Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

1. Data Controller

Natalya Fritsler
Tonhallenstrasse 7, 47051 Duisburg, Germany
contact@geo-culture.ru
+49 162 18 65 704

This Privacy Policy applies to personal data collected via geo-culture.com. The site is run by one private individual. A data protection officer is not required by law and has therefore not been appointed.

2. Hosting and Server Logs

The website, database and files are hosted on a dedicated virtual server of a hosting provider. The provider processes the data only on our behalf (Art. 28 GDPR).

Each time you visit the site, the server automatically records your IP address, date and time, the requested URL, the referrer and your browser identifier (user agent). We need this data to deliver the site and to detect attacks and abuse. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Logs are deleted after 14 days.

In addition, we count page views without cookies: we store the date, language version, page visited, the domain of the referring website and a pseudonymous visitor ID. This ID is a hash of the IP address and browser identifier with a random key that is discarded after one day. No IP addresses are stored for this purpose, and visits on different days cannot be linked. We use these statistics only in aggregated form to measure the site's reach. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; nothing is stored on or read from your device.

3. Account and Login

To register and log in we only need your email address. You receive a login link (magic link) by email that is valid for 48 hours. No password is stored. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. We keep your account data until you ask us to delete it; data we must keep by law (see section 4) is restricted until the retention period ends.

4. Subscription and Payment (Stripe)

When you buy a subscription we process your email address, plan, amount, payment date, access period and subscription status. Payments are handled by Stripe Payments Europe Ltd., 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland. You enter your payment details (e.g. card number) directly with Stripe; we do not receive them. Stripe may transfer data to Stripe, Inc. in the USA (see section 9). Stripe's Privacy Policy: stripe.com/privacy.

The legal bases are Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract) and Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR (tax record-keeping obligations). We keep invoices and payment records for 10 years (§ 147 AO, § 257 HGB).

5. Sending Emails

Transactional emails (login link, payment confirmation, access expiry notice, checklist download link) are sent from our own mail server on the same server. We do not use an external email service provider.

6. Contact Form

If you write to us via the contact form or by email, we process your name, email address and message to answer your request. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, or Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR for contract-related requests. We delete the request once it has been dealt with, unless we must keep it by law or need it to resolve a claim.

7. Checklist and Newsletter

You can enter your email address to receive a PDF checklist. We use the address to send you the download link and limit requests per IP address to prevent abuse. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. If you have not subscribed to the newsletter, we delete the address no later than 12 months after the request.

You receive the newsletter only if you actively tick the corresponding box (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw your consent at any time, e.g. by email to contact@geo-culture.ru. We keep your address for the newsletter until you withdraw consent.

8. Cookies and Web Analytics

Strictly necessary storage. Without your consent we only store what is strictly necessary to run the site (§ 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR):

  • Session cookie — keeps your session active (about 2 hours);
  • XSRF-TOKEN — protects forms against abuse (about 2 hours);
  • Login cookie (remember_web_…) — only after login, keeps you logged in (until you log out);
  • cookie-consent entry in your browser's local storage — stores your cookie choice.

Yandex Metrica (only with consent). If you click "Accept" in the cookie banner, we load the analytics service Yandex Metrica of Yandex LLC, 16 Lev Tolstoy St., 119021 Moscow, Russia. Metrica is not loaded before that. Metrica sets cookies (e.g. _ym_uid, _ym_d) that last up to one year and collects your IP address, device and browser data, pages visited, referring page, time on site, clicks, mouse movements and scrolling. Its Webvisor feature replays visits as session recordings; input in form fields is masked. We use this data to understand how the site is used and to improve it.

The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, § 25(1) TDDDG). For the transfer to Russia see section 9. Yandex's Privacy Policy: yandex.com/legal/confidential.

Withdrawal. You can change your choice at any time via the "Cookie settings" link in the site footer. After withdrawal Metrica is no longer loaded. You can delete cookies already set in your browser settings.

9. Transfers to Third Countries
  • USA (Stripe): Stripe, Inc. is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (adequacy decision, Art. 45 GDPR); standard contractual clauses (Art. 46 GDPR) apply in addition.
  • Russia (Yandex Metrica): There is no adequacy decision and no appropriate safeguards for Russia. The transfer takes place only on the basis of your explicit consent (Art. 49(1)(a) GDPR). Please note the risks: Russia does not offer a level of data protection comparable to the EU, and Russian authorities may be able to access the data without your knowledge and without effective legal remedies for you. If you do not want this, click "Decline".
10. Recipients

Your data is only received by the providers named above (our hosting provider, Stripe and, with consent, Yandex). We do not sell your data or share it with third parties for advertising. We do not use automated decision-making, including profiling, within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR.

11. Your Rights

Under the GDPR you have the right to:

  • Access (Art. 15) — request a copy of the data we hold about you;
  • Rectification (Art. 16) — ask us to correct inaccurate data;
  • Erasure (Art. 17) — request deletion of your data;
  • Restriction (Art. 18) — ask us to restrict processing;
  • Data portability (Art. 20) — receive your data in a machine-readable format;
  • Objection (Art. 21) — object to processing based on legitimate interest;
  • Withdrawal of consent (Art. 7(3)) — at any time with effect for the future; processing carried out before the withdrawal remains lawful.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@geo-culture.ru.

12. Supervisory Authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The authority responsible for our location in Germany is:

Landesbeauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Nordrhein-Westfalen (LDI NRW)
Kavalleriestr. 2–4, 40213 Düsseldorf
www.ldi.nrw.de

13. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version is always available on this page.