Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 October 2026

Thank you for visiting paulpagel.com. I respect your privacy and aim to be transparent about how personal data is collected, processed, and protected when you use this website.

This Privacy Policy explains what information may be processed when you visit my website, read articles, contact me, or subscribe to updates. It also describes the services used to operate the website and your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

1. Data Controller

The person responsible for processing personal data on this website, within the meaning of the GDPR, is:

Email:
Website: https://paulpagel.com

For general questions or requests concerning your personal data, you can also use the contact form on this website.

2. Website Hosting and Server Logs

This website is hosted by lima-city, a service operated by:

TrafficPlex GmbH
Konsul-Smidt-Str. 90
28217 Bremen
Germany

Website: https://www.lima-city.de

When you access this website, certain technical information is automatically processed to deliver the requested pages and maintain the security and functionality of the website.

This information may include:

• Your IP address.
• The date and time of your request.
• The page or resource requested.
• Browser and operating system information.
• Referring URLs, where available.
• Technical information necessary to detect errors, misuse, or security threats.

Purpose and legal basis

This processing is necessary for the reliable and secure operation of the website.

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, reflecting my legitimate interest in maintaining a functional, secure, and accessible website.

Storage and processing

The hosting provider processes technical information as necessary for website delivery, troubleshooting, and security. Server logs are retained according to the provider’s applicable retention periods and may be kept longer where necessary to investigate security incidents or comply with legal obligations.

Personal data processed by lima-city in connection with hosting is subject to the applicable data-processing arrangements.

For further information, please refer to lima-city’s privacy and data-processing information.

3. Website Analytics: WP Statistics

I use the WP Statistics plugin to understand how visitors use my website and which content is of particular interest.

WP Statistics allows me to evaluate general website traffic without using conventional tracking cookies or third-party analytics services.

Information processed

Depending on the type of visit, WP Statistics processes information such as:

• Page views and the pages accessed.
• The approximate number of visitors.
• Referring websites and traffic sources.
• Browser, operating system, and device categories.
• Approximate geographical location, including country, region, and city.

Geographical information is estimated using IP-based geolocation. These estimates are not precise location measurements and may not represent a visitor’s actual location.

IP address protection

WP Statistics is configured to anonymize and hash IP addresses.

The plugin uses a cryptographic hashing mechanism with a regularly changing salt to calculate visitor statistics without storing complete IP addresses in its analytics records.

The configuration also prevents the collection of full browser User-Agent strings and the association of new page-view records with logged-in WordPress user IDs.

Cookies and external services

WP Statistics does not use tracking cookies, browser local storage, or comparable persistent identifiers for its standard analytics functionality.

The analytics records are stored locally in the website’s WordPress database, hosted by lima-city.

Visitor analytics data is not transmitted to the WP Statistics provider for its own analytics purposes. Optional anonymous data sharing with the plugin developer is disabled.

For geographical estimates, WP Statistics uses a locally maintained MaxMind GeoIP database. The database is updated periodically to maintain the quality of location estimates.

Data retention

Detailed analytics records are retained for up to 90 days under the current configuration.

Older detailed records are subject to the configured cleanup process. Aggregated statistical information, such as historical page-view totals, may remain available for longer where it no longer identifies individual visitors.

Purpose and legal basis

The purpose of this processing is to understand website usage, identify technical or usability problems, and improve the content and experience offered to visitors.

Where personal data is processed, the legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, reflecting my legitimate interest in privacy-conscious website measurement and improvement.

Further information is available in the WP Statistics Data Privacy documentation.

4. Contact Forms and Email Communication

If you contact me through the website’s contact form or by email, I process the information you provide to respond to your inquiry.

This may include:

• Your name.
• Your email address.
• The content of your message.
• Any other information you voluntarily provide.
• Technical submission details, including an IP address and submission timestamp, where recorded by the form system.

My website uses Jetpack Forms, provided by Automattic, to process contact form submissions.

Form submissions may be stored in the website’s WordPress database and delivered to me by email. Jetpack may also synchronize submission-related information with Automattic’s services.

