Privacy policy

1. Controller

Kay Spiegel
Im Blütenfeld 16
41564 Kaarst
Germany
Email: hello@openbylines.org

2. Hosting and server logs

This website is hosted on GitHub Pages, a service of GitHub, Inc. (USA).

When you visit this website, your browser automatically sends technical data to GitHub: IP address, timestamp, requested URL, HTTP status code, bytes transferred, referrer, browser and operating system. GitHub processes this data in its server logs. This data is technically necessary for operating the site securely.

According to GitHub, it logs and stores the IP addresses of visitors to GitHub Pages sites for security purposes, whether or not they are signed in to GitHub (GitHub Pages documentation).

Transfers to the USA are based on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, with standard contractual clauses as a fallback. More information: GitHub’s privacy statement.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the secure and stable operation of the website).

3. Cookies and browser storage

This website does not use cookies. It counts visits with Fathom Analytics, a service that uses no cookies and creates no personal profiles (see section 4). No data is processed for advertising purposes.

If you set the website’s colour theme to Light or Dark, this setting is stored in your browser’s local storage (localStorage). It never leaves your browser and is not transmitted. Setting the theme back to Auto deletes it. You can also delete it at any time through your browser settings.

4. Fathom Analytics

This website uses Fathom Analytics, a service of Conva Ventures Inc., Canada, to count visits. Fathom sets no cookies, stores nothing in your browser, collects no personal data and builds no user profiles. IP addresses are not stored. Data of visitors from the EU is processed on EU servers (EU isolation).

• Data collected: page views, referrer and browser type (anonymised), in aggregate only
• Purpose: seeing whether the page reaches readers and in which language it is read
• Storage location: EU servers (Fathom EU isolation)
• Cookies: none

If your browser sends “Do Not Track”, your visit is not counted.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in an anonymous analysis of how this website is used).

More information: Fathom Analytics privacy policy.

5. Fonts and files

Fonts and all other files of this website are served by this website itself. Apart from the Fathom script, the page loads nothing from other servers.

6. No accounts, no newsletter, no forms

This website has no accounts, no newsletter and no forms, and asks you for no data.

7. The badge on other websites

Writers can embed the Open Bylines badge on their own websites. The people who run those websites are responsible for them.

The plain HTML embed loads nothing from openbylines.org: it is HTML and CSS copied into the page.

The web component loads the file open-byline.js from openbylines.org unless the website serves it itself. The reader’s browser then sends the technical data listed in section 2 to GitHub. Fathom does not count these requests, and the badge sets no cookies and stores nothing in the browser.

8. Links to other websites

This page links to GitHub (code, specification, issues and discussions). GitHub is only loaded when you follow a link. GitHub’s own privacy statement applies there.

9. Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
• Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
• Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
• Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
• Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
• Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The competent authority for North Rhine-Westphalia is the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information NRW.

To exercise your rights, contact me at: hello@openbylines.org