Privacy policy
Translation for your information. The German version (Datenschutzerklärung) is legally binding.
Your data matters to us, especially on a site about health and personal topics. Here we explain simply and completely what data we process, why, on what legal basis, for how long and what rights you have. This is based on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Austrian Data Protection Act (DSG) and the Austrian Telecommunications Act 2021 (TKG). It applies to all visitors, whatever country they are in.
1. Controller
Anton Barz, Obkirchergasse 16/13, 1190 Vienna, Austria, email: service@happiness-consultants.com. No data protection officer has been appointed, as this is not required by law.
2. Hosting and server logs
Our website is hosted by world4you Internet Services GmbH, Linz, Austria. With every visit, the server stores technically necessary data: IP address, date and time, page visited, browser and operating system. This serves secure operation, protection against attacks and troubleshooting (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We keep IP addresses in the logs for a maximum of 14 days.
3. Cookies and consent
We set technically necessary cookies (for example for logging in) without consent (§ 165(3) TKG, Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR). All other cookies and similar technologies (statistics, advertising, pixels) only load once you agree in the consent banner (§ 165(3) TKG, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can change or withdraw your consent at any time. We currently do not use any such services; as soon as we do, the banner will ask you first. We never use statistics or advertising services in “Between us”.
4. Member account
For an account we process your nickname, your email address, your password (stored encrypted), your confirmation that you are at least 18 years old and the time of registration. Please choose a nickname that is not your real name. The legal basis is the use of the account (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). You can delete your account yourself at any time; we will then delete your data unless statutory retention obligations apply.
5. Protected area “Between us”
“Between us” is about personal topics such as intimate health, sexuality, bladder weakness, fertility, miscarriage, violence or debt. What you write there may contain health data or data about your sex life. These are specially protected data.
- Legal basis: your explicit consent when registering (Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw it at any time; we will then delete your posts, questions and account. Processing carried out before the withdrawal remains lawful.
- Who sees what: posts and questions are only visible to logged-in members, and only with your nickname. Nobody but us sees your email address. You can ask experts questions without a nickname if you wish; the expert then only sees the question. Experts who answer in “Between us” only see the questions and posts in the area and are bound to confidentiality towards us in writing.
- Search engines: the area is blocked for search engines and does not appear in the sitemap, in previews or in the newsletter.
- Moderation: we read new posts to enforce the rules and remove names of third parties, advertising and unlawful content.
- No disclosure: we do not pass on or sell this content and never use it for advertising. It is stored on our server in Austria.
- Storage period: as long as your account exists. If you delete a post or your account, we remove the content from the area immediately; it disappears from backups as soon as they are overwritten as scheduled.
- “Quick exit”: the button and the Esc key only open a neutral page; we store nothing.
6. Comments, ratings and “Join the conversation”
Logged-in members can rate and comment on articles. Nickname, rating, text and time are displayed; your email address is never published. To prevent abuse, we also store the IP address with comments; it is not public and is deleted after 6 months unless we need it because of a specific legal violation. We do not store IP addresses for star ratings. The legal basis is the use of the account (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in preventing unlawful content (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Comments are stored until you delete them or your account.
7. Expert directory, advertisements and bookings
For a directory listing we process what you enter (name of the practice or business, city, country, contact, services, photos); whatever you provide for publication is publicly visible. For bookings (for example a directory package, a presentation in the magazine or an advertising space) we process name, address, email address, order number, booked service, price, receipt of payment, whether you book as a business or a consumer, and your confirmations with time stamps (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). You pay by bank transfer only; our bank sends us your name, IBAN, the amount and the payment reference. We keep invoices and booking records for seven years (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR, § 132 Austrian Federal Fiscal Code).
8. Online withdrawal (“Cancel contract”)
If you withdraw as a consumer via the “Cancel contract” button or page, we process your name, order number, email address and the date and time of receipt. The purpose is processing the withdrawal, the legally required confirmation of receipt (§ 13a Austrian Distance and Off-Premises Contracts Act, FAGG) and the refund (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR). We keep these data as long as the related booking records (seven years).
