Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY AND EU-GDPR COMPLIANCE

The European General Data Protection Regulation aims at protecting personal data of European citizens and at giving them more control over how their data is used. Every business or institution that offers services to European citizens is affected by this regulation, this also includes private blogs and websites. Website owners are required to inform their users about a) the kind of data stored and used, b) for which purpose, c) whether the data are sold or shared. Consent for using the data must be actively given. ‘Silent’ consent by not complaining isn’t valid. Users have the right to withdraw their consent at any time. Their data then has to be deleted if this is technically possible.

However, WordPress.com doesn’t give us, the blog owner, many options to change the settings in a way that minimizes data storage. On our site, features like a spam filter, statistics, comments and a contact page are activated. Apart from the comments and the contact page, we can not change anything. However, Automattic, which runs WordPress.com, is in the process of changing their privacy policy in order to be compliant with the GDPR. You can see their privacy policy here. Additional information can be found on the Automattic site, and on the WordPress.com blog.

Our blogs are non-commercial, personal, and meant as a creative outlet and to entertain our readers – see our ‘About Our Site’ page. If you read posts on our blogs, follow us, want to leave a comment or contact us through the Contact Us’ form, the following applies:

COMMENTS

When you leave a comment, WordPress stores your gravatar name, IP Address, comment, and email address. Therefore, leaving a comment is considered a clear affirmative, specific, and unambiguous action as defined by the GDPR giving us consent to store this information, and permission to contact you in the future by email.

Your personal information will not be sold or shared with any third parties under any circumstances. Your information shall be retained until you unsubscribe or ask me to remove your data. If you feel your data has been misused, you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). If you do not consent to the above, please do not leave a comment. (source: Nicholas Rossis)

CONTACT FORM

When you contact us through the contact form, we will be able to see your Name and Email address, and be able to store it. We will NOT share, NOR SELL, any of the information obtained through the ‘Contact Us’ form. By using this form, you initiate a conversation and by doing so give consent for us to us your data – but for this purpose only. If you object to this, please do not contact us through our ‘Contact Us’ form..

SUBSCRIPTIONS

When you follow our blogs, either through the reader or through Email, your data will be stored. The data will not be used for any other purpose, nor shared or sold. If you don’t agree with this, please unfollow or unsubscribe.

If you want to read more, or want to learn about wordpress.com pages, please visit Nicholas Rossis’ blog who  compiled interesting and important information for WordPress bloggers regarding the GDPR. Nicholas also, and very kindly, gave permission for his readers to use parts of his own texts and disclaimers.