Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 10, 2026

Who we are

This website, itsnotaboutyou.net, and its companion app at app.itsnotaboutyou.net are operated by Barry Simpson, career coach and author of It's Not About You: A Practical Guide to Getting Hired. If you have any questions about this policy, you can reach us at [email protected].

What information we collect

On the website (itsnotaboutyou.net), we collect:

• Usage data via Google Analytics — pages visited, time on site, device type, general location (country/city level). This is anonymous and used to understand how people use the site so we can improve it.
• No personal data is collected on the public website. There are no sign-up forms, no account creation, and no contact forms.

On the companion app (app.itsnotaboutyou.net), we collect:

• Email address — when you create an account.
• Job search data you enter — achievements, resume content, BARL stories, networking notes, salary research. This is stored securely and used only to power your experience in the app. We do not sell it, share it, or use it for advertising.
• Payment information — handled entirely by Stripe. We never see or store your card details.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymous data about how visitors use the site. Google Analytics uses cookies to track sessions and generate reports. The data collected includes pages viewed, time spent on each page, the device and browser used, and approximate location at country and city level.

No personally identifiable information is collected through Google Analytics. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Cookies

This website uses cookies for two purposes:

• Google Analytics cookies — to track anonymous usage data as described above.
• Functional cookies — the app uses browser localStorage to save your job search data locally on your device.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time. Disabling cookies will prevent Google Analytics from tracking your visit but will not affect your ability to read the website.

Your rights (including GDPR)

If you are based in the European Economic Area, you have rights under GDPR including the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data. For app users, you can request deletion of your account and all associated data by emailing [email protected]. We will action this within 30 days.

For anonymous analytics data collected via Google Analytics, we do not have a way to identify or retrieve your individual data, as no personally identifiable information is collected.

Data security

App user data is stored in a secure cloud database (Neon Postgres). Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text. Payment processing is handled by Stripe, which is PCI DSS compliant. We take reasonable steps to protect your data but no system is 100% secure.

Third-party services

This site and app use the following third-party services:

• Google Analytics — anonymous usage tracking. Google Privacy Policy
• Stripe — payment processing. Stripe Privacy Policy
• Vercel — app hosting. Vercel Privacy Policy
• Anthropic Claude API — powers the AI Career Coach in the app. Conversation data is processed by Anthropic but not stored by us beyond the session.

Changes to this policy

If we make significant changes to this policy we will update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site or app after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email [email&