Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 2025

Thank you for visiting Karolin Bierbrauer – Home, Decor & Hygge Living Blog (“we”, “us”, “our”).
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Telecommunications-Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), and the Google AdSense Publisher Policies.

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1. Controller

b.web.de Internet Solutions UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Attn: Karolin Bierbrauer
Email: myself@karolinbierbrauer.com
Website: https://karolinbierbrauer.com

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2. Data We Collect

a) Personal data you provide

• When you comment on blog posts (name, email, optional website).

• When you contact us via the contact form or email.

• When you subscribe to a newsletter (if offered).

b) Automatically collected data

• IP address, browser type, operating system, referrer URL, and access time.

• This information is logged automatically by our hosting provider for security and performance reasons.

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3. Cookies and Consent

We use cookies to enhance user experience and analyze traffic.
Your preferences are managed via our WP Consent banner, where you can Accept, Reject, or Customize cookies.
Essential cookies are required for site functionality; analytics and advertising cookies are used only with your consent.

More details can be found in our Cookie Policy.

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4. Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense, a service by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.
AdSense uses cookies and/or similar technologies to display personalized advertisements based on your interests and website visits.

Important information for visitors:

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on prior visits to this or other websites.

• Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits.

• You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting:
  👉 https://adssettings.google.com/

• For more information, see Google’s Privacy Policy:
  👉 https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads

Legal basis (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR): your consent via cookie banner.
You can withdraw or change your consent anytime.

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5. Analytics and Performance Tools

a) Google Analytics (Consent Mode v2)

We use Google Analytics to understand visitor behavior and improve content.
IP anonymization is activated so that your IP address is truncated within the EU.
You can opt out at: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

b) LiteSpeed Cache & Performance Monitoring

Our website uses LiteSpeed Cache for faster page delivery.
This may temporarily store cached copies of pages for optimization; no personal data is stored long-term.

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6. Affiliate Links and Advertising Disclosure

We participate in several affiliate programs, including but not limited to Amazon Associates, Awin, CJ Affiliate, and VigLink.
When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission—at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate partners may use tracking cookies to attribute commissions.

Legal basis (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR): our legitimate interest in monetizing editorial content.
Affiliate tracking is only activated after you give consent in the cookie banner.

For details, please read our Affiliate Disclosure.

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7. Comments

When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
The Gravatar service may be used to display profile images.
After approval, your comment and profile picture become publicly visible.

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8. Your Rights under GDPR

You have the right to:

• Request access to your stored data (Art. 15 GDPR)

• Request rectification or deletion (Art. 16–17)

• Restrict processing (Art. 18)

• Object to processing (Art. 21)

• Data portability (Art. 20)

To exercise these rights, contact: myself@karolinbierbrauer.com

If you believe your data has been processed unlawfully, you may lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

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9. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose of collection (e.g., comment history, analytics, legal obligations).

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10. External Links

Our website contains links to third-party websites.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites.

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11. Security

We use SSL encryption (HTTPS) to secure the transmission of data between your browser and our server.
We also implement regular software updates and access controls.

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12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally.
The current version is always available at: https://karolinbierbrauer.com/privacy-policy/

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Contact:
b.web.de Internet Solutions UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Attn: Karolin Bierbrauer
Email: myself@karolinbierbrauer.com