Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 2025-04-20

1. Introduction

Welcome to birow.com (the "Website"). This Privacy Policy explains how birow.com (hereinafter referred to as "we", "us", "our", or the "Data Controller"), the entity operating the Website, collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you visit and interact with the Website, including subscribing to our newsletter.

Protecting your privacy is important to us. This policy is designed to comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other relevant data protection laws.

By using the Website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. Please also review our Terms of Use, Cookie Policy, and Copyright Infringement Policy.

2. Data Controller Information

• Data Controller: birow.com
• Registered Address: Budapest, Hungary
• Email for privacy-related inquiries: gabor@birow.com

3. What Personal Data We Collect and Why

We collect personal data in the following ways:

• a) Newsletter Subscription:
  • Data Collected: Your email address.
  • Purpose: To send you newsletters containing technology news, selected articles, updates, and potentially event recommendations from the Website, as requested by you.
  • Legal Basis: Your explicit Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), given when you actively subscribe via the sign-up form.
• b) Website Usage Analysis (via Google Analytics):
  • Data Collected: Anonymized IP address (your IP address is automatically shortened/masked by Google Analytics before storage), browser type and version, operating system, device type, referring URL, pages visited on our Website, time spent on pages, date and time of access, and similar technical information provided by your browser or device.
  • Purpose: To understand how visitors use the Website, gather statistics on website traffic and usage patterns, improve the Website's functionality and content, enhance user experience, and for technical administration.
  • Legal Basis: Your explicit Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), obtained through the cookie consent banner presented to you upon your first visit, allowing you to accept or reject analytical cookies. We do not set these cookies without your prior consent.
• c) Contacting Us:
  • Data Collected: If you contact us via email (e.g., the address provided in the Terms of Use or here), we will collect your email address and any other information you choose to provide in your message.
  • Purpose: To respond to your inquiries, requests, or comments.
  • Legal Basis: Legitimate Interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) to respond to user communications, or taking steps prior to entering into a contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) if your inquiry relates to potential services.

4. How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used solely for the purposes outlined above. Specifically:

• To send newsletters you have subscribed to.
• To analyze website traffic and improve the Website (using aggregated and anonymized data where possible).
• To respond to your direct communications.
• To comply with legal obligations, if necessary.

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

• Newsletter Data (Email Address): Retained until you withdraw your consent by unsubscribing from the newsletter. Upon unsubscribing, your email address will be promptly removed from the active mailing list and securely deleted according to our internal procedures, unless retention is required for legal reasons.
• Google Analytics Data: Retained according to the settings configured in Google Analytics, or until you withdraw your consent for analytical cookies. Note that much of this data is aggregated or anonymized.
• Contact Data: Retained for as long as necessary to handle your inquiry and for any follow-up period required for administrative or legal purposes.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers (Data Processors) who assist in operating the Website and providing services, under strict data processing agreements:

• Google LLC (Google Analytics): Provides website analytics services. Data collected by Google Analytics may be transferred to and stored on servers in the United States or other countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Google uses Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission and other appropriate safeguards to ensure an adequate level of data protection for such transfers. IP anonymization is enabled for Google Analytics on this Website. Google's Privacy Policy: Link to Google's Privacy Policy
• Hosting Provider: The Website is hosted on servers located in Hungary. Our hosting provider is Rackforest Zrt..Address: 1132 Budapest, Victor Hugo utca 11. 5. em. B05001, +36 1 211 0044, info@rackforest.com. They act as a data processor by storing website data.
• Newsletter Service Provider: Handled manually

We may also disclose your data if required by law, regulation, or legal process.

7. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)

If you are within the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure ('Right to be Forgotten'): You can request the deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
• Right to Restriction of Processing: You can request that we limit the processing of your data under certain conditions.
• Right to Data Portability: You can request to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and transfer it to another controller (primarily applies to data processed based on consent or contract).
• Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your data based on legitimate interests.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent (like the newsletter or analytics cookies), you can withdraw your consent at any time. This does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. Unsubscribing from the newsletter or changing your cookie preferences are ways to withdraw consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 2. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or access. However, no internet transmission or electronic storage method is 100% secure.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Website uses cookies and similar technologies, particularly for Google Analytics. For detailed information about the types of cookies used, their purpose, and how you can manage your cookie preferences (including withdrawing consent for analytical cookies), please refer to our separate Cookie Policy, accessible via a link in the Website footer.

10. International Data Transfers

As mentioned in Section 6, data processed by Google Analytics may be transferred outside the EEA. We rely on appropriate safeguards like Standard Contractual Clauses for such transfers. Servers for website hosting and direct newsletter data storage (if applicable) are located within Hungary (EEA).

11. Links to Other Websites

The Website may contain links to other websites not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

13. Right to Lodge a Complaint

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe that the processing of your personal data infringes data protection regulations. In Hungary, the competent authority is:

• Nemzeti Adatvédelmi és Információszabadság Hatóság (NAIH)
• Address: Hungary, 1055 Budapest, Falk Miksa utca 9-11.
• Website: http://naih.hu