Who is responsible
Hands-On Excel (handsonexcel.com) is run by Eshagh Shahnavazi, Istanbul, Türkiye, as an individual. For anything about your data, write to [email protected]. This policy covers the website, the practice sheets and the emails we send.
What we collect and why
1. Your progress, in your browser only
The challenges you solved and the formulas you were writing are saved in your browser's local storage (hoe.solved, hoe.drafts) so they are still there next time. They are never sent to us. Clearing your browser data removes them.
2. Anonymous usage events
To learn which challenges work and where people get stuck, the site records events such as "page viewed", "challenge started", "Check pressed (right / wrong)", "hint used" and "solved". Each event stores: the event name, the page and challenge, the result tone, the website you came from (domain only, e.g. google.com), campaign tags in the link (UTM), your country and whether you are on a phone or a computer.
Events are linked by a random ID kept in your browser's session storage (hoe.sid), which is deleted when you close the tab. We do not store your IP address, we do not use cookies, and nothing is shared with advertisers. If your browser sends "Do Not Track", no events are recorded at all.
Legal basis: our legitimate interest in improving the exercises (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)). Events are deleted after 24 months.
3. The email list
If you join the list (or ask us to hold the Pro price), we store your email address, whether you clicked the Pro offer, your optional answer to "How did you find us?", how many challenges you had solved, your country, and the dates you signed up, confirmed or unsubscribed.
You are only added after you click the confirmation link we email you. We then send occasional emails about new challenges and, if you asked, one email when Pro opens. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link.
Legal basis: your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)), which you can withdraw at any time by unsubscribing or writing to us. We keep your address while you are subscribed. After you unsubscribe we keep only a record that you did, so we never email you again by mistake; ask us and we will delete that too.
4. Emails you send us
Mail to [email protected] is forwarded to the operator's inbox and kept as long as needed to answer you.
5. Technical data
Like every website, our hosting provider processes your IP address and browser details to deliver pages and protect the site from abuse. We do not use these to identify you.
Who processes data for us
- Cloudflare (cloudflare.com): hosting, the event and email-list databases, and forwarding mail sent to [email protected].
- Resend (resend.com): sending our emails, from its EU (Ireland) region.
Both may process data outside your country, including in the United States, under their data processing terms and the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
Pages also load Cloudflare Web Analytics (a small script from static.cloudflareinsights.com), which counts page views and measures loading speed without cookies and without identifying you. Apart from that, fonts, scripts and images all come from handsonexcel.com.
When paid plans open, payments will be handled by a payment provider that we will name here and at checkout before you pay. We will never see or store your card details.
Your rights
You can ask us for a copy of your data, to correct it, to delete it, to restrict or object to its use, or to receive it in a portable format. Write to [email protected]; we answer within 30 days. You can also complain to your data protection authority (in the EU, the authority of your country; in Türkiye, the Personal Data Protection Authority, KVKK).
Children
The site is not aimed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their email addresses. If you believe a child has joined the list, tell us and we will delete the address.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update the date below, and for significant changes we will tell people on the email list first.