Privacy Policy

Controller

The controller within the meaning of data protection law, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is:

Homeopathic Spectrum – International Online Journal
Dr. Jürgen Hansel
Gartenstr. 31A
82547 Eurasburg
Germany
Email: info@homeopathicspectrum.com

Your rights as a data subject

Using the contact details provided, you may exercise the following rights at any time:

  • the right to information about the data we hold about you and how it is processed (Art. 15 GDPR),
  • the right to rectification of inaccurate personal data (Art. 16 GDPR),
  • the right to erasure of the data we hold about you (Art. 17 GDPR),
  • the right to restriction of processing where we are not yet permitted to erase your data owing to legal obligations (Art. 18 GDPR),
  • the right to object to the processing of your data (Art. 21 GDPR),
  • the right to data portability, where you have consented to the processing or have entered into a contract with us (Art. 20 GDPR).

Where you have given us your consent, you may withdraw it at any time with effect for the future. You can change or withdraw your cookie consent at any time via the “Manage consent” button or the link to the cookie settings on our website.

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority at any time (Art. 77 GDPR), for example the authority responsible for your place of residence or the authority responsible for us as controller. A list of supervisory authorities (for the non-public sector) with their addresses is available at: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html

Processing activities

Hosting and collection of general information when you visit our website

Nature and purpose of processing

When you access our website without registering or otherwise submitting information, certain general information is collected automatically. This information (server log files) includes the type of web browser, the operating system used, the domain name of your internet service provider, your IP address and similar data. It is processed in particular for the following purposes: ensuring a smooth connection to the website, ensuring the smooth use of our website, evaluating system security and stability, in particular to detect misuse, and ensuring the technically error-free display and optimisation of our website. We do not use your data to draw conclusions about you personally. We do, however, reserve the right to review the server log files retrospectively should there be specific indications of unlawful use.

Our website is hosted by IONOS SE, Elgendorfer Str. 57, 56410 Montabaur, Germany. Emails such as order confirmations and invoices are also sent via IONOS servers. We have concluded a data processing agreement with IONOS in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR.

Legal basis and legitimate interest

Processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in improving the stability and functionality of our website and in ensuring system security and the detection of misuse.

Recipients

The recipient of the data is our hosting provider, IONOS SE, acting as processor.

Retention period

Data in server log files that allow the data subjects to be identified are stored for a maximum of 14 days, unless a security-relevant incident occurs (e.g. a DDoS attack). In that case, the server log files are retained until the security incident has been resolved and fully investigated.

Whether provision is required

The provision of the above personal data is neither required by law nor by contract. Without the IP address, however, the service and functionality of our website cannot be guaranteed, and individual services may be unavailable or only available to a limited extent.

Website security (Wordfence)

Nature and purpose of processing

To protect our website against attacks, malware and abusive login attempts, we use the security plugin Wordfence provided by Defiant Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA. Wordfence checks requests to our website, detects suspicious patterns and blocks malicious requests. In doing so, it processes in particular the IP address, the time of access, the URL requested, browser information and, for login attempts, the username entered. To identify known attackers, the IP address is checked against the Wordfence security network; IP addresses may be transferred to Defiant servers in the USA for this purpose. Wordfence may set technically necessary cookies for logged-in users.

Legal basis and legitimate interest

Processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in protecting our website, our users and the data we hold against attacks and misuse. Technically necessary cookies are stored in accordance with Section 25(2) No. 2 of the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG).

Recipients

The recipient of the data is Defiant Inc., acting as processor. Regarding the transfer to the USA, please see the section “Transfers to third countries”. Further information: https://www.wordfence.com/privacy-policy/

Retention period

Security logs are deleted automatically at regular intervals unless they are needed to investigate a security incident.

Contact

Nature and purpose of processing

Our website offers a contact form for electronic enquiries. If you use this option, the data entered in the form are transmitted to us and stored. You may also contact us via the email addresses provided; in that case, the personal data transmitted with the email are stored, including the date and time of sending, email address, IP addresses and information about the servers involved. Contact by telephone is also possible; in that case we record connection data such as your telephone number and the duration of the call. Irrespective of the channel used, we record the content of your enquiry. Your data are stored for the purpose of communicating with you individually. To protect against spam, the contact form is secured by Google reCAPTCHA (see below).

Legal basis

Processing is based on a legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, namely enabling straightforward contact. If you contact us with a view to concluding a contract, processing is carried out to take pre-contractual steps in accordance with Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

Recipients

Recipients of the data may include technical service providers acting as processors for the operation and maintenance of our website.

Retention period

The data are deleted no later than 6 months after your enquiry has been dealt with. If a contractual relationship arises, the statutory retention periods apply, which are generally 6 or 10 years for reasons of proper accounting and tax law requirements.

