Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026

Burn Wire ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

What data we collect

We use Vercel Analytics, a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics service, and PostHog also measures visits. Vercel Analytics collects aggregated, anonymised page-view data including:

• Pages visited and referrer URLs
• Country-level geographic data (no city or IP-level tracking)
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Web Vitals performance metrics (page load speed, interactivity)

Vercel Analytics does not use cookies, does not track individual users across sessions, and does not collect personally identifiable information (PII). PostHog sets an anonymous ID in the browser using the cookie and localStorage key ph_<project_token>_posthog. It has no session replay, receives no email addresses, and has query strings stripped from the URLs it stores except utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign.

Cookies

If you buy a Field Note or a Range Pass, we set first-party cookies so this browser can read what you paid for. bw_access lasts about a week. bw_access_ref holds your Stripe customer or checkout id so we can check with Stripe that the purchase is still active and renew bw_access. bw_access_checked is a short pause so we do not hammer Stripe when it is down. bw_checkout_claim is a random value set when you start checkout, so only this browser can collect the purchase. They are httpOnly, not used for advertising, and not shared with third parties. Reader settings (theme, type size, path, saved guides) stay in local storage on your device.

Our analytics provider (Vercel Analytics) is cookieless by design. PostHog uses the ph_<project_token>_posthog cookie and the same localStorage key for that anonymous ID only. If you visit an external site through one of our links, that site may set its own cookies.

How we use your data

The aggregated analytics data we collect is used solely to:

• Understand which content is most useful to our readers
• Improve site performance and loading times
• Guide decisions about future articles and tools

We do not sell, share, or transfer any data to third parties for advertising or marketing purposes.

Third-party services

We use the following third-party services:

• Stripe — payment processing for Field Notes. Stripe collects the payment details you enter on their hosted checkout. We receive a payment confirmation and do not store card numbers. See the Stripe Privacy Policy.
• Resend — sends the restore access email when you ask for one. We pass it your email address and the link, and nothing else.
• Vercel — hosting and analytics (Vercel Privacy Policy)
• Affiliate networks — some links on this site are affiliate links to retailers such as Apogee Components, Amazon, and others. When you click an affiliate link, the destination site may collect data according to their own privacy policy. See our Affiliate Disclosure for more details.

Children's privacy

Burn Wire does not knowingly collect any personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will promptly remove it.

Your rights

Analytics stay aggregated. If you pay for Field Notes, Stripe holds the payment record. The access cookie can be cleared in your browser. If you have questions about our data practices, contact us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, email hello@burnwiretech.com, visit our About page or reach out on Twitter / X.