service you signed up for) and steps towards a contract |
| Creating AI design ideas when you ask for them | Contract: providing the service you request |
| Counting visits to understand how the site is used | Legitimate interests (no cookies, no IP addresses stored) |
| Preventing spam, abuse and keeping our site secure | Legitimate interests |
We do not sell your data or use it for marketing without your consent.
5. Who we share it with
We use these service providers, who process data on our behalf:
- 123-reg (GoDaddy group): hosts this website, stores client accounts and uploads, and provides the email service used to send and receive emails.
- OpenAI: if you use our client area and ask for AI design ideas, the design brief you write and the logo and inspiration images you upload are sent to OpenAI's API so it can create design suggestions and images for you. OpenAI processes this on our behalf and does not use data sent through its API to train its models. Documents (PDFs) you upload are not sent to OpenAI.
- Domain registries (such as Nominet and Verisign): receive only the domain name you search for, to check whether it is available.
We may also share data where the law requires it, for example with HMRC or law enforcement.
6. International transfers
Most of our processing takes place in the UK. Companies in the GoDaddy group (which includes 123-reg) may process data in the United States or elsewhere outside the UK. Where that happens, transfers are protected by recognised safeguards such as the UK–US Data Bridge, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or adequacy regulations.
OpenAI is based in the United States, so design briefs and images sent for AI design ideas are processed there. These transfers are protected by the same kinds of safeguards, such as the UK–US Data Bridge or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.
7. How long we keep it
- Enquiry and contact emails: up to 2 years after your last message, unless we still need them for an active project or a legal reason.
- Client accounts, briefs, uploads and AI design ideas: for as long as your account is open. You can ask us to delete your account at any time; we will also delete accounts that have not been used for 2 years, unless we still need them for an active project or a legal reason.
- Visit statistics: up to 13 months, then deleted automatically.
- Server logs: kept for the period set by our hosting provider, usually a few weeks.
- Session cookies: until you close your browser or sign out.
8. Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you
- have inaccurate data corrected
- have your data erased, where we have no legal reason to keep it
- restrict or object to how we use it
- receive your data in a portable format
- withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent
To use any of these rights, email esmith@eddiebase.com. We will reply within one month.
9. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, please contact us first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113.
10. Changes
We may update this notice. The date at the top shows when it last changed.