Contact form submissions may be checked by Akismet to detect spam and misuse, as described in the following section.

Purpose and legal basis

The information is processed solely to handle your message and any subsequent communication.

Depending on the nature of your inquiry, the legal basis is:

• Article 6(1)(b) GDPR, where processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
• Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, where processing is necessary for my legitimate interest in responding to general inquiries and maintaining professional communication.

Retention

Correspondence and contact form submissions are retained for as long as necessary to process the inquiry and manage any resulting communication.

Information may be retained for longer where required by law or necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

You are not required to provide personal information unless it is needed to respond to your inquiry. Without a valid contact method, I may be unable to reply.

5. Spam Protection: Akismet

To protect my website and contact forms against spam and automated misuse, I use Akismet Anti-spam, a service provided by Automattic.

When you submit a message or comment, Akismet may process information such as:

• Your IP address.
• Your browser User-Agent.
• Your name and email address, where provided.
• The content of your submission.
• The referring page and website address.
• Other technical information required for spam detection.

This information may be transmitted to Automattic’s servers and evaluated to determine whether a submission is likely to contain spam.

Purpose and legal basis

The purpose of this processing is to protect the website against unwanted submissions, automated attacks, and misuse.

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, reflecting my legitimate interest in maintaining the security and functionality of my website and communication channels.

Akismet processes data according to its own retention and security policies. Automattic states that most spam-related data is retained for periods ranging from two weeks to 90 days.

Data may be processed outside the European Economic Area, subject to applicable international data-transfer safeguards.

Further information is available in the Akismet Privacy Policy and Akismet GDPR information.

6. Newsletter and Article Subscriptions

Visitors may subscribe to receive notifications about new articles and other published content.

This functionality is provided through Jetpack Newsletter, operated by Automattic and integrated with WordPress.com.

When you subscribe, the following information may be processed:

• Your email address.
• Subscription preferences and status.
• The time and technical circumstances of your subscription.
• IP address and HTTP request information used for spam and abuse prevention.

Subscription management and email delivery are handled through Automattic’s services. A WordPress.com account may be associated with or created for a subscriber as part of the subscription service.

Purpose and legal basis

Your email address is used to deliver the updates you have requested.

The legal basis for sending subscription emails is Article 6(1)(a) GDPR, based on your consent.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by following the unsubscribe link in a subscription email or by using the available subscription-management options.

Retention

Subscription information is retained for as long as your subscription remains active.

Following unsubscription, personal data is deleted or restricted in accordance with applicable legal requirements and the service provider’s retention policies. Limited information may be retained where necessary to document an unsubscribe request or compliance with legal obligations.

Jetpack may use functionality cookies to remember subscription preferences.

Further information is available in the Jetpack Privacy Center.

7. Comments

Where commenting is enabled on an article, information submitted through the comment form may be collected and stored.

This can include:

• Your name or chosen display name.
• Your email address.
• The content of your comment.
• Your IP address and browser User-Agent.
• The date and time of submission.

This information is used to display and moderate comments, identify spam, and prevent misuse of the commenting system.

Comments may be checked using Akismet.

Legal basis

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, reflecting my legitimate interest in facilitating and moderating discussions and preventing abuse.

Retention

Approved comments and associated metadata may be retained for as long as the comment remains published, including indefinitely where needed to preserve the context of discussions.

Requests for deletion or other data-protection rights will be assessed in accordance with the GDPR.

8. Cookies and Local Storage

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by websites or services you use.

This website uses WordPress and certain additional services that may rely on cookies for technical functionality.

WordPress authentication

When an authorized user signs in to WordPress, cookies may be used to maintain the login session and remember interface preferences.

WordPress login cookies typically expire after two days, or after two weeks when the “Remember Me” option is selected. Interface preference cookies may remain for up to one year.

A temporary cookie may also be used to check whether the browser supports cookies.

These cookies are used for authentication and website administration rather than advertising.

Comment preferences

Where commenting is available, visitors may choose to save their name, email address, and website in cookies to simplify future comments.

These optional preference cookies may be stored for up to one year.

