What is this about?
This privacy policy explains how personal data is processed when you visit sprac.ch, email us or contribute in our repository. The Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) applies.
Who is responsible?
The SPRAC Handbook is an independent, non-commercial, open-source community knowledge project created by members of the SPARC community.
- contact@sprac.ch
Visiting the website
When you open the handbook, the hosting provider automatically records technical data in server log files:
- IP address of your device
- Date and time of the request
- Requested page or file
- Referring website, if your browser sends it
- Browser type and version, operating system
- Status code and amount of data transferred
- Purpose
- Deliver the site, keep it secure, analyse technical errors
- Retention
- Deleted after 30 days, unless needed for a security incident
We do not use this data to identify you and we do not combine it with other data.
Contacting us by email
If you email us, we process your email address, the name or pseudonym you use and the content of your message.
- Purpose
- Answer your request
- Retention
- At the latest 12 months after the conversation ends
Contributing in the repository
Code and content live in a public repository on GitHub(opens in a new tab). Issues, comments and suggested changes fall under that platform's own terms and privacy policy. The platform operator is responsible for your account data.
Your username and contributions are publicly visible and can remain part of the project history. You can edit or delete your own comments on the platform. Please do not use your private GitHub account for this. Use a separate account, for example under your SPARC alias.
What we do not do
- No user accounts, forms or newsletter
- No payments, donations or ads
- No analytics, tracking or profiling
- No automated individual decisions
- We never sell or rent personal data
Cookies and local storage
We do not use cookies for analytics, advertising or tracking.
To remember that you have read the disclaimer, the handbook stores one small entry (key sprac.disclaimer-accepted, value true) in your browser's local storage. It stays on your device and is never sent to us or to third parties.
You can delete it at any time by clearing the site data in your browser settings. The site still works without it; the disclaimer is just shown again on your next visit.
Fonts, icons and external content
Fonts and icons are served from our own hosting. We do not load fonts from Google Fonts or other external font services.
The handbook does not embed videos, maps or social media plugins. It only contains ordinary links. No data is sent to a linked website until you click the link; after that, its own privacy policy applies.
Who receives your data?
- Hosting provider (GitHub Pages): delivers the site and stores IP addresses. See their Privacy Policy: https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/what-is-github-pages#data-collection
- Email provider (Proton AG, Switzerland): stores and transmits our emails, on our behalf and bound by contract.
- Repository platform (GitHub Inc.): only if you contribute there yourself, under its own responsibility.
- Authorities and courts, if we are legally obliged to disclose data.
Disclosure abroad
We aim to process personal data in Switzerland. Some providers may also process data in these states:
| State | Service | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Hosted by GitHub Pages (part of GitHub Inc.) | Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses |
| Switzerland | Email (Proton AG) | Switzerland: no disclosure abroad |
| USA | GitHub Inc., only if you contribute there yourself | Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses |
- State
- USA
- Service
- Hosted by GitHub Pages (part of GitHub Inc.)
- Basis
- Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses
- State
- Switzerland
- Service
- Email (Proton AG)
- Basis
- Switzerland: no disclosure abroad
- State
- USA
- Service
- GitHub Inc., only if you contribute there yourself
- Basis
- Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses
We only disclose personal data to states without adequate protection on the basis of suitable safeguards, in particular standard contractual clauses, or a statutory exception. You can request a copy of these safeguards from us.
How do we protect your data?
The handbook is a static website: no database, no user accounts and no forms. Apart from the server logs and emails described above, there is no personal data on our side to protect. The site is served only over an encrypted connection (HTTPS/TLS), and access to the hosting, email and repository accounts is limited to the maintainers.
What are your rights?
Under the FADP you have the right to:
- Request information about the personal data we process about you
- Have incorrect data corrected
- Have your data deleted
- Object to the processing of your data
In practice we hold almost nothing about you. We cannot link server logs to a person, and they are deleted after 30 days anyway. The only data we can actually connect to you are emails you sent us. If you ask, we tell you what we have, which is usually just those emails, and delete them on request.
Send your request to contact@sprac.ch. To make sure we only answer the right person, we reply to the email address the data belongs to. Requests are free of charge and answered as a rule within 30 days.
You can also lodge a complaint with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).
Young people
The handbook is also aimed at young people and young adults.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy, for example when we change hosting or add new functions. The version published on this website applies. All changes are traceable in the public history of the repository.