Privacy Policy
What we collect, who processes it, and what you can do about it. Last updated 2 September 2026.
This policy explains how Sprout & Spectrum (“we”), published by Slate Mill Group, handles information when you visit sproutandspectrum.com.
The short version
We do not ask you to create an account, we do not sell anything directly, and we do not sell or rent personal information to anybody. The only information you actively give us is what you type into the contact form. Everything else is the usual analytics and affiliate-link machinery described below.
What we collect
| What | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email, message (and phone, if you supply one) | Only when you submit the contact form | To read and reply to your message |
| Analytics data: pages viewed, approximate location, device and browser, referring site | On every visit, via Google Analytics 4 | To understand which pages are useful and which are not |
| A click event when you use a buy link | When you click an affiliate link | To see which recommendations readers act on |
| IP address and submission timestamp | On contact form submission only | Spam prevention — rate limiting and timing checks |
| Server request logs | On every request, by our hosting provider | Security, error diagnosis and abuse prevention |
We do not collect payment details, because no transaction happens on this site. When you buy something you do so on the retailer’s site, under the retailer’s own privacy policy.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to measure traffic. It sets cookies and collects the categories listed above, including a truncated form of your IP address used for approximate geographic reporting. We use it in aggregate — to see which pages readers find useful — and we do not attempt to identify individual visitors.
You can opt out with Google’s browser add-on, with any standard content blocker, or by using your browser’s privacy settings. Nothing on this site requires analytics to function, and blocking it costs you nothing.
Affiliate links and cookies
Buy links on this site are affiliate links, principally to Amazon. When you click one, the retailer typically sets a cookie so it can attribute a subsequent purchase to us. We receive a commission on qualifying purchases; we do not receive your name, address, payment details, or the contents of your basket.
Our outbound links pass through a redirect on this domain (/go/) before reaching the retailer. That redirect exists so a product’s destination can be updated in one place; it does not profile you and it does not store anything about you beyond the analytics event described above.
The full commercial arrangement is on the affiliate disclosure page.
The contact form
What you type is sent to our email address and stored in that mailbox. It is not added to a marketing list, because we do not have one, and it is not shared with anyone.
The form carries three spam defenses you should know about because two of them process data: a hidden field that legitimate visitors never fill in, a timing check on how long the form was open before submission, and a per-IP-address rate limit. The IP address is used only for that rate limit and is not stored beyond it.
Who else processes data
- Our hosting provider — serves the site and keeps standard request logs.
- Google (Analytics 4) — traffic measurement, as above.
- Microsoft (Graph API) — delivers contact form submissions to our mailbox.
- Amazon — sets its own cookies once you follow a buy link onto its site, under its own privacy policy.
We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. We would disclose it if legally required to, and we have not been.
Retention
Contact form emails are kept as long as they are useful for correspondence and correcting the site — a correction sometimes needs revisiting years later. Analytics data follows Google Analytics 4’s configured retention. Rate-limit records are transient and are discarded within the hour.
Your choices
- Block analytics with a content blocker or browser settings. The site works identically.
- Avoid affiliate cookies by searching for the model number directly rather than using our links. Every fixture we cover is named with its exact model.
- Ask us to delete your correspondence. Email info@sproutandspectrum.com and we will remove it from the mailbox.
- Clear cookies at any time through your browser.
Depending on where you live you may have additional rights over your personal data, including access, correction, deletion and objecting to processing. Write to the address above and we will act on the request.
Children
This site is a reference resource for adults buying lighting equipment. It is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13.
Changes to this policy
If we change what we collect or who processes it, we will update this page and the date at the top. Substantive changes will be described rather than silently swapped in — the same corrections principle we apply to figures in the editorial policy.
Contact
Questions about this policy go to info@sproutandspectrum.com or through the contact page.