> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://shawnniu.space/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Privacy
- URL: https://shawnniu.space/privacy/
- Published: 2026-10-12T23:35:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-12T23:37:42.000Z
- Description: What this website collects, why, and who else is involved.
- Author: Shawn Niu

This page describes what actually happens to data on this site. It is a plain description, not a legal document. It covers only the services this site uses.

## Visiting the site

You don’t need an account to read the blog. The site runs on [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=shawnniu.space), on a server rented from Microsoft Azure in the United States (West US 2). [Cloudflare](https://www.cloudflare.com/?ref=shawnniu.space) sits in front of it, so every request passes through Cloudflare, which sees your IP address, the page requested and your browser’s request headers, and may set its own cookies to block abusive traffic.

The server keeps ordinary logs (IP address, time, page requested, browser) to fix faults and to detect attacks.

Cloudflare Web Analytics is switched on for this site: on public pages Cloudflare adds a small script, loaded from static.cloudflareinsights.com, that counts page views and records the page, the referring site, the browser, the type of device and the country. Cloudflare describes it as not using cookies or fingerprinting. It does not run in the password-protected area. There is no advertising tracker on this site, and nothing is sold.

Pages load Ghost’s subscription and account window from [jsDelivr](https://www.jsdelivr.com/?ref=shawnniu.space), a public content-delivery network, so jsDelivr also receives a request from your browser. The site’s own styles and scripts come from this server, and it uses the fonts already on your device.

## The newsletter

If you subscribe, Ghost stores your email address, the editions you chose, when you signed up and the page you signed up from. Ghost also looks up the approximate location of your IP address with the geojs.io service at sign-up and stores it with your subscription. I receive an email notification with your address when someone new subscribes.

Newsletter emails are delivered by [Mailgun](https://www.mailgun.com/?ref=shawnniu.space), which processes your address and delivery events. Ghost records whether an email was opened and which links in it were clicked, to see what is useful; links in emails pass through this site for that reason. Your address is used only for the editions you chose. It is not sold or shared, and the subscriber list is never published.

Every email has an unsubscribe link and a link to manage your editions. To have your subscriber record deleted entirely, email the address below.

## The password-protected area

Research and projects are behind a shared password. Signing in sets two cookies on this site only: one that keeps you signed in (for up to 7 days, or until you sign out) and one that protects the sign-in form. Failed sign-in attempts are counted by IP address for 15 minutes to stop password guessing, and sign-in attempts are written to the server log. A newsletter subscription does not give access to this area.

## Backups

The site, including the subscriber list, is backed up daily to private Microsoft Azure storage that only I can reach. Daily backups are kept for 14 days and weekly backups for 8 weeks.

## Questions and requests

To ask what is stored about you, or to have it deleted, email [helloshawnniu@gmail.com](mailto:helloshawnniu@gmail.com).