Last updated: 2026-09-16
Who we are
Our website address is: https://www.alternativefromeurope.eu.
We process personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Dutch legislation.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comment form (such as your name and email address), as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam.
If you use the Gravatar service, a hashed string created from your email address may be sent to Gravatar to check whether you have a profile picture. Please note that a hash is a pseudonymised identifier and not fully anonymous data. You can find the Gravatar privacy policy here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. Once your comment is approved, your profile picture will be publicly visible alongside your comment.
Legal basis: our legitimate interest in enabling discussion on our website and protecting it against spam and abuse (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).
Media
If you are a registered user and upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images that contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the website can download images and extract any location data they contain.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site, you may choose to save your name, email address and website in cookies. This is for your convenience, so you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies are stored only with your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) and expire after one year.
If you visit our login page, we set a temporary cookie to determine whether your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is deleted when you close your browser.
When you log in, we set several cookies to store your login information and screen display preferences. Login cookies last for two days, and screen option cookies last for one year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will be kept for two weeks. When you log out of your account, the login cookies are removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie is saved in your browser. This cookie contains no personal data and only stores the post ID of the article you edited. It expires after one day.
The login, editing and test cookies described above are functional cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of the website and therefore do not require consent.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (for example videos, images or posts). Embedded content from other websites behaves in exactly the same way as if you had visited that other website directly.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including when you have an account with and are logged in to that website. We are not responsible for the processing carried out by these third parties; please consult their respective privacy policies.
Newsletter
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address and, if provided, your name in order to keep you periodically informed about new articles and updates. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every newsletter or by contacting us.
Legal basis: your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). You may withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Who we share your data with (processors)
We only share your personal data with third parties where this is necessary to operate our website and provide our services, where we have a legitimate interest in doing so, or where we are required to by law. With companies that process your data on our behalf (processors), we conclude a data processing agreement to ensure the same level of security and confidentiality for your data. We use the following service providers:
- Theory7, Vimexx and Bunny.net: these parties provide hosting, storage and Content Delivery Network (CDN) services for our website. They process technical data such as your IP address and user agent string to keep the website secure and available.
- Automattic (Gravatar and Akismet): used to display profile pictures with comments and for automated spam detection.
- A local newsletter plugin: used to send our newsletter.
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties, and we do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained for as long as the comment remains published on the website. This allows us to recognise and approve follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue. You can ask us to remove your comment at any time.
For users who register on our website (if applicable), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile for as long as the account exists. All users can view, edit or delete their personal information at any time (except that they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also view and edit this information.
Newsletter data is retained until you unsubscribe.
We use Matomo for visitor analytics. If you want to opt out, you can do it here:
Legal basis for server logs and security measures: our legitimate interest in keeping the website secure and available (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).
Where your data is sent
Data processed through our website is primarily stored on servers within the European Economic Area (EEA).
Visitor comments may be checked by an automated spam detection service (Akismet). Akismet and Gravatar are operated by Automattic, which may process data in the United States. Where data is transferred outside the EEA, this takes place on the basis of appropriate safeguards, such as the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses.
When content is delivered via the Bunny.net CDN, data may pass through servers located worldwide in order to optimise loading speed. In such cases, appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, are in place.
Your rights regarding your data
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Right of access: you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to erasure: you can ask us to delete your personal data. This does not apply to data we are required to retain for administrative, legal or security purposes.
- Right to restriction of processing: you can ask us to temporarily limit the processing of your data.
- Right to data portability: you can request an export file of the personal data you have provided to us.
- Right to object: you can object to processing based on our legitimate interest.
- Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
You can exercise these rights by contacting us using the details below. We will respond to your request within one month. We may ask you to verify your identity before handling your request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) via https://www.autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl, or with the supervisory authority in your own EU country.
Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against loss, misuse and unauthorised access, including encrypted connections (HTTPS).
Children
Our website is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 without parental consent. If you believe we have done so, please contact us and we will delete the data.
Changes to this privacy policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The most recent version will always be published on this page, with the date of the last update shown at the top.
Contact information
For questions about this privacy policy or requests regarding your personal data, please contact us at: mail [at] europeesalternatief [dot] eu.