Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10th August 2024

This Privacy Policy outlines how SpearZen (hereinafter referred to as “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, or interact with our content.

1. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for processing your personal data under the GDPR is:
SpearZen
Gereonstr. 46, 50670 Cologne
Contact Email: bjoern@spearzen.com

2. Types of Data Collected

We collect the following types of personal data:

  • Personal Identification Information: Email address when you sign up for our newsletter or leave a comment.
  • Technical Data: IP address, browser type, location data, and browser user agent string for spam detection.
  • Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, etc.
  • Comments: Data provided in the comment form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string.
  • Media: If you upload images to the website, note that visitors can download and extract location data from images on the website.
  • Marketing and Communication Data: Your preferences in receiving our newsletters.

3. Legal Basis for Data Processing

We process your data based on the following legal grounds under Article 6 of the GDPR:

  • Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR): For the subscription to our newsletter.
  • Contract Performance (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): To provide our services to you.
  • Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): To improve our website and analyze usage.

4. Purpose of Data Collection

We use your data for the following purposes:

  • To send you our newsletter and updates.
  • To provide and maintain our website services.
  • To monitor and analyze website performance and usage.
  • To display comments and associated profiles.
  • For spam detection and prevention.

5. Use of Cookies

We use cookies to enhance the user experience on our website:

  • Comment Cookies: Store your name, email address, and website in cookies when you leave a comment. These cookies last for one year.
  • Temporary Cookies: Set during a visit to determine browser cookie acceptance and are discarded upon closing the browser.
  • Login Cookies: Set upon logging in, lasting between two days and one year depending on user choices.
  • Article Cookies: An additional cookie is saved when you edit or publish an article, indicating the post ID. This expires after one day.

You can change your cookie settings in your browser at any time.

6. Embedded Content from Third-Party Websites

Articles on our website may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles) from other websites. Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if the visitor has visited the other website. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content.

7. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell or share your personal information for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. Data may be shared with third-party service providers to enhance our services and with automated spam detection services.

8. Data Transfers to Third Countries

We use third-party tools that may involve the transfer of your personal data to countries outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), specifically to the United States. These tools include:

  • Google Analytics (Google LLC, USA): We use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and usage. Google LLC is located in the USA, which is considered a third country under the GDPR. We have implemented Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission as a legal basis for the transfer of personal data to Google LLC in the USA.
  • Mailchimp (The Rocket Science Group LLC, USA): We use Mailchimp for our email marketing and newsletter services. Mailchimp is operated by The Rocket Science Group LLC, which is based in the USA. Transfers of personal data to Mailchimp are also governed by Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to ensure an adequate level of protection for your personal data.

9. Data Storage & Security

We store your data securely and restrict access to authorized personnel only. We have implemented technical and organizational measures to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of your data.

10. Data Retention

Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely. For registered users, we store the personal information provided in their user profile. Users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except for their username). Administrators can also view and edit this information.

11. User Rights

You have the right to request an exported file of your data or the erasure of your personal data. Some data may be retained for administrative, legal, or security purposes. Please contact us at bjoern@spearzen.com for any requests.

12. Third-Party Tools

We use the following third-party tools on our website:

  • Google Analytics
  • Google Search Console
  • Mailchimp

These providers have their own privacy policies.

13. Hosting Provider

Our website is hosted by Ionos, which provides us with the infrastructure necessary to run our website securely.

14. External Links

Our website may contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the content or practices of these external sites, and their privacy policies may differ from ours.

15. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. Significant changes will be communicated to our users.

16. Contact Information

For privacy-related concerns or queries, please contact us at:
SpearZen
Gereonstr. 46, 50670 Cologne
Email: bjoern@spearzen.com

17. Jurisdiction & Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of Germany.