What this site collects, and why

Who's responsible

I'm Stefania Larisa Barabas. I run this site and I'm responsible for the data it collects (the "controller", in GDPR terms). For any question or request about your data, email me at [email protected].

Google Analytics, only if you say yes

When you first visit, a banner asks whether I can use Google Analytics. Until you click Accept, nothing from Google loads and no analytics cookies are set. If you accept, Google Analytics (loaded through Google Tag Manager) records:

• the pages you view and how long you stay
• the site that sent you here, if any
• your approximate location (city, region and country), worked out from your IP address. For visitors in the EU, UK and Switzerland, Google uses the IP address only for this and discards it straight away, without storing it
• your device type, browser, operating system and screen size
• a random ID stored in the _ga and _ga_… cookies, so a repeat visit counts as the same visitor. These cookies last up to 2 years

Why: to see which pages people actually read and where they leave, so I know what to improve. Legal basis: your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)).

Who receives it: Google LLC, which provides Google Analytics. Data may be transferred to the United States; Google relies on the EU–US Data Privacy Framework for that. How Google handles it is covered by Google's privacy policy (opens in a new tab) and how Google uses data from sites that use its services (opens in a new tab).

How long: Google deletes the detailed visit data after 2 months. What stays after that are totals, such as page views per month, that don't identify anyone. Google's advertising features are turned off, so nothing is used for ads.

Changing your mind: you can withdraw consent at any time. Declining also deletes the Google Analytics cookies from your browser. Cookie settings

Hosting, security and visit counts

Every request to this site passes through Cloudflare, Inc., which protects it from attacks and speeds it up, and is then served by Vercel Inc., which hosts it. Both process your IP address and basic request details, such as your browser and the page you asked for, to deliver the page and keep the site secure. They do this on my behalf, keep the data only as long as they need to run their services, and are certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.

For simple visit counts, I also use Vercel Web Analytics and Cloudflare Web Analytics. Neither sets cookies, saves anything in your browser, or follows you to other sites. Vercel tells visits apart with a hash of the request that's discarded after 24 hours; Cloudflare doesn't tell visitors apart at all. I only see totals: page views, referring sites, approximate location, and browser, operating system and device type.

Legal basis: my legitimate interest in running a working, secure site and knowing whether anyone visits it (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)). See Cloudflare's privacy policy (opens in a new tab) and Vercel's privacy policy (opens in a new tab).

Saved in your browser

Two small settings are saved in your browser's local storage, not in cookies: your light or dark theme (stef-theme) and your answer to the cookie banner (stef-consent). They never leave your device, and clearing your browser's site data removes them.

When you contact me

If you email me, I receive whatever you include in the message. I use it only to reply, and keep it for as long as our conversation is relevant.

The "Book a 20-min call" button opens Calendly (opens in a new tab), which handles the booking for me: your name, your email and anything you add to the booking form. I'm responsible for that data and use it only for the call. Calendly's part is described in Calendly's privacy notice (opens in a new tab).

Legal basis: taking steps you asked for before we work together, or my legitimate interest in answering you (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b) and (f)). Links to LinkedIn, GitHub and Substack take you to those sites, where their own policies apply.

Your rights

Under the GDPR you can ask me to:

• tell you what data I have about you, and give you a copy
• correct it, or delete it
• restrict how I use it, or object to it being used at all
• withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting what was done before

Email [email protected] and I'll reply within a month. Google Analytics data isn't linked to your name, so I usually can't find a single visitor's data in it; declining the cookies is the most direct way to stop it being collected. If you think I've handled your data wrongly, you can also complain to the data protection authority in the country where you live or work.

Changes

If what the site collects changes, I'll update this page and the date at the top. I don't sell data, share it for advertising or use it for automated decisions about anyone.