Whether provision is required

Providing your personal data is voluntary. However, we can only process your enquiry if you provide us with the necessary data and the reason for your enquiry.

Spam protection with Google reCAPTCHA

Nature and purpose of processing

To protect our forms against automated entries (spam and misuse by bots), we use the reCAPTCHA service (version 3) provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (“Google”). reCAPTCHA checks in the background whether an entry has been made by a human or by an automated program. To do so, reCAPTCHA analyses the visitor’s behaviour on our website on the basis of various characteristics. In particular, the IP address, browser and device information, time spent on the page, mouse movements or input behaviour, and information from the browser’s local storage are transmitted to Google. reCAPTCHA is loaded on several pages of our website so that the check can take place when a form is submitted.

Legal basis and legitimate interest

Processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in protecting our website and our forms against abusive automated use and spam. Access to information on your device is carried out in accordance with Section 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG, as it is strictly necessary for the secure provision of the form function you are using.

Recipients

The recipient of the data is Google. A transfer to Google LLC in the USA cannot be ruled out; Google LLC is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (see “Transfers to third countries”). Further information: https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://policies.google.com/terms

Retention period

We do not store the data transmitted to reCAPTCHA ourselves. The retention period at Google is governed by Google’s privacy policy.

Objection

You may object to this processing in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR (see below). Without reCAPTCHA we cannot guarantee the use of our forms; alternatively, you can contact us by email at any time.

Newsletter

Nature and purpose of processing

To send our newsletter and similar information, we collect personal data submitted via an input form. A valid email address is required for a successful registration. To verify that a registration has genuinely been made by the owner of the email address, we use the double opt-in procedure. For this purpose, we log the newsletter registration, the sending of a confirmation email and the receipt of the requested reply, each with the time and IP address. No further data are collected.

Performance measurement: Our newsletters contain measuring functions that allow us to determine whether a newsletter has been opened and which links have been clicked. This analysis helps us to align our content more closely with our readers’ interests.

Legal basis

On the basis of your express consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), we send you our newsletter or similar information by email to the address you have provided and analyse its use as described above. The registration process is logged in order to demonstrate consent (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR in conjunction with Art. 7(1) GDPR).

Recipients

To manage recipients and send the newsletter, we use the WordPress plugin MailPoet and the MailPoet Sending Service provided by Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA, acting as processor. Emails are sent via servers within the European Union. Regarding the transfer to the USA, please see the section “Transfers to third countries”. Further information: https://automattic.com/privacy/

Retention period

The data are processed in this context only for as long as the relevant consent remains in place. We additionally retain the log data demonstrating consent for up to three years after you unsubscribe.

Whether provision is required

Providing your personal data is voluntary and based solely on your consent. Without your consent, we are unable to send you our newsletter.

Withdrawal of consent

You may withdraw your consent to the storage of your personal data and their use for sending the newsletter at any time with effect for the future – via the unsubscribe link in every email or using the contact details given in this privacy policy.

Orders, subscriptions and memberships

Nature and purpose of processing

We process the data you provide during the ordering process (e.g. name, address, email address, chosen payment method, products ordered) in order to process and manage your order, subscription or membership. This includes providing the content you have booked (e.g. access to the members’ area and to downloads), invoicing, renewing and cancelling subscriptions, sending order and invoice emails, and dealing with queries and complaints. Your personal data are used only to the extent necessary to perform the contract.

Legal basis

Data required to conclude and perform the contract are processed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Invoice and accounting data are retained to comply with legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR).

Recipients

Recipients of the data are our hosting provider, acting as processor, and – depending on the payment method chosen – the payment service providers listed in the following section. For physical products, we pass your name and address to the carrier commissioned with delivery where this is necessary for delivery.

Retention period

We store these data in our systems until the statutory retention periods have expired, which are generally 6 or 10 years for reasons of proper accounting and tax law requirements.

Whether provision is required

Providing your personal data is necessary to conclude the contract. Without these data we cannot process your order.

Payment service providers

Nature and purpose of processing

We use external payment service providers to process payments. Depending on the payment method chosen, we transmit the data required for this (e.g. name, email address, billing address, order amount, order number) to the respective provider. You enter your payment details (e.g. card number, bank details) directly with the payment service provider; they are not stored on our servers. The payment service providers use their own technically necessary cookies or similar technologies to prevent fraud and to ensure secure processing, and in some cases process your data as independent controllers, for example to verify identity and creditworthiness.

Legal basis

Your data are transmitted to the payment service provider in order to perform the contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Processing for fraud prevention is based on our legitimate interest in secure payment processing (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR); the cookies used for this purpose are strictly necessary in accordance with Section 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG.

