In this policy, I specify: the types of data I collect and the reasons for collecting them, the ways in which your data is processed, and the rights you have regarding your data.
This policy applies to this website (simonlou.com) as well as all publications, products, apps and websites built or maintained by me:
Simon Lou Schüler
c/o Telling Studio
Fidicinstraße 28
10965 Berlin
When you visit my website, I am not interested in finding out who you are, and I do my best to ensure that the technology I use does not enable others to find out who you are. My tech stack does not expose you to tools or services that big tech markets as “free” in exchange for user data.
I’m happy to say that my site does not embed any third-party services that could track your web activities. There are no third-party and not even first-party cookies. I can not identify you across multiple visits.
I do collect some anonymized data points to understand my audience and get a sense of how many people are viewing my site — for example, the following:
I’m using a self-hosted instance of the open source and privacy-preserving tool Plausible Analytics. Plausible Analytics only collects anonymous visitor statistics that are not tied to your identity. You’ll find a list of the data that is collected and stored in their privacy policy.
☞ https://plausible.io
My website is hosted with Netcup in Nuremberg (Germany) and therefore under EU data protection laws. Netcup stores some visitor information in the form of server log files. This includes, but not limited to, the visitor’s IP address and time of visit. After a maximum of 14 days, these logs are deleted.
☞ https://www.netcup.eu
This site enforce HTTPS encryption.
When you get in touch with me with a question or to ask for help, I keep that correspondence, including your email address, so that I have a history of past correspondence to reference if you reach out in the future. I delete old correspondence on resolved topics from my archive once a year, unless ❶ you and I have an ongoing business relationship or friendship, ❷ unless you have expressly consented to further use your data and ❸ unless the correspondence falls under commercial or tax retention obligations.
My email service provider is Proton, a Swiss-based non-profit controlled company which focuses on privacy:
☞ https://proton.me/mail
My email provider’s tech infrastructure will process and store all the data you send me and vice versa. Although all emails I store are end-to-end encrypted, the emails you sent are not by default. If that’s important to you, you could email me via Proton mail account (even a free one), than the our correspondence will be fully end-to-end encrypted.
Furthermore you can download my public GPG key below to send me encrypted messages or verify my digital signatures:
☞ Public Key
☞ Fingerprint: A94E B07D 8EAC 5543 F8BB 6AFB EA4D 61D4 B9C2 621F
Legal basis for processing your data for this purpose is GDPR article ❻, section 1 (a), (b), and (f).
Currently you can find me best on Mastodon. My account is part of the typo.social Mastodon instance hosted by wwcom in Switzerland. Please be aware of their privacy policy.
☞ https://typo.social
I also have accounts on other social media platforms, but I don’t use them frequently anymore. I’m not a fan of the “pay-with-your-data” principle that big tech social media platforms employ. Before reaching out to me on a platform operated or owned by a third party, please ensure that you’ve read and comprehended the platform’s terms and privacy policy, as I don’t set the rules there. Additionally, refrain from sharing personal or sensitive information with me through social media or third-party platforms that lack end-to-end encryption.
You have the right to request all personal information I hold about you. You can ask me to correct, update or delete this information at any time. Please contact me and we’ll work it out.
If you think that the measures I take to protect your privacy are insufficient or if you have other concerns about my handling of your data, please contact me. You have the right to file an official complaint with the German and European data protection authorities.
This privacy policy is subject to change, so I encourage you to review it periodically. Rest assured that while there may be changes or additions to my service providers, my commitment to protecting your privacy will remain unchanged.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Last Update: 2024-12-01