Privacy Policy

1. Controller and Contact

Responsible for data processing (Controller, according to Art. 4 No. 7 GDPR):

2. General Information

We take the protection of your personal data seriously. We process your data exclusively based on legal requirements (GDPR, German Federal Data Protection Act [BDSG], Telemedia Act [TMG]). This Privacy Policy informs you about the collection and processing of personal data when you use this website.

3. What Personal Data We Collect

a) User Accounts

When you register for an account (currently required for access/admin or content creation), we collect and process:

• Username
• E-mail address
• Encrypted password

Purpose: To provide account functionality, manage access, and (if permitted) allow article creation.

b) Newsletter/News Subscription

If you subscribe to news updates, your e-mail address is stored so we can send you notifications about updates and new articles.

c) Contact Form

If you contact us, the information you provide (such as your e-mail address and any additional details you voluntarily provide) will be processed solely for the purpose of handling your inquiry.

d) Support/Ko-fi

When you click the "Support Our Work" button, you will be redirected to the Ko-fi platform. We do not process your payment data. All transaction and data processing is subject to Ko-fi's privacy policy.

e) Automatically Collected Data

When using our site, we or our hosting provider may collect:

• IP address (in log files, for security purposes)
• Browser type and version
• Device type/operating system
• Date and time of access
• Pages visited

This processing is necessary for technical stability and security (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

4. Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses cookies that are necessary for the technical operation of the website and to enable login sessions (for example, for user authentication). These cookies are essential and cannot be disabled, as the website would not function properly without them. We do not use cookies for analytics, marketing, or tracking purposes.

You can manage and delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that deleting or disabling cookies required for login or essential site features may affect the usability of the website.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under the following legal bases, as applicable:

• Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR – performance of a contract (account management, admin functionalities)
• Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR – consent (newsletter/news subscription)
• Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interests (security, technical administration, fraud detection)

6. Data Retention

We store your data for as long as necessary for the purposes described or as required by law.

• Account data: until you delete your account or request deletion
• News subscriptions: until you unsubscribe
• Contact requests: until your request is resolved
• Log files: generally deleted after a few days

7. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not share your data with third parties, except as necessary to provide our service, comply with the law, or if you provide explicit consent.

When using the Ko-fi support feature, data is processed by Ko-fi.

Our hosting provider may process data as part of service delivery.

8. Data Security

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse.

9. Your Rights

You have the following rights under the GDPR:

• Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
• Right to correction (Art. 16 GDPR)
• Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
• Right to restrict processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
• Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
• Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)
• Right to withdraw consent at any time (Art. 7(3) GDPR)

To exercise your rights, contact us at the address above.

10. Supervisory Authority

If you believe the processing of your personal data violates data protection law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority. The competent data protection authority is:

Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg
Königstraße 10a,
70173 Stuttgart,
Germany

11. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or process information from children under 13.

12. Updates and Changes

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy as necessary to reflect changes in the law or our services. Please review this page regularly.