Privacy Policy

Last updated: 24 October 2026

1. Data Controller

The person responsible for processing personal data on this website is:

Andreas Gester
c/o Online-Impressum 12168
Europaring 90
53757 Sankt Augustin
Germany

Contact by email: see Legal Notice

2. General Information

This website is operated as a private, non-commercial blog. Personal data is processed only insofar as necessary for the technical operation of the website, communication with visitors, the comment function or statistical analysis. Personal data is neither used for personalised advertising nor sold.

3. Hosting and Server Log Files

This website is hosted by domainfactory GmbH (https://www.df.eu). When you access this website, connection data required for technical purposes is processed. This includes, in particular:

  • IP address of the device accessing the website
  • Date and time of access
  • Pages and files accessed
  • Browser type or user agent
  • HTTP status code
  • Website previously visited, where applicable (referrer)

This data is processed to make the website available, ensure its secure operation and identify technical errors or misuse. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). My legitimate interest is the secure and reliable operation of the website. According to the hosting provider, standard web server log files are generally retained for seven days, unless different logging settings have been configured. Further information: https://www.df.eu/de/datenschutz/

4. Contacting Me

If you contact me by email, I process the information you provide, in particular your email address, the content of your message and any additional information you voluntarily supply, solely for the purpose of handling your enquiry. For email communication, I use Proton Mail, a service provided by Proton AG, based in Switzerland. Proton processes technical message information in particular and stores emails in encrypted form. Further information: https://proton.me/mail/privacy-policy For postal correspondence, I use a mail receipt and forwarding service provided by Clear-Media UG (haftungsbeschränkt), which operates Online-Impressum.de. This involves processing the data necessary to receive and forward correspondence. Depending on the service booked, incoming letters may be digitised. The legal basis for handling enquiries is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Where an enquiry relates to steps taken prior to entering into a contract or to the performance of a contract, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR may apply. The data is deleted as soon as it is no longer required to handle the enquiry, unless statutory retention obligations or other legitimate grounds for retention apply.

5. Cookies

This website does not use cookies for personalised advertising or visitor tracking. When leaving a comment, visitors may choose to have their name, email address and website address saved in their browser for future comments. For this purpose, WordPress uses the cookies comment_author, comment_author_email and comment_author_url, each with an individual identifier. By default, these cookies are stored for one year. These cookies are set only if the corresponding checkbox is selected. The comment function can also be used without this storage. WordPress also uses technically necessary cookies for logging in to and administering the website. These primarily concern logged-in users and administrators. The storage of information on, or access to information on, a user’s device is governed by Section 25 of the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG). Where required, this is based on consent; an exemption applies to functions that are strictly necessary.

6. Visitor Statistics with Koko Analytics

I use the WordPress plugin Koko Analytics to compile website statistics. The analysis takes place locally on my web server and without tracking cookies. To distinguish visitors, Koko Analytics uses a temporary hash generated from the IP address, browser identifier (user agent) and a secret value that changes daily. The IP address and user agent are not stored as such for these statistics. The temporary identification data is deleted daily. The data collected includes, in particular, page views, visitor numbers and, where applicable, referring websites. This information is used exclusively to better understand how the published content is used and how many people it reaches. Statistical data is not transferred to external analytics services such as Google Analytics. The processing is based on Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. My legitimate interest is analysing website usage and improving my online content.

7. Comment Function

Visitors can leave comments on published posts. When a comment is submitted, the information entered in the form is processed. This includes, in particular:

  • Name or pseudonym
  • Email address
  • Comment content
  • Website address provided, if any
  • IP address and browser information
  • Date and time of the comment

Once approved, the comment, the name provided and, where applicable, the website link will be displayed publicly. The email address and IP address will not be published. Comments and associated metadata may be stored for as long as they are required for the public discussion and its administration. They will be deleted when their storage is no longer necessary or a valid request for deletion applies. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. My legitimate interest is enabling discussion of my posts and preventing misuse.

Spam Protection with Akismet

I use Akismet, a service provided by Automattic, to detect and prevent unwanted comments. As part of spam detection, comment content, name, email address, IP address, user agent, referrer and the website address provided may, in particular, be transmitted to Akismet. This processing serves to protect the comment function against automated and abusive submissions and is based on Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Personal data may also be processed outside the European Union, particularly in the United States. According to the provider, such transfers to third countries are based on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses. Akismet states that most of its spam-checking data is retained for periods ranging from two weeks to 90 days. Further information: https://akismet.com/privacy/ https://akismet.com/gdpr/

8. Webmentions

This website supports Webmention, an open web standard. For this purpose, it uses the WordPress plugin “Webmention”, which enables decentralised communication between independent websites. When another website links to one of my blog posts and sends a Webmention, the specified source URL is retrieved to verify the link and, where applicable, extract information about the response. In particular, the following data may be processed and stored:

  • URL of the linking website or post
  • Publicly stated name and website address of the author
  • Title, content or excerpts from the linking post
  • Type of interaction, such as a reply, mention or repost
  • Date and other metadata required for administration

Incoming Webmentions are processed through the WordPress comment management system. Following manual approval, the information may be displayed publicly as a comment or interaction below the relevant post. External profile pictures are not displayed. Conversely, when I publish my own posts, Webmentions may be sent to linked websites if they support this standard. In particular, the URL of my post is transmitted to the receiving website. The processing is based on Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. My legitimate interest is connecting independent websites and enabling decentralised interaction. Stored Webmentions are deleted when their continued storage is no longer necessary for these purposes or where a corresponding right to erasure applies.

9. Fonts

Fonts from the Google Fonts collection are used to ensure a consistent appearance throughout the website. The font files are stored locally on the web server and served from there. Loading these fonts therefore does not establish a connection to Google’s servers. Consequently, no personal data is transmitted to Google solely as a result of displaying these fonts.

10. External Links

This website contains links to external websites, including social networks such as Mastodon and Instagram and the IndieWeb Webring. These are ordinary hyperlinks. No social media plugins or embedded content from these services are used that would establish a connection to the respective platforms merely when my website is accessed. The external website is accessed only when a visitor clicks on the corresponding link. The respective operators are responsible for processing personal data on their websites.

11. Data Security

Data transmitted between your browser and this website is encrypted using HTTPS (TLS). In addition, technical and organisational measures are used to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss and misuse.

12. Rights of Data Subjects

Where personal data is processed, the following rights are available, subject to the applicable legal requirements:

  • Access to personal data held about you (Article 15 GDPR)
  • Rectification of inaccurate data (Article 16 GDPR)
  • Erasure of personal data (Article 17 GDPR)
  • Restriction of processing (Article 18 GDPR)
  • Data portability (Article 20 GDPR)
  • Objection to processing based on legitimate interests (Article 21 GDPR)
  • Withdrawal of consent with effect for the future (Article 7(3) GDPR)

To exercise these rights, you can contact me using the email address provided in the Legal Notice. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The competent supervisory authority in Saxony is: Sächsische Datenschutz- und Transparenzbeauftragte Maternistraße 17 01067 Dresden Website: https://www.datenschutz.sachsen.de

13. Provision of Personal Data

You do not need to actively provide personal information merely to read this website. However, certain technical connection data is required to make the website available. Providing personal data when posting comments or making enquiries is generally voluntary. Without certain information, the relevant function may not be available or may be available only to a limited extent. I do not carry out automated decision-making, including profiling, within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy will be updated as necessary, particularly if the services used or the applicable legal framework change. The version published on this website at the time applies.