Retention period

We store payment information within the statutory retention periods (see “Orders, subscriptions and memberships”). The retention period at the payment service providers is governed by their respective privacy policies.

Whether provision is required

Without transmitting the data to the chosen payment service provider, payment using that method is not possible.

Customer account and members’ area

Nature and purpose of processing

A customer account is required to take out a subscription or membership. It allows you to access the content you have booked, view your orders and manage your subscription. For this purpose, we collect your contact and login details and link your orders and memberships to your account. When purchasing individual products without a membership, creating a customer account is voluntary; in that case you may also order as a guest.

Legal basis

Where the customer account is required for a subscription or membership, processing is carried out to perform the contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). If you create a customer account voluntarily, processing is based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).

Recipients

Recipients of the data may include technical service providers acting as processors for the operation and maintenance of our website.

Retention period

We store the data in your customer account for as long as the account exists. Once the account has been deleted, the data are erased unless statutory retention obligations for order and invoice data prevent this.

Deletion of the account and withdrawal

You may request the deletion of your customer account at any time using the contact details given above. If a subscription is still running, deletion requires the subscription to be terminated. You may withdraw any consent given voluntarily at any time with effect for the future.

Share buttons for social networks

On some pages we offer buttons that allow you to share articles on social networks. These buttons are implemented as simple links and do not establish a connection to the respective provider’s servers when our page is loaded. Only when you click a button are you redirected to the website of the respective network; from that point on, its privacy policy applies. The following networks are included: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.

Cookies

A cookie is a small data record that is created when you visit a website and temporarily stored on the visitor’s system. When the website is accessed again, the browser sends the previously received cookie back to the server, which can then evaluate this information. Cookies can in particular make it easier to navigate a website. A complete overview of the cookies used on this website, including their purpose and retention period, can be found in our cookie policy and at any time in the cookie settings.

Deleting cookies

You can delete individual cookies or all stored cookies. Instructions on how to delete cookies or block their storage in advance are available from your browser provider: Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari. You can also prevent scripts from loading by default using tools such as NoScript.

Technically necessary cookies

Nature and purpose of processing

Some functions of our website cannot be offered without cookies, because the browser needs to be recognised even after a change of page. These include in particular the shopping basket and the ordering process, logging in to the customer account, storing the selected language, security functions and storing your cookie consent.

Legal basis and legitimate interest

Technically necessary cookies are stored in accordance with Section 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG. The subsequent processing is based on our legitimate interest in a functional and user-friendly website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or – where the cookies are required for the ordering process – on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

Recipients

Recipients of the data may include technical service providers acting as processors for the operation and maintenance of our website.

Retention period

The retention period of each cookie can be found in our cookie policy or in the cookie settings.

Consent management (Complianz)

Nature and purpose of processing

We use the WordPress plugin Complianz to obtain, manage and document your consent to the storage of cookies and the use of services that require consent. Services requiring consent are only loaded once you have agreed. Your choice is stored in cookies in your browser so that it is taken into account on subsequent visits. To demonstrate consent, we also log on our own server a randomly generated identifier, your chosen settings, a shortened (anonymised) IP address, the region derived from it and the time of consent. Complianz runs on our server; your data are not transmitted to the plugin provider.

Legal basis

Consent cookies are stored in accordance with Section 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG. Consent is logged to fulfil our obligation to demonstrate consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR in conjunction with Art. 7(1) GDPR.

Retention period

Consent cookies are deleted after 12 months, after which you will be asked for your consent again. We retain the log data for up to three years.

Withdrawal

You can change or withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future via the cookie settings on our website.

Transfers to third countries

Some of the service providers we use are based in the USA or transfer data there (Google, Defiant/Wordfence, Automattic/MailPoet). For the USA, the European Commission has adopted an adequacy decision in the form of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Art. 45 GDPR). Where a recipient is certified under this framework, the transfer takes place on that basis. Otherwise, we have agreed the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses with the provider (Art. 46(2)(c) GDPR). The list of certified companies is available at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/list.

Right to object under Art. 21 GDPR

Right to object in individual cases

You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (processing on the basis of a balancing of interests); this also applies to profiling based on this provision.

If you object, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Recipient of an objection

info@homeopathicspectrum.com

Changes to this privacy policy

We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy so that it always complies with current legal requirements or to reflect changes to our services, e.g. when introducing new services. The new privacy policy will then apply to your next visit.

Questions about data protection

If you have any questions about data protection, please email us at the address of the controller given above.

Last updated: 23 September 2026. Based on the template by activeMind AG (version #2024-10-25), supplemented and adapted to the services used on this website.