Privacy policy

Last updated 12 October 2026

Who we are

This website, mostpeople.co.uk, is run by Mark Crooks, who is the "data controller" responsible for your personal data. Contact us about anything in this policy at mark@crooks.co.uk.

What we collect, why, and our legal basis

• Your account: your name, email address and password. Your password is stored securely hashed, so nobody, including us, can read it. We need these to give you access to the audiobook you've bought. Legal basis: performing our contract with you.
• Your purchase: the date, amount paid and any coupon used. Legal basis: performing our contract with you, and our legal obligation to keep financial records.
• Listening progress: where you stopped in each chapter, so you can carry on from there. Legal basis: performing our contract with you.
• Book Club: if you start or join a club, its name, its members and where the club is in the book, and any chat messages you send in it. Other members of a club see your name, your messages and whether you're there right now. Messages are kept until the club is deleted. Legal basis: performing our contract with you.
• Gifts: if you buy the audiobook as a gift, the recipient's name (optional), email address and your message, used only to send them their gift (on the date you choose) and to show you its status. Legal basis: performing our contract with you, and our legitimate interest in delivering the gift.
• Emails we send you: your receipt and password-reset links only. We don't send marketing emails. Legal basis: performing our contract with you.
• Free sample sign-ups: your email address, so we can send you a link to the sample. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in providing the sample you asked for.
• Our mailing list: only if you tick the box to receive news about the book and future releases. We record your email address, when you agreed and the exact wording you agreed to. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email. Legal basis: your consent.
• Messages you send us: if you use the contact form, your name, email address and message are emailed to us so we can reply. They're kept in our email inbox, not on this website. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in answering your message.
• Server logs: like most websites, our hosting records technical information such as IP addresses and the pages requested, which helps keep the site secure and working. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in running a secure website.

Card payments are taken by Stripe on their own secure page. Your card details never reach this website.

Who else handles your data

• Stripe processes your payment. Stripe handles your payment details under its own privacy policy.
• Namecheap hosts this website, its database and its email sending.

If we use an email service to send mailing-list emails, it handles your email address on our behalf only. We don't sell your data or share it with anyone else, unless the law requires us to. This site has no advertising, no analytics and no third-party tracking, and its fonts are hosted on our own server.

How long we keep it

• Your account, listening progress and Book Club memberships: for as long as you have an account (or until you leave the club, or its creator deletes it). You can delete your account yourself at any time from your account page.
• Purchase records: for six years, as UK tax rules require. If you delete your account, the record is kept without your name or email address.
• Mailing list: until you unsubscribe. After that we keep only a note that you unsubscribed, so we never email you again by mistake.
• Free sample sign-ups (without the mailing list): up to two years, then deleted.
• Password-reset links: they expire after one hour.

Cookies and local storage

We use one essential cookie to keep you logged in. There are no advertising or tracking cookies, so we don't need to ask for cookie consent. The player remembers your settings (speed and "Keep screen on") in your browser's local storage. These stay on your device and are never sent to us.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• get a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• have inaccurate data corrected (you can update your name and email on your account page)
• have your data deleted (use "Delete my account" on your account page, or email us)
• object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use your data
• withdraw your consent to marketing emails at any time (use the unsubscribe link in any email)
• receive your data in a portable format

To use any of these rights, email mark@crooks.co.uk. We'll reply within one month.

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. We'd appreciate the chance to put things right first, so please contact us before going to the ICO.

Keeping your data safe

The site uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, passwords are stored hashed, and the audiobook and your account can only be reached once you're logged in.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page.