Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) is a non-profit civil society organization headquartered in Berlin, focusing on supporting law and democracy through education, legal advocacy, and promoting political participation, as well as combating the targeting of rights and public freedoms or restrictions thereon. We collect only limited personal data through the site’s comment system (such as names or email addresses) if you wish to add a comment, and through donation pages on the site using intermediary tools like Stripe or PayPal, or through WordPress and installed plugins to enhance site performance.
This policy explains how we handle this data, including essential cookies, hosting in Germany, external fonts in the Chromenews theme, and sharing with payment partners and plugins, in accordance with the GDPR.
Main Topics:
- What data do we collect?
- How do we collect data?
- How do we use data?
- How do we store data?
- Plugins and External Tools
- Sharing Data with Third Parties
- Your Rights in Data Protection
- What are cookies?
- How do we use cookies?
- Types of cookies we use
- How to manage cookies
- Fonts
- Changes to our policy
- How to contact us
- How to contact the supervisory authority
What Data Do We Collect?
We collect only the following personal data:
- Through the comment system: Name (required and published), email address (required, but will not be published), and website (URL, optional, and published if provided).
- Through donation pages: Name, email address, billing address (for tax receipts), amount, and basic payment details (such as payment type, but we do not collect or store credit card or bank account data). These data are collected directly through intermediary services like PayPal or Stripe.
- Through plugins: Basic technical data such as IP address or language preferences (e.g., from GTranslate or Site Kit by Google), but no additional personal data.
- Through fonts: IP address when loading external fonts in the Chromenews theme.
We do not collect any other data, nor do we request additional information.
How Do We Collect Data?
- Comments: Directly when submitting a comment via the WordPress form (voluntarily, considered explicit consent).
- Donations: Directly through donation pages on the site, when clicking “Donate Now” and completing the form or through intermediary services like PayPal and Stripe, as indicated in the form (voluntarily, considered explicit consent).
- Plugins: Automatically when using features (e.g., translation in GTranslate or analysis in Site Kit), but with an opt-in option via the cookie banner.
- Fonts: Automatically when loading the page via the Chromenews theme, with consent for non-essential cookies.
We do not obtain data from other sources, nor do we collect additional automatic data beyond essential cookies.
How Do We Use Data?
We use the data only for:
- Comments: Publishing the comment (name and website), verifying its validity (via email), and responding if necessary.
- Donations: Processing payments, issuing tax receipts, thanking donors, and managing financial records for the organization (e.g., reporting to funding bodies or taxes).
- Plugins: Improving the site (e.g., translation, security, or SEO), without marketing purposes.
- Fonts: Enhancing text display via the Chromenews theme.
Legal Basis:
- For comments: Explicit consent under GDPR Article 6(1)(a) (processing is lawful if the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes). Or legitimate interests for managing interactions under GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (processing is lawful if it is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data).
- For donations: Performance of a contract under GDPR Article 6(1)(b) (processing is lawful if it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract). Or legitimate interests to support the non-profit mission, in addition to legal obligations (such as taxes in Germany, GDPR Article 6(1)(c)).
- For plugins and fonts: Legitimate interests for service improvement, with consent for non-essential cookies.
We do not use the data for marketing or tracking purposes, nor do we sell it.
How Do We Store Data?
We store the data in a secure WordPress database on servers in Germany via Hostinger, with SSL encryption, access monitoring, and standard security measures.
- Comments: Name and website as long as the comment is published; email for [e.g., 12 months] then deleted.
- Donations: For 10 years for financial and tax records in Germany, then automatically deleted.
- Plugins: For periods ranging from 30 days to 12 months, and deletion can be requested at any time.
- Fonts: We do not store data; transmission is temporary only upon loading.
After the period ends, we delete the data via secure deletion protocols. We do not store sensitive payment data; this is handled by Stripe or PayPal.
Plugins and External Tools
We use WordPress plugins to improve the site, and they act as data processors under our supervision. Here is an overview:
| Plugin | Main Purpose | Data Collected (if any) | Legal Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTranslate | Website translation | IP address for language detection | Legitimate interests |
| Hostinger AI / Easy Onboarding / Tools | Hosting and AI tools | Basic technical logs (IP, sessions) | Legitimate interests |
| LiteSpeed Cache | Caching and performance optimization | No personal data | – |
| Magic Content & CTA Box Builder | Content and button building | No personal data | – |
| Rank Math SEO | SEO optimization | Analytical data (if Google Analytics enabled) | Consent |
| Site Kit by Google | Integration with Google (Analytics, Search Console) | IP, visit behavior | Consent |
| Wordfence Security | Security and threat detection | IP for spam detection | Legitimate interests |
| Yoast SEO | SEO and content optimization | Basic cookies for analysis | Consent |
These plugins are GDPR compliant, and we request consent via the cookie banner for any non-essential collection.
Sharing Data with Third Parties
We do not share your data except for necessary purposes:
- For comments: No sharing.
- For donations: We share basic data with Stripe and PayPal only, as GDPR-compliant data processors via DPA and SCCs.
- For plugins: Some share with external parties (e.g., Google via Site Kit, or Wordfence servers in the US with SCCs).
- For fonts: The Chromenews theme shares IP address with Google when loading external fonts (e.g., Google Fonts), as a GDPR-compliant data processor via SCCs.
| Third Party | Purpose | Legal Basis | Link to Their Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Payment processing | Contract (Article 28) | stripe.com/privacy |
| PayPal | Payment processing | Contract (Article 28) | paypal.com/privacy |
| Google (Site Kit) | Analysis and SEO | Consent (SCCs) | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Wordfence | Security | Legitimate interests (SCCs) | wordfence.com/privacy |
| GTranslate | Translation | Legitimate interests | gtranslate.io/privacy |
| Google (Fonts) | Loading fonts in Chromenews theme | Consent (SCCs) | policies.google.com/privacy |
No transfers to third countries without safeguards, and no sharing with advertisers.
Your Rights in Data Protection
The Law and Democracy Support Foundation wants to ensure you know your full rights under GDPR. You have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of your data (e.g., comments or donation records).
- Rectification: Correct any inaccurate information.
- Erasure: Request deletion of a comment or donation data (right to be forgotten) under certain conditions (tax records may be exempt).
- Restriction of processing: Restrict use of your data.
- Objection: Object to processing under certain conditions.
- Data portability: Transfer your data to you or another party under certain conditions.
- Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time (e.g., disabling plugins or future donations).
We have one month to respond. Contact us via: Email: info@ldsf.info Phone: +491630088844
You can file a complaint with the supervisory authority such as the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Bundesdatenschutzbeauftragter).
Notes: Providing data is required to publish comments or process donations, but refusal only prevents the service. No automated decision-making or profiling.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device to collect basic internet log information and visitor behavior. When visiting our site or submitting a comment/donation, we may collect information automatically via cookies or similar technologies. For more, visit: allaboutcookies.org
How Do We Use Cookies?
We use them to improve user experience, such as:
- Maintaining a smooth browsing session.
- Facilitating comments or donations.
- Supporting plugins (e.g., SEO or security).
- Loading external fonts in the Chromenews theme.
Types of Cookies We Use
Our site uses only essential cookies (strictly necessary), plus non-essential from plugins and fonts (with consent):
| Cookie Type | Description | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session Cookies | Track temporary session during browsing. | Until browser closes. | Basic site operation. |
| Comment Cookies | Remember name, email, website (e.g., comment_author). | 1 year. | Facilitate interaction. |
| Settings Cookies (wp-settings) | Customize interface. | 1 year. | Improve experience. |
| Payment Cookies | Remember payment preferences (from Stripe/PayPal). | Until donation completion. | Transaction security. |
| SEO Cookies (from Rank Math / Yoