Last updated: 21 August 2026 · Maintained and published by the HelpForMan team (site administrator).

This policy explains what information HelpForMan collects, why, and what choices you have. We keep it in plain English on purpose. You can use most of the site — reading guides and using the free tools — without an account or giving us any personal information.

This notice is provided for general information and transparency. It is not legal advice. We update it from time to time as the site changes; the date above reflects the current version.

What we collect

  • Account details — if you create an account, we store your name, email address, and a securely hashed password (we never store your password in plain text). If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and Google account identifier from Google.
  • Newsletter email — only if you choose to subscribe.
  • Things you post — community wall posts and their timestamps. Posts are shown publicly with either your name or as "Anonymous", as you choose at the time of posting.
  • Questions & AI-tool inputs — when you use "Ask HelpForMan" or an AI-powered tool, the text you enter is sent to our AI provider (Google, which operates Gemini) to generate a response. For "Ask HelpForMan" we also log the question, the guide it matched and your plan tier (never your name or account ID) to find gaps in our guides. Please don't enter sensitive personal or identifying details — see AI features & your prompts below for the full detail.
  • Messages you send — if you use the contact form, we store the name, email and message you provide so we can reply.
  • Basic technical data — a one-way hashed version of your IP address plus your browser's user-agent string, kept purely to prevent spam and abuse. We do not store your raw IP. We also read an approximate country (from Cloudflare) to show relevant support helplines.
  • On-device data — your login token, theme choice, and any saved checklists live in your browser's local storage. Aside from the login token (sent to verify your session), these stay on your device.

Analytics

We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand aggregate traffic. It is privacy-focused, does not use cookies, and does not track you across other sites.

AI features & your prompts

Some features are AI-powered: Ask HelpForMan and several interactive tools (the Apology Generator, Conversation Planner, Salary Negotiator, Home-Repair Diagnostic, Complaint/Refund Writer and Wellbeing Assistant). Here is exactly how they handle what you type:

  • Provider: Google, via the Gemini API — your text is sent to Google's servers to generate the response.
  • What's sent: only the text you enter (your question, or the fields you fill in). We do not attach your name, email or account ID to the request.
  • Training: we do not use your prompts to train any model of our own. Google processes API requests under Google's own API terms and privacy policy — review Google's documentation for how it handles data submitted to the Gemini API.
  • What we store: for "Ask HelpForMan" we keep the question text, whether it matched a guide, the matched guide, and your plan tier — to find coverage gaps. Inputs to the other AI tools are used only to generate your reply and are not stored by us.
  • Account linkage: logged questions are not tied to your identity and are never shown on your profile.
  • Retention: "Ask HelpForMan" logs are kept no longer than 12 months and then deleted; you can ask us to delete yours sooner.
  • Deletion: email [email protected] to request deletion of your AI question logs or account data.
  • Sensitive data: please do not enter names, addresses, financial or health identifiers, or other sensitive personal information. Each AI tool repeats this warning before you use it.

How we use it

  • To run your account, community posts and saved content.
  • To answer your questions and reply to messages you send us.
  • To send the newsletter and resources you signed up for.
  • To protect the site from spam and automated abuse, and to improve our guides.

Where the law requires a legal basis, we rely on your consent (e.g. the newsletter) and on our legitimate interest in operating and securing the site. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Sharing

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We share it only with trusted providers that help us operate the site — our AI provider (Google, which powers Gemini), email delivery and Google Sign-In — and only as needed to provide the service. Some pages contain affiliate links; if you click them, the destination site may set its own cookies under its own policy.

Retention & your rights

We keep account and subscription data for as long as your account is active, and newsletter email for as long as you're subscribed. You can:

  • Unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email.
  • Request a copy of the data we hold about you.
  • Request deletion of your account and data.

To exercise any of these, email [email protected] or [email protected].

Security

We store data securely, hash passwords and IP addresses, restrict access, and serve the site over HTTPS. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

Changes

We may update this policy from time to time; the date above shows the latest version. Questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected].