Privacy Policy

1. General Information

Candyscape respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://www.candyscape.world.

Candyscape is operated by:
Andreas Kadach
Zum Bäumchen 11
53809 Ruppichteroth
Germany
Email: Candy@candyscape.world

As a resident of Germany, all data processing follows the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Data Controller

The data controller for your personal information is Andreas Kadach, responsible for the Candyscape website and newsletter services.

3. Personal Data Collected

We may collect and process the following data:

  • Email addresses when you subscribe to our newsletter.
  • Names or other personal details you voluntarily provide when contacting us.
  • Usage data automatically collected via Ghost analytics, including:
    • IP addresses
    • Pages visited
    • Device and browser type
    • Browser version
    • Operating system used
    • Referrer URL (the page you visited before)
    • Host name of the accessing computer
    • Time of the server request

These data are technically necessary for the operation of the website and for analytics.

4. Use of Personal Data

Your personal data is used only for the following purposes:

  • Sending newsletters and updates you have subscribed to.
  • Responding to inquiries or messages you send via email.
  • Improving website content and providing relevant information.

Data will not be sold or shared with third parties outside of service providers necessary to operate Candyscape, such as Ghost for hosting and Strato for email.

5. Ghost Platform Hosting

Candyscape is hosted on Ghost (Ghost Foundation). Data is processed on servers located in Ireland (EU). We have concluded a data processing agreement (Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag) with Ghost to ensure that your data is processed in compliance with the GDPR.

6. Email Services (Strato)

Emails sent from Candyscape, including newsletters, are sent via a Strato-hosted email account (Candy@candyscape.world). Strato servers are located in Germany, and emails are sent securely using SMTP. We have concluded a data processing agreement with Strato in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Your email data will not be shared with third parties except for technical processing by Strato.

The legal basis for processing your data is:

  • Consent provided when subscribing to the newsletter (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR)
  • Fulfillment of a contract or pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) when communicating via email
  • Legitimate interest in providing and improving Candyscape’s services (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)

8. Data Retention

Your personal data is retained only as long as necessary to provide our services, fulfill legal obligations, or comply with GDPR requirements. Newsletter subscriptions can be cancelled at any time, which immediately stops the processing of your email for this purpose.

9. Cookies and Tracking

Candyscape uses limited tracking technologies to ensure the proper functioning of the website and to understand how content is used.

Essential Functions
Some data may be processed as part of the technical operation of the website (e.g., page delivery, security, and system stability). These processes are necessary to provide the website and do not require consent.

Analytics (Google Analytics)
With your explicit consent, Candyscape uses Google Analytics to collect basic, anonymized information about how visitors interact with the website. This includes, for example, page views, general device information, and approximate location data.

Purpose
The collected data is used solely to understand which content is helpful and relevant, and to continuously improve the quality of the website. There is no profiling, no automated decision-making, and no use for advertising purposes.

Data Minimization
IP anonymization is enabled, and data retention is limited to a maximum of 2 months. No personally identifiable information is intentionally collected or processed.

Voluntary Participation
Analytics is only activated if you explicitly consent via the cookie banner. You can use the website fully without agreeing to analytics, and no disadvantages will occur.

No Third-Party Advertising
No tracking data is shared with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.

10. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to access your personal data
  • Right to rectification of incorrect or incomplete data
  • Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”)
  • Right to restrict processing
  • Right to data portability
  • Right to withdraw consent at any time
  • Right to object on grounds relating to your particular situation at any time to processing of your personal data which is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR
  • Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

11. Newsletter and Contact

If you subscribe to the newsletter, your email will be used exclusively for sending Candyscape content. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in the newsletter or by contacting us at Candy@candyscape.world.

12. Third-Party Services

We use the following service providers to operate our website:

  • Ghost (Ireland): Website hosting and newsletter management. We have a data processing agreement with Ghost to comply with Art. 28 GDPR.
  • Strato AG (Germany): Email hosting. We have a data processing agreement with Strato in compliance with Art. 28 GDPR.

Both providers adhere to GDPR and EU data protection standards.

13: Google Web Fonts (External Hosting)

Candyscape uses web fonts provided by Google for the uniform display of fonts. When you call up a page of candyscape, your browser loads the required web fonts into your browser cache to display texts and fonts correctly. For this purpose, the browser you use must connect to Google's servers. As a result, Google learns that our website has been accessed via your IP address.

The use of Google Web Fonts is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the uniform presentation of the typeface on their website. If a corresponding consent has been requested (e.g., consent to the storage of cookies), the processing takes place exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.

Further information on Google Web Fonts can be found at: https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and in Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

14. Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

For the research, creation, and optimization of content on Candyscape, we utilize AI services such as OpenAI (ChatGPT) and Google (Gemini).

  • Purpose: These tools are used for editorial support, fact-checking, and structural formatting of the operator's own creative drafts.
  • Data Minimization: No personal data of our users (such as names or email addresses from newsletter subscribers) is shared with or processed by these AI providers. The interaction with these services is strictly limited to the processing of the operator's own content and general research topics.

15. Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Candyscape uses Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited ("Google"), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Purpose and Scope of Processing
Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to analyze how visitors interact with our website. The information generated by these cookies (including anonymized IP addresses) may be transmitted to and processed by Google.

IP Anonymization
IP anonymization is enabled by default in Google Analytics 4. Your IP address is shortened within the European Union/European Economic Area before transmission to Google servers, ensuring that it cannot be directly linked to you.

Data Transfer
In some cases, data may be processed on servers outside the European Union, including the United States. Google relies on Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission to ensure an adequate level of data protection.

Legal Basis (Consent)
The use of Google Analytics is based exclusively on your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. No tracking takes place unless you actively accept the use of analytics via the cookie banner.

Voluntary Participation
Your consent is entirely voluntary. You can use Candyscape in full without agreeing to analytics. If you decline, no data is collected and no tracking is activated.

Right to Withdraw Consent
You may withdraw or change your consent at any time by clearing your browser cookies or by adjusting your preferences through the cookie banner when it is shown again.

Right to Object and Opt-Out Options
You can additionally prevent data collection by:

  • You can adjust your browser settings to block or delete cookies at any time.
  • You can delete cookies stored by Candyscape directly through your browser settings.
  • You can prevent the collection of data by Google Analytics by not giving consent via the cookie banner or by withdrawing your consent at any time
  • Installing the official Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on:
    https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Consent Management and Technical Implementation
When you first visit Candyscape, a cookie consent banner is displayed. Google Analytics is only activated after explicit consent ("Accept") is given.

No tracking or analytics scripts are loaded before consent is provided.

The cookie banner does not use a persistent settings icon. Consent preferences are only managed through the initial banner interaction or by clearing browser cookies.

Analytics data is used exclusively for statistical purposes to understand content performance and improve the website experience. No advertising profiling or cross-site tracking takes place.

16. Web Analytics with GoatCounter

To better understand how this website is used and to improve the content for you (what you want to see more of, and what less), I use GoatCounter. This is an open-source web analytics service with a strong focus on privacy.

Why GoatCounter?

  • No Cookies: GoatCounter does not store any cookies on your device.
  • No Tracking: No personal data or IP addresses are permanently stored. It only generates anonymous statistics (e.g., which articles are popular or which browser types are used).
  • No Identification: It is impossible for me to identify individual visitors or track their behavior across different websites.
  • Minimal Data: It is just a counter to see if my website gets visitors or not, helping me to improve candyscape.world. I don’t save the statistics long-term and clear them regularly.

The legal basis for this processing is my legitimate interest in the analysis and improvement of this website in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. For more details, you can visit the GoatCounter Privacy Policy.

17. SSL/TLS Encryption

This site uses SSL or TLS encryption for security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as inquiries you send to us.

18. Updates to this Privacy Policy

This privacy policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in services or legal requirements. Any significant changes will be communicated on the website.

19. Contact for Privacy Concerns

If you have questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your rights, contact:

Andreas Kadach
Email: Candy@candyscape.world