How to manage your privacy (Blankpage's Privacy Notice)
- Nadine Rinderknecht
- Apr 27
- 15 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
This step-by-step Privacy Notice will walk you through everything you need to know about how your data is used and how to manage your privacy. Do you care enough to read the "world's most boring blog post"?
What we will cover
Your key takeaways
Click to see all the key takeaways...
Starting point
Let's be honest – privacy notices are usually the "world's most boring blog posts". Nobody reads them except the people paid to write them. But since you're here (which honestly surprises me a bit), I thought: why not formulate it as a how-to blog post like all my other posts? Why not make it simpler and more helpful? After all, knowing how to manage your own privacy is perhaps just as important as learning how to become a legal innovator.
Imagine we're meeting for coffee, and you've asked me "So what happens with my data when I visit your blog?" That's exactly what I want to explain here – no legal jargon, just one person talking to another. Hello, I'm Nadine Rinderknecht, the person behind Blankpage (www.blankpage.world). My goal is to be transparent about what happens with your data and guide you through this Privacy Notice.
I process personal data (or let's simply call it "data") about you under Swiss data protection law, including the FDPA and, where applicable, foreign data protection laws like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But I'll explain everything in practical terms as we go through what data I collect, how I use it, and what exactly you can do to manage your privacy. Let's start!
Step 1: Start with an overview
Look at this simple overview I made for you. It summarizes the key points about how I use your data. For more details, you'll want to read the rest of this Privacy Notice and check the privacy notices of my service providers.
Tip 1: If you find that the text is too small, open the image in full screen (sorry, couldn't make it any bigger).
Step 2: Meet your primary contact person
Contact me, Nadine Rinderknecht, at n.rinderknecht@blankpage.world for any questions or to exercise your rights.
Why would you care?
I'm primarily responsible for following data protection laws. As I decide why and how your data is processed, I'm what data protection lawyers call the "data controller". If you have questions or want to exercise your data protection rights, just reach out to me, Nadine Rinderknecht, at n.rinderknecht@blankpage.world.
Tip 2: Review next steps for common answers. Before you send me an email, take a look at the next steps. Many common questions, including how to exercise your data protection rights (which we'll cover in Step 9), are already answered there.
Step 3: Meet other entities that process your data
The other entities are Blankpage's hosting provider, website analysis provider, video provider, authorities (if required by law), and their sub-processors.
Why would you care?
Besides me, other entities process your data:
Hosting provider Wix.com Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel), or simply Wix, offers you access to Blankpage and maintains server infrastructure. It also provides me a built-in website analysis tool. Want to know more about how Wix processes your data? Have a look at their privacy notice: Tip 3: Don't get lost in Wix's privacy notice. Pay special attention to the sections about users-of-users (that's you). | Website analysis provider Visitor Analytics GmbH (Berg, Germany), or simply Visitor Analytics, analyses your data. For more details have a look at their privacy notice:
Video provider YouTube lets me embed videos on Blankpage and processes your data as well. YouTube is a service by Google Ireland Ltd. (Dublin, Ireland), or simply Google. More details here:
Tip 4: Before you read the lengthy privacy notices of my service providers, check out my steps below, especially Step 4 about technical data and Step 8 about logs, cookies, and similar technologies.
|
Sub-processors like cloud and security providers help processors provide services while still processing your data on my behalf. You can find them on these lists:
*Just general information
(no list available)
| Authorities may receive your data if required by law. This includes government offices, courts, and other authorities in Switzerland and abroad. |
Tip 5: If you want to understand what role other entities play, check their privacy notices. If you're curious about how the entities above handle your data, their privacy notices reveal whether they're just following my instructions (as a "data processor") or taking (independently) their own decisions (as a "data controller").
Step 4: See what type of data is processed
I process the data you share with me via contact forms, emails, or otherwise. And technical data about your website visit using analysis tools.
Why would you care?
I process different categories of data from different sources, in particular:
Data you shared with me via contact form, email, or otherwise including contact data (like your name, email address, etc.) and any other data you choose to share.
Data from website analysis tools, more specifically Wix's built-in tool and Visitor Analytics. I process technical data such as:
IP address
Approximate location
Screen resolution and device type
Operating system
Browser type and version
Date and time of your visit
Pages you visited
Referring website addresses
Step 5: Understand why your data is processed
I process your data mainly to operate and improve Blankpage and to communicate with you, but also for other purposes.
Why would you care?
I process your data primarily to:
Operate Blankpage in a secure and stable manner (like server management, etc.).
Improve Blankpage (making it more user-friendly for you, etc.).
Communicate with you (replying to your queries, etc.).
However, I may also process your data to comply with legal obligations or for legal proceedings, should the need arise.
What legal bases do I use if the EU GDPR applies?
Step 6: Check the security and storage measures in place
Your data is protected through appropriate measures, including threat prevention, detection, and incident response. Your data is only stored for as long as necessary.
Why would you care?
