What personal data I collect and why I collect it

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site I collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Contact forms

This website contains information that enables a quick electronic contact, as well as direct communication with Melanie May. If a visitor contacts Melanie May by e-mail or via the contact form, the personal data transmitted by the visitor are automatically stored. Such personal data transmitted on a voluntary basis by a visitor to Melanie May are stored for the purpose of processing or contacting the data subject. There is no transfer of this personal data to third parties.

Cookies

If you leave a comment on my site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracing your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Analytics

On this Website, I have integrated the component of Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a web analytics service. Web analytics is the collection, gathering, and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. A web analysis service collects, inter alia, data about the website from which a person has come (the so-called referer), which sub-pages were visited, or how often and for what duration a sub-page was viewed. Web analytics are mainly used for the optimisation of a website.

The operator of the Google Analytics component is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043-1351, United States.

The purpose of the Google Analytics component is to analyse the traffic on my Website. Google uses the collected data and information, inter alia, to evaluate the use of my Website and to provide online reports, which show the activities on my Website, and to provide other services concerning the use of my Internet site for me.

Analytics

Google Analytics places a cookie on the information technology system of the visitor. With the setting of the cookie, Google is enabled to analyse the use of my Website. With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Internet site, which is operated by Melanie May and into which a Google Analytics component was integrated, the Internet browser on the information technology system of the visitor will automatically submit data through the Google Analytics component for the purpose of generating online report.

During the course of this technical procedure, the enterprise Google gains knowledge of personal information, such as the IP address of the visitor, which serves Google, inter alia, to understand the origin of visitors and clicks, and subsequently create online reports.

Analytics

The cookie is used to store personal information, such as the access time, the location from which the access was made, and the frequency of visits of my Website by the visitor. With each visit to our Internet site, such personal data, including the IP address of the Internet access used by the visitor, will be transmitted to Google in the United States of America. These personal data are stored by Google in the United States of America. Google may pass these personal data collected through the technical procedure to third parties.

Occasionally, I will compile aggregate statistics about the number of visitors this site receives and browsers being used. No personally identifying data is included in this type of reporting.

All of my activity falls within the bounds of the Google Analytics Terms of Service.

Analytics

The visitor may prevent the setting of cookies through my Website at any time by means of a corresponding adjustment of the web browser used and thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Such an adjustment to the Internet browser used would also prevent Google Analytics from setting a cookie on the information technology system of the visitor. In addition, cookies already in use by Google Analytics may be deleted at any time via a web browser or other software programs.

Analytics

In addition, the visitor has the possibility of objecting to a collection of data that are generated by Google Analytics, which is related to the use of this Website, as well as the processing of this data by Google and the chance to preclude any such. For this purpose, the visitor must download a browser add-on under the link https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout and install it. This browser add-on tells Google Analytics through a JavaScript, that any data and information about the visits of Internet pages may not be transmitted to Google Analytics. The installation of the browser add-on is considered an objection by Google.

Analytics

If the information technology system of the visitor is later deleted, formatted, or newly installed, then the visitor must reinstall the browser add-ons to disable Google Analytics. If the browser add-on was uninstalled by the visitor or any other person who is attributable to their sphere of competence, or is disabled, it is possible to execute the reinstallation or reactivation of the browser add-ons.

Further information and the applicable data protection provisions of Google may be retrieved under https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/ and under http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html. Google Analytics is further explained under the following link https://www.google.com/analytics/.

Why I collect personal data

Visitors may provide information such as name, company name, email, address, telephone, and other relevant data. This information is used by www.melaniemay.com to enable correspondence with the visitor and communication purposes.

Who I share your data with

At this time, your personal information is not shared with any other third-party applications. This list may be amended from time to time in the Website’s sole discretion.

Except when required by law, I will not sell, distribute, or reveal your email addresses or other personal information without your consent; however, I may disclose or transfer personal information collected through the Website to third parties who acquire all or a portion of our business, which may be the result of a merger, consolidation, or purchase of all or a portion of my assets, or in connection with any bankruptcy or reorganisation proceeding brought by or against me.

I may share your information with third parties when you explicitly authorise me to share your information.

Additionally, this Website may use third-party service providers to service various aspects of the Website. Each third-party service provider’s use of your personal information is dictated by their respective privacy policies.

The Website currently uses the following third-party service providers:

Google Analytics – as mentioned above.

Jetpack – as follows

Activity Log

Ads

Data Used: The following information (made available from the visitor’s browser) is collected and sent to Automattic’s Demand Partners: IP address, geographical data (derived from the IP address), user agent, operating system, device type, unique user ID (randomly generated identifier), current URL, and IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) interest category. Log data (IP address, geographical data, user agent, operating system, device type) is stored for 30 days. The unique user ID is stored in cookies and is retained for 1 year.

Activity Tracked: Ad impressions, video-related events (i.e. pause, mute, 100% plays, etc.) or errors, and ad click events. Various cookies are used for the following purposes: delivering targeted advertisements to specific visitors, storing user identifiers, and collecting anonymous ad platform stats.

Jetpack Comments

Data Used: Commenter’s name, email address, and site URL (if provided via the comment form), timestamp, and IP address. Additionally, a jetpack.wordpress.com IFrame receives the following data. WordPress.com blog ID attached to the site. ID of the post on which the comment is being submitted. Commenter’s local user ID,  local username and site URL (if available). MD5 hash of the commenter’s email address (if available). The comment content. If Akismet (also owned by Automattic) is enabled on the site, the following information is sent to the service for the sole purpose of spam checking: commenter’s name, email address, site URL, IP address, and user agent.

Activity Tracked. The comment author’s name, email address, and site URL (if provided during the comment submission) are stored in cookies. Learn more about these cookies.

Data Synced. All data and metadata (see above) associated with comments. This includes the status of the comment. If Akismet is enabled on the site, whether or not it was classified as spam by Akismet.

How long I retain your data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so I can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

What rights you have over your data

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments. You can request to receive an exported file of the personal data I hold about you. This includes any data you have provided to me. You can also request that I erase any personal data I hold about you. This does not include any data I am obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

Where I send your data

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

What automated decision making and/or profiling I do with user data

I do not use automatic decision-making or profiling.

Privacy policy updates

This privacy policy may be amended from time to time in the Website’s sole discretion.