Subscription functionality

Jetpack Newsletter may use functionality cookies to remember subscription choices. According to Jetpack’s documentation, these cookies may remain for up to 347 days.

Website analytics

WP Statistics does not use cookies or other persistent browser storage for its standard analytics tracking.

Legal basis

Where personal data is processed through technically necessary cookies, the legal basis is generally Article 6(1)(f) GDPR or, where applicable, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.

Storage of or access to information on a visitor’s device is additionally governed by Section 25 of the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG). Consent is required unless a statutory exemption applies, including for storage or access strictly necessary to provide a service expressly requested by the user.

9. Embedded Content and External Websites

Some articles may contain embedded content from external websites, such as videos, images, or other media.

When embedded content is loaded, the external provider may receive technical information, including your IP address, browser information, and the page from which the content was accessed.

Depending on the provider and the implementation, embedded content may also use cookies or similar technologies.

The external provider’s own privacy policy governs its processing of personal data.

Where consent is legally required for embedded content or associated tracking technologies, that content must not be activated before the necessary consent has been obtained.

Links to external websites are provided for informational purposes. When you follow such a link, the destination website is responsible for its own data-processing practices.

10. Website Administration and Account Security

To protect the administration of this website, WordPress accounts may use two-factor authentication.

Depending on the authentication method enabled, the website may store:

• Authentication secrets associated with an authenticator application.
• Hashed backup or recovery codes.
• Authentication settings and enabled authentication methods.
• Temporary verification information required to validate login attempts.

This information is used to secure administrative access and reduce the risk of unauthorized account use.

Where email-based verification is used, the relevant email delivery provider may process information necessary to deliver a verification message.

Purpose and legal basis

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, reflecting my legitimate interest in securing website accounts and protecting stored information.

Authentication information is retained for as long as necessary to maintain the relevant account and is removed or invalidated when the account or authentication method is deleted, subject to applicable technical retention requirements.

11. Recipients and International Data Transfers

Personal data is not sold to advertisers or data brokers.

However, certain service providers process information where necessary to operate the website.

These include:

lima-city / TrafficPlex GmbH (Germany)
Website hosting, database storage, technical operations, and server security.

Automattic and its associated services
Jetpack contact forms, newsletter subscriptions, WordPress.com integration, and Akismet spam protection.

Automattic may process information on servers outside the European Union or European Economic Area, including in the United States.

According to Automattic, international transfers are subject to applicable safeguards, including European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses where required or other legally recognized transfer mechanisms.

Further information about these safeguards is available in Automattic’s Privacy Notice and the Jetpack GDPR information.

WP Statistics analytics records are stored locally in my website’s database rather than transmitted to the WP Statistics provider for external visitor analytics.

12. Your Rights Under the GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have certain rights concerning the processing of your personal data, subject to the applicable legal conditions.

These include:

• Right of access (Article 15): You may request information about personal data processed about you.
• Right to rectification (Article 16): You may request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure (Article 17): You may request deletion of personal data where the relevant legal requirements are met.
• Right to restriction of processing (Article 18): You may request that processing be restricted under certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability (Article 20): Where applicable, you may request personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to object (Article 21): You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, subject to the applicable legal conditions.
• Right to withdraw consent (Article 7(3)): Where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing.

To exercise these rights, please contact me using the contact details provided in Section 1.

Right to lodge a complaint

If you believe that your personal data is being processed in violation of the GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data-protection supervisory authority.

For North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the relevant general supervisory authority is:

Landesbeauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Nordrhein-Westfalen

Kavalleriestr. 2–4
40213 Düsseldorf
Germany

Website: https://www.ldi.nrw.de/

You may also contact another competent supervisory authority, including one in the EU member state of your habitual residence or place of work.

13. Automated Decision-Making

I do not use personal data collected through this website for automated decision-making, including profiling, that produces legal effects or similarly significant effects within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR.

Automated spam detection may be used to classify or filter messages and comments.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the website’s functionality, hosting arrangements, third-party services, or applicable legal requirements.

The version published on this page is the current version. The date at the beginning of this document indicates when it was last updated.

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact me using the details provided in Section 1.