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Privacy Policy

Last updated

This policy explains what personal data China Tea Blog collects, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: the site can be read without giving any personal data, analytics runs only if you allow it, and the only thing you can actively send me is a message through the contact form.

Who is responsible#

China Tea Blog (chinateablog.com) is written and run by Denis York, based in Slovenia. For anything about your data, use the contact form.

What is collected#

The site uses Google Analytics 4 to count visits and see which articles are read. The Google tag is on every page in Google’s consent mode: until you click “Allow analytics” in the cookie banner, it sets no cookies and sends only cookieless signals without any identifier (for example, that a page was viewed), which Google uses for aggregate, modelled statistics. If you click “Allow analytics”, full measurement with cookies starts. Google Analytics sets two cookies, _ga and _ga_<ID>, which last up to 2 years. It records things like the pages you view, the site that sent you, your approximate location, and your device and browser type; Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. Analytics data is kept for 14 months.

The service is provided by Google Ireland Limited. Data may be transferred to Google LLC in the United States, which is certified under the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can change your choice at any time with the “Cookie settings” link at the bottom of every page.

The contact form#

When you send a message, the site stores your name, email address and message so that I can read it and reply. Messages are kept for up to 12 months and then deleted automatically. The legal basis is my legitimate interest in answering you (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Nothing you send is used for marketing or shared with anyone.

Your answer to the cookie banner is saved in your own browser’s local storage, not in a cookie, so the site does not ask again on every page. Clearing your browser data removes it.

What is not collected#

  • There are no reader accounts, comments or newsletter.
  • There are no advertising or social media trackers.
  • Fonts and images are served from this site’s own server, not from third parties.
  • The web server does not keep a log of visits to this site; the application only logs technical errors.

Where the data is stored#

The site and its database run on a server operated by IONOS SE in Berlin, Germany. Database backups are kept for 14 days on that server and for 90 days with an off-site backup provider (Backblaze B2), so a deleted message can remain in a backup for up to 90 days before it is gone for good.

Your rights#

Under the GDPR you can ask to see the personal data held about you, have it corrected or deleted, restrict or object to its use, and receive it in a portable format. Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw consent at any time without affecting what happened before. To use any of these rights, write through the contact form.

You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority. In Slovenia that is the Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia (Informacijski pooblaščenec), ip-rs.si.

Children#

This site is written for adults and does not knowingly collect data from children under 16.

Changes#

If what the site collects changes — for example if a newsletter is added — this page is updated first. The date at the top shows the last change.