Privacy Policy

Data protection notice

1. At a Glance

This is a small personal CV website. It does not use cookies, does not run analytics, does not load third-party fonts or scripts, and does not embed external services. The personal data processed are: (a) the technical entries that the hosting provider writes to its server log files, and (b) anything you choose to share via the contact form on the homepage or by emailing me directly. Both are used solely to handle your inquiry or to keep the site running.

2. Controller

The controller responsible for data processing on this website under Art. 4 (7) GDPR is:

Martin Seidel
Uhlandstr. 34
53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany
Email: hello@martin-seidel.com

3. Hosting

The website is hosted by an external service provider in the European Union. When you visit the site, the hosting provider automatically records technical access information ("server log files") that your browser transmits, including:

  • IP address (anonymised where supported by the host)
  • Date and time of the request
  • Requested URL and HTTP status code
  • Bytes transferred
  • Referrer URL
  • Browser type and version, operating system

These log files are processed on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest in reliable, secure operation of the site). Logs are kept only as long as necessary for security and operational purposes and are not merged with other data sources.

4. Cookies, Analytics, Third-Party Services

This website does not set any cookies, does not use analytics or tracking pixels, does not embed third-party content (no Google Fonts, no YouTube, no social plugins, no maps), and does not load resources from external CDNs. All assets — fonts, images, styles, scripts — are served from the same domain.

5. Contact Form & Email Contact

Contact form on the homepage

When you submit the contact form on the homepage, the data you provide (name, email address, message), together with the date/time of submission and your IP address (visible only inside the resulting email), are sent via the hosting provider's PHP mail facility to my mailbox. The data is used solely to handle your inquiry and is not stored in a database on this site, not shared with any third-party processor beyond the hosting provider, and not used for any other purpose.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR where your inquiry relates to a contract or pre-contractual measures, otherwise Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest in answering inquiries directed to me). Your message is retained in my mailbox until your request is resolved, subject to statutory retention periods.

For spam protection, the form uses an HMAC-signed timestamp (acting as both anti-CSRF token and time-trap) and a hidden “honeypot” field. Submissions failing these checks are silently discarded. No third-party CAPTCHA, no cookies, and no tracking are used.

Email contact

If you contact me by email directly (using the address shown in the imprint), your message and any personal data it contains are stored and processed solely to handle your inquiry. The same legal bases and retention rules apply as for the contact form. Your data is not passed to third parties without your consent and is deleted once your request has been resolved, unless statutory retention periods apply.

6. SSL/TLS

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content this site uses SSL/TLS encryption. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the “https://” prefix in your browser's address bar.

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
  • Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
  • Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
  • Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
  • Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
  • Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)
  • Right to withdraw consent at any time (Art. 7 (3) GDPR), without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The competent authority in my case is the Landesbeauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Nordrhein-Westfalen (ldi.nrw.de). To exercise any of these rights, contact me using the details under section 2.

Last updated: April 2026