9. Contact by email
If you write to us by email or via a form, we process your details to answer your request (Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR) and delete them once the request is completed and no retention obligation applies. Please do not send us health data by email that we do not need.
10. Newsletter
You only receive our newsletter if you sign up and confirm via the link in the confirmation email (double opt-in, § 174 TKG, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). We store your email address and the time and confirmation of your sign-up as proof. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in every issue. For sign-up and sending we use the WordPress plugin AcyMailing on our own server; emails are sent via our own mail server. We do not track whether you open the newsletter or click links in it. The newsletter never contains content from “Between us”.
Spam protection (Google reCAPTCHA): To stop programs from entering other people’s addresses, the sign-up form uses Google reCAPTCHA v2 from Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. reCAPTCHA is only loaded once you tick the consent box (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, § 165(3) TKG). Google processes, among other things, your IP address, browser and device information, mouse movements and cookies; data may be transferred to Google LLC in the USA (EU-US Data Privacy Framework). You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future, for example by email to service@happiness-consultants.com. Without reCAPTCHA, signing up via the form is not possible – just email us instead. More: Google privacy policy.
11. Help selector, language and mood check
For “Urgent help” we only suggest your country based on your browser's language setting (for example “de-AT”). We do not request your location. If you choose a country, only your own browser remembers it (local storage); nothing is sent to us. You can delete this entry in your browser settings at any time. The “mood check” on the home page also runs only in your browser; your choice is not stored.
12. Partner links
On topic pages and in some articles we show products with partner links (affiliate links), labelled “Affiliate”. If you click on one, you go to the retailer; our partner ID is passed on so that a purchase can be attributed to us, and the retailer or partner network sets cookies. There are no extra costs for you. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in financing the site (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
Amazon Associates programme: We take part in the Amazon Associates programme (Amazon Europe Core S.à r.l., Luxembourg). If you click on an Amazon link, you go to Amazon; our partner ID is passed on and Amazon sets cookies so that a purchase can be attributed to us. There are no extra costs for you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We do not load product images or prices from Amazon servers. We will name further partner programmes here once we integrate them.
13. Fonts and images
Our fonts are hosted on our own server; no connection to Google Fonts is made. Photos from image platforms (for example Unsplash and Pexels) are also stored on our server.
14. Recipients and transfers to third countries
Your data are only received by the service providers named above, where necessary, the experts in “Between us” who are bound to confidentiality (section 5) and by authorities if we are legally obliged. We do not sell data. Transfers to countries outside the EU only take place to providers with an adequacy decision (for example under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework) or on the basis of EU standard contractual clauses. Content from “Between us” never leaves our server in Austria.
15. Your rights
You have the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection (Art. 15 to 21 GDPR), and the right to withdraw consent at any time with effect for the future. Just write to us at service@happiness-consultants.com. So that nobody else can get information about your data, we may ask you to prove that the request comes from you (for example a confirmation from the email address of your account). If you believe we are not processing your data correctly, you can complain to the Austrian Data Protection Authority: Barichgasse 40–42, 1030 Vienna, www.dsb.gv.at, or to the supervisory authority in your country.
16. Data security and changes
Our site is encrypted (HTTPS). Passwords are only stored encrypted. We update this privacy policy when our services or the law change; the version published here applies.
17. Visitors from around the world
happiness-consultants.com is aimed at readers in many countries. We are the controller in Austria; therefore the GDPR applies to all visitors, wherever you use the site from. We process your data in Austria (EU).
- Switzerland: The Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) also applies. You have the same rights as described above and can also contact the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (www.edoeb.admin.ch).
- United Kingdom: The UK GDPR also applies; you can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).
- Other countries: We treat your data everywhere at the protection level of the GDPR. If the law of your country gives you additional rights, you can exercise them with us in the same way; just write to us.
- Age: Our services are aimed at adults. An account and “Between us” are only available from 18. Please use the newsletter and contact form only from the age of 14 (the age of own consent in Austria, § 4 (4) DSG) or from the higher age that applies in your country.
- Language: This privacy policy is available in German and English; the German version is binding.