How It Evolved

Policies

Privacy Policy

Last updated 29 September 2026

This policy explains what data is processed when you visit howitevolved.com (“the site”, “we”). The short version: we do not ask you for any personal information, we have no user accounts, and we do not sell data. The site is funded by advertising served by Google.

Information we collect

We do not collect names, email addresses or other personal details unless you email us.

  • Server and security logs. The site is hosted on Cloudflare, which processes technical data such as IP address, browser type and requested pages to deliver the site and protect it from abuse. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
  • Analytics. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is cookieless, and Google Analytics 4, which uses cookies to count visits, pages read and the sites and searches that refer readers here. We use these figures only in aggregate, to see which pages are useful. In the EEA, UK and Switzerland, Google Analytics sets no cookies unless you consent. See how Google uses data from sites that use its services; you can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out add-on.
  • Local preferences. Your light/dark theme choice is stored in your browser's local storage. It never leaves your device.
  • Email. If you write to us, we use your message and address only to reply and, for corrections, to fix the site. We do not add you to any mailing list.

Advertising and cookies

We use Google AdSense to show advertisements. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this site or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.

  • You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings, or opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies at www.aboutads.info.
  • Learn more in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
  • EEA, UK and Switzerland: visitors are shown a consent message, provided by a Google-certified consent management platform, before any personalised advertising or non-essential cookies are used. You can change your choice at any time from the privacy link the message provides.
  • US state privacy laws (such as California's CCPA/CPRA): you may opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for targeted advertising via the opt-out message shown where applicable, or through the Google settings above.

Children

The site is written for a general audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal data, or to object to its processing. Because we hold almost no personal data, most requests will concern advertising data held by Google, which you can manage in your Google account. For anything else, email hello@howitevolved.com.

External links

Chapters link to external sources — journals, archives, museum and library catalogues. Those sites have their own privacy practices, which we do not control.

Changes

We will update this page if our practices change, and revise the date at the top.