This policy explains what personal data gov.house collects, why, how long it is kept and what rights you have. The short version: the site collects very little, and only what it needs to answer you, send you the newsletter you asked for and keep the site secure.
§1Who is responsible
The data controller is Attila Rácz-Akácosi, publisher and editor of gov.house, based in Hungary (EU). The controller can be reached for any privacy matter through the contact form by choosing the subject “Privacy request.” Because gov.house is a one-person publication, the controller is also the person who reads your message.
§2What we collect and why
- Contact form. Your name, email address, chosen subject and message. We also record your IP address and the time of submission to prevent spam and abuse. Messages are stored in the site’s database and delivered by email to the editor’s mailbox, which runs on Google Workspace (Gmail), with Google acting as a service provider.
- Newsletter (The Brief). Your email address. Sign-up uses double opt-in: you must click a confirmation link before you receive anything. We record the time and IP address of your consent as proof of it. Newsletter emails are sent from the site’s own mail server, not through a third-party mailing service.
- Server logs. Like any web server, ours records technical data about requests, such as IP address, date and time, page requested and browser type. These logs are kept by our hosting provider, in a data center in Germany (EU), for security and troubleshooting.
- CAPTCHA. The image CAPTCHA on the contact form is self-hosted. It uses no cookies and sends no data to any third-party service.
§3What we do not do
- No cookies for visitors. The only cookies the site sets are WordPress login cookies for site administrators.
- No analytics, no tracking pixels, no advertising and no social media embeds.
- Fonts are self-hosted, so loading a page does not contact a font provider.
- We use Google Search Console to see how the site performs in Google Search. It works from Google’s own search data and receives no data from your browser when you visit gov.house.
- We do not sell or share your personal information, and we do not use it for profiling or automated decision-making.
§4Legal basis
Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we rely on:
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) for the newsletter. You can withdraw it at any time.
- Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) for reading and answering messages you send, and for keeping the site secure, including abuse prevention and server logs.
- Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) where the law requires us to keep or disclose data.
§5How long we keep it
- Contact form IP address and timestamp: up to 30 days.
- Contact form messages: up to 24 months, unless a message is needed longer for a story we are reporting or to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.
- Newsletter data: until you unsubscribe. A record of the unsubscribe may be kept so we do not email you again.
- Server logs: kept by the hosting provider for a short period, typically days to weeks.
§6Who else handles your data
We do not give your data to anyone for their own purposes. Two service providers process it on our behalf:
- our hosting provider, which runs the server in Germany; and
- Google, which provides the editor’s email (Google Workspace). Google may process data outside the EU, including in the United States. Such transfers are covered by Google’s data processing terms, which rely on recognized safeguards such as standard contractual clauses and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.
We may also disclose data where the law requires it. As journalists, we will resist demands to identify confidential sources to the extent the law allows.
§7Your rights
Under the GDPR, you have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- have inaccurate data corrected;
- have your data deleted;
- restrict or object to processing based on legitimate interest;
- receive your data in a portable format;
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing done before withdrawal.
To unsubscribe from The Brief, use the link at the bottom of any newsletter email. For any other request, use the contact form with the subject “Privacy request.” We will respond within one month, as the GDPR requires, and may ask you to confirm your identity first.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority. Our lead authority is the Hungarian National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information: Nemzeti Adatvédelmi és Információszabadság Hatóság (NAIH), 1055 Budapest, Falk Miksa utca 9–11, Hungary, naih.hu. You may also contact the authority in your own EU country.
§8US readers
Residents of California and other US states with consumer privacy laws have rights to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion and correction, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. gov.house does not sell or share personal information, as those terms are defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act, and does not use it for targeted advertising. You can exercise any of these rights through the contact form, and we will not treat you differently for doing so.
§9Security and children
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections to the site and restricted administrator access. No system is perfectly secure, so please do not send highly sensitive personal information through the contact form.
The site is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their data.
§10Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle personal data, for example by adding a service provider, we will update this page with a new effective date and revision number before the change takes effect. Material changes affecting newsletter subscribers will also be announced in The Brief.