Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Scholtes Magazine (“Scholtes”, “we”, “us”) processes personal data when you visit this website, create a reader or business account, submit an interview, or contact us. We act as the data controller for this processing.

Who we are

Scholtes Magazine, Bucharest, Romania, is the controller. For any privacy matter, including data subject requests, write to office@scholtesmagazine.com. We answer every request within one month.

1. Data we collect

• Account data: name, email address, country, preferred language, and account type (reader or business), provided by you or by your Google/Apple sign-in provider.
• Contributor content: interview answers, business descriptions, photographs and files you upload, and any AI-use disclosure you provide.
• Transaction data: subscription, advertising or order details, and billing information handled by our payment provider.
• Technical data: IP address, device and browser type, and pages viewed, collected through server logs and essential cookies for security and reliability.
• Communications: messages, support requests and newsletter preferences.

2. Why we process it and on what legal basis

• To provide accounts, the digital issue and the business studio — performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)).
• To publish submitted interviews, photographs and editorial content in the magazine, on affiliated social channels and, where applicable, in print — contract and your consent given at submission.
• To keep the service secure, prevent abuse and maintain logs — legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)).
• To send newsletters or marketing — your consent, withdrawable at any time (Art. 6(1)(a)).
• To meet accounting, tax and legal obligations — legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)).

3. Sharing

We share personal data only with service providers acting on our instructions — hosting and database infrastructure, authentication, email delivery, payment processing and analytics — and with authorities where the law requires it. We do not sell personal data.

4. International transfers

Our providers may process data outside your country, including outside the EEA/UK. Where that happens we rely on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision, together with appropriate technical and organisational safeguards.

5. Retention

Account data is kept while the account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards. Published editorial content remains part of the magazine archive. Original, unedited photo files are deleted automatically once the edited versions have been produced. Invoices and accounting records are kept for the period required by law.

6. Your rights

Depending on where you live you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or object to processing, and withdraw consent at any time. See our GDPR & Your Rights page for how to exercise them and how to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

7. Children

This site is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect their data; if you believe a child has provided data, contact us and we will delete it.

8. Security

Access to submitted content and uploaded files is restricted to the account owner and the magazine’s editorial administrator. Data is transmitted over encrypted connections and stored with access controls at the database level.

9. Contact

Privacy requests: office@scholtesmagazine.com.