General

We are pleased that you are interested in our website. This privacy policy gives you a straightforward overview of what happens to your data when you visit our website. It also explains what steps you can take if you disagree with the way your personal data is handled.

Our website is subject to Swiss data protection law, in particular the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) as amended from time to time. It is also subject to any applicable foreign data protection law, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union (EU). The EU recognises that Switzerland has legislation ensuring an adequate level of data protection.

We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy at any time by publishing the revised version on this website.

1. Definitions

Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, that is, to a human being. A natural person is regarded as identifiable if they can be identified directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, address, telephone number, date of birth, online identifier or email address.

Processing covers any operation involving personal data, in particular the retention, disclosure, obtaining, deletion, storage, alteration, destruction and use of personal data, irrespective of the means and procedures applied.

IP address is the address that identifies a computer on a network. It is used to address data packets so that they reach the intended recipient. An IP address can therefore be assigned to a particular computer.

Plug-in is a software program that can be accessed by other software applications in order to extend their functionality.

2. Processing of data in connection with our website

2.1 Visiting the website

When you visit our website, identifying data about users (IP address, date and time of access, URL of the page requested) is automatically stored temporarily in a log file, as is standard when accessing any website. We need this general information in order to deliver the website, keep it permanently operational and continuously improve it. Under no circumstances do we use the data collected for the purpose of drawing conclusions about you personally.

2.2 Hosting

Our website is hosted by METANET AG in Switzerland. On our behalf, the hosting provider processes the data generated when the website is visited — in particular IP address, time of access and pages requested — in order to make operation of the website possible. This processing is based on our legitimate interest in the secure and reliable operation of the website.

2.3 Security

To protect against attacks and misuse we use the security plug-in Wordfence. Wordfence checks requests made to our website and in doing so stores IP addresses, the time of access, the pages requested and information about the browser used. This data serves solely to detect and repel automated attacks and unauthorised login attempts. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in the security of our website.

2.4 Cookies and consent banner

The first time you visit our website you will be shown a notice about cookies. Your choice is stored in a cookie on your device so that the notice does not appear again on subsequent visits. This cookie serves solely to record your decision. You can delete or block cookies at any time in your browser settings.

2.5 Retention period

We store personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the relevant purpose and our legitimate interests. Where data is subject to a statutory retention obligation to which we are subject, we retain it in accordance with that obligation.

Retention obligations requiring us to keep data arise, for example, from accounting rules and from tax law. Under these rules, the retention period for business correspondence, concluded contracts and accounting records is up to ten years.

2.6 Links to external websites

Our website contains links to external websites. If you click one, you will be forwarded from our site to the linked pages of other providers. We have no influence over the content behind external links and are therefore not responsible for it; in particular, we do not adopt their content as our own. Where you are directed to an external site, the privacy policy provided there applies. Please therefore consult the linked websites for information on how the respective providers handle your data.

3. Newsletter

You can subscribe to our newsletter on our website. The newsletter is sent using the service Substack (Substack Inc., San Francisco, USA). When you subscribe, the email address you provide, together with technical details such as your IP address and the time of subscription, is transmitted to Substack and stored there. Substack processes this data in order to send the newsletter and to evaluate its use, for example open and click rates.

Where a Substack subscription form is embedded in a page, a direct connection is established between your browser and Substack’s servers when that page is loaded. Substack thereby learns your IP address.

Processing is based on your consent. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time; the relevant link is at the end of every issue. After you unsubscribe, your data will be deleted unless statutory retention obligations apply.

Further information can be found in Substack’s privacy policy: https://substack.com/privacy

4. Disclosure of data to third parties

We disclose your personal data only where you have expressly consented, where there is a legal obligation to do so, or where it is necessary in order to enforce our rights. Beyond this, we pass data to service providers who support us in operating the website — namely our hosting provider and the newsletter service — and only to the extent required for that purpose.

5. Your rights regarding your personal data

5.1 Right of access

You have the right to request confirmation, free of charge, as to whether personal data concerning you is being processed. Where data is being processed, you have the right to obtain access to that personal data.

5.2 Right to rectification, restriction and erasure

You have the right to request that your personal data be rectified, completed or blocked as quickly as possible. You have the right to request the erasure of your personal data (the “right to be forgotten”). In such a case we are obliged to confirm to you any rectification, erasure or restriction of processing.

5.3 Right to data portability

Where and to the extent that the GDPR applies, you have the right to receive the personal data concerning you that you have provided to the controller in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

5.4 Right to object

Where we process your personal data on the basis of consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal takes effect for the future only; processing carried out on the basis of your consent in the past does not become unlawful as a result of your withdrawal.

5.5 Right to lodge a complaint

Persons whose personal data we process have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority. The supervisory authority for data protection in Switzerland is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).

6. Organisational and technical measures

We take appropriate and suitable organisational and technical measures to ensure data protection and data security. Where personal data is processed by third parties, we ensure that an adequate level of data protection is in place.

Despite organisational and technical measures, the processing of personal data on the internet may in principle be subject to security vulnerabilities, so that absolute data protection and absolute data security cannot be guaranteed.

7. Data protection contact

If you have any data protection concerns, you can send them to the following address:

Nils Althaus Bolligenstr. 12 3006 Bern info@nilsalthaus.com

8. Legal notice

Nils Althaus Bolligenstr. 12 3006 Bern info@nilsalthaus.com