I protect your data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure with appropriate technical and organizational measures (like password management, etc.). For example, my hosting provider Wix engages in threat prevention (by encrypting your data, etc.), threat detection by continuously monitoring their platform, and incident response to minimize the impact of cybersecurity incidents. While no system is 100% secure (just like a café), these measures can significantly reduce privacy risks.
Tip 6: Dive deeper like a pro. I know this step was a bit superficial. So if you need more technical details, check out the security frameworks from Wix on their website (with simple explanations) or their privacy notice (with more complex explanations) as well as those of my other service providers.
What about data storage? I don't keep your data forever. I only store it to the extent and for as long as necessary to provide Blankpage and for the other purposes mentioned in this Privacy Notice. This also minimizes security risks by reducing the data that could potentially be exposed.
Step 7: Map where your data is shared and transferred
Your data may be processed by my service providers and authorities in Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, and potentially worldwide.
Why would you care?
To achieve the purposes described in this Privacy Notice, it may be necessary for me to disclose your data to the recipients in these categories:
Service providers (hosting provider, website analysis provider, etc.).
Authorities like offices and courts if required by applicable laws.
Recipients may process your data in Switzerland (authorities, etc.), Germany (Visitor Analytics, etc.), Israel (Wix, etc.), and Ireland (Google, etc.). However, your data may potentially be processed in any country in the world, for instance through the sub-processors of my service providers.
How exactly is your data protected when it's transferred internationally (just a little bit of legalese)?
Step 8: Manage logs, cookies, and similar technologies
Manage what data I can collect through logs, cookies, and similar technologies. I process this data for the proper functioning of this website and to understand how visitors use it – without identifying specific visitors.
Why would you care?
Do I know who you are? I can tell one visitor from another, but I don’t know who anyone actually is. More precisely (I studied law after all...): As with any connection to a web server, the server on which I provide Blankpage automatically logs and stores certain technical data (like your IP address, time of your visit, etc.). But this data isn't personal to me. I also use cookies and similar technologies to merely distinguish individual visitors, but without wanting to and being able to identify them. You can find more details about logs, cookies, and similar technologies in the expandable lists below.
I collect log data and data that I collect through cookies and similar technologies like fingerprinting for the purposes explained in Step 5, especially for the proper functioning of my website and to understand how visitors use it.
I use these tools for the same purposes, but they work differently:
What are "logs"?
What are "cookies"?
What are "similar technologies" like fingerprinting?
Tip 7: Find your sweet spot between privacy and benefits. Some visitors value the better experience that comes with data collection (like more helpful responses, personalized content, interesting features, etc.), while others value privacy more. Align your measures with your biggest concerns rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. So use the appropriate tools to create your ideal balance – whether that's not changing anything at all, adjusting cookie settings in your browser, using a VPN, or installing privacy extensions against cookies or fingerprinting.
Tip 8: Want to manage cookies? Here's how to do it. Most browsers allow you to view, block, or delete cookies through their privacy settings (but also consider this may affect Blankpage's functionality). Check your browser's help section (usually under "Privacy" or "Security") for more specific instructions, or click directly on one of these links:
Tip 9: Want to go incognito? Use a VPN. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can increase your privacy by masking your IP address and location.
Tip 10: Worried about cookies or fingerprinting? These tools can help. Consider using privacy-focused browsers or privacy extensions.
Step 9: Know your rights
You have the right to access, correct, or delete your data as well as other data protection rights.
Why would you care?
You have certain rights under applicable data protection laws. In particular:
Tip 11: Expect your rights to be balanced with others' rights. When exercising your data protection rights, understand that these rights aren't absolute and that conditions, exceptions, or limitations exist (to protect third parties or fulfill legal obligations, etc.). So approach your data protection rights with realistic expectations and be aware that in some cases your requests may not or only partially be fulfilled.
Ready to exercise your rights? Here's how: 1. Contact me at n.rinderknecht@blankpage.world 2. Identify yourself, for example, by including a copy of your ID card. |
You can also file a complaint with the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) by clicking here or with another authority. But also remember my blog's mission – legal innovation means respecting formal processes while exploring better ones. While you can file a complaint with the authorities, I'm also available to discuss more creative and direct solutions if you contact me first.
Step 10: Check this Privacy Notice regularly
I might update this Privacy Notice at any time, so check it regularly.
Why would you care?
I may update this Privacy Notice at any time, so I recommend that you check it regularly.
Also, know that the version published on this site (www.blankpage.world/post/privacy-notice) is always the current one.
If you read this entire Privacy Notice, you either work in data protection or you've had far too much coffee today. Either way, here's another cup, because you're clearly someone who makes good life choices. Bye!
Hello, I'm Nadine Rinderknecht
Founder of Blankpage. Experience in law firms and academia. Master of Law (University of Zurich) and other stuff.
Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Blankpage's mission is to inform about technology law and to inspire you to write innovative papers. Time to become a legal innovator.
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