Privacy Policy — Finnish In Ireland

1. Data Controller

The data controller for this website is the site owner, Niko, reachable via the contact details on the About page. As a personal blog, no formal Data Protection Officer (DPO) is required.

2. What Data Is Collected

This site does not require you to create an account or submit any personal information to read recipes. However, the following data may be collected automatically:

Server logs: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, and the pages you visit are recorded in standard web server access logs. These logs are used solely for diagnosing technical problems and understanding aggregate traffic patterns.
Analytics data: This site uses Umami Analytics, a self-hosted, cookieless analytics tool, to count page visits and understand which recipes are popular. Umami collects data such as pages visited, time on site, and approximate location (country level) without using cookies or storing personal data. See Section 4 for details.
Advertising and affiliate data: Third-party services (Google AdSense and Amazon Associates) may collect data about your visit. See Sections 4 and 5 for details.
Cookies: See Section 3 below for full details.

3. Cookies

A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a website. This site uses the following categories of cookies:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are required for the site to function correctly (e.g. session security). They do not track you and cannot be disabled.

Analytics (Umami)

This site uses Umami Analytics, which sets no cookies. Umami collects only aggregate, anonymised data (page views, referrer, approximate country) and stores it on this site's own server. No data is shared with third parties and no personal data is collected or retained.

Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense)

This site displays advertisements served by Google AdSense. Google uses cookies (including the __gads and __gpi cookies) to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other sites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit here and/or previous visits to other websites. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings or aboutads.info. Google's privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.

Affiliate Tracking Cookies (Amazon Associates)

Some links on this site are Amazon affiliate links. If you click one of these links and make a purchase on Amazon, Amazon may place cookies on your device to track the referral and attribute any commission earned. Amazon's cookie and privacy practices are governed by Amazon's Privacy Notice. Clicking affiliate links does not increase the price you pay.

You can control or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Note that disabling advertising or affiliate cookies will not prevent ads from being shown — it will only make them less relevant to you.

4. Analytics — Umami

This site uses Umami Analytics, an open-source, self-hosted analytics tool. Umami collects:

Pages visited and time spent on each page
Approximate geographic location (country level only, derived from IP address — IP is not stored)
Browser type, device type, and operating system
Referral source (how you arrived at the site)

Umami uses no cookies and collects no personal data. All analytics data is stored on this site's own server and is not shared with any third party. Because no personal data is processed and no cookies are used, this analytics tool does not require your consent under GDPR.

5. Advertising — Google AdSense

This site is a participant in Google AdSense. Google AdSense is a third-party advertising service operated by Google LLC. As a result of displaying ads:

Google may collect your IP address, browser information, and browsing behaviour across sites to serve personalised advertisements.
Google acts as an independent data controller for data it collects through its advertising services.
This site has no access to, or control over, cookies or other features that Google may use.
Where required by GDPR (e.g. for visitors in the EEA), Google's consent framework (GDPR-compliant ad serving) is used and personalised ads are only shown with your consent.

For more information about how Google uses data, see "How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps".

6. Affiliate Links — Amazon Associates

Finnish in Ireland is a participant in the Amazon Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. When you click an affiliate link and make a qualifying purchase, this site may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Affiliate links are used to recommend products genuinely used or relevant to the recipes on this site. All affiliate relationships are disclosed where links appear.

Amazon may use cookies and similar technologies to track clicks and purchases originating from this site. Amazon acts as an independent data controller for this data under its own privacy policy.

7. Legal Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, personal data must be processed on a lawful basis. The bases used on this site are:

Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): Server log data is processed to maintain site security and diagnose technical issues.
Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): Personalised advertising (Google AdSense) and affiliate tracking cookies are only placed with your prior consent where required by law.
Contractual necessity / legitimate interest: Participation in the Amazon Associates Programme involves processing referral data as necessary to operate the affiliate relationship.

8. How Long Is Data Retained?

Server access logs are retained for up to 90 days, then deleted automatically.
Anonymised analytics aggregates may be retained indefinitely as they contain no personal data.
Data held by Google and Amazon is subject to their own retention policies.

9. Data Sharing

This site shares data with the following third parties as part of its normal operation:

Google LLC: For advertising (AdSense). Google acts as an independent data controller for advertising. See Google's Privacy Policy.
Amazon.com, Inc.: For affiliate tracking. Amazon is an independent data controller. See Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Cloudflare, Inc.: This site uses Cloudflare for content delivery and image hosting. Cloudflare processes requests (including IP addresses) on behalf of this site as a data processor, subject to a Data Processing Addendum. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
Hosting providers: Infrastructure providers who process data solely to deliver this site to you, bound by data processing agreements.
When required by law or to protect the rights of this site.

No personal data is sold or shared for marketing purposes.

10. International Transfers

Google, Amazon, and Cloudflare are US-based companies. Data transferred to them outside the EEA is subject to appropriate safeguards (Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions) as required by GDPR Chapter V.

11. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject in the EEA, you have the following rights:

Right of access: Request a copy of any personal data held about you.
Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data.
Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
Right to restrict processing: Ask for processing to be limited in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format.
Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time without affecting prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact me via the About page. I will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority (in Ireland: the Data Protection Commission).

12. Children's Privacy

This site is not directed at children under 16. No data is knowingly collected from children. If you believe a child has provided personal data, please contact me and I will delete it promptly.

13. External Links

Recipes or articles may contain links to external sites including Amazon product pages. This Privacy Policy applies only to finnishinireland.com. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of linked sites.

14. Changes to This Policy

This policy may be updated from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Continued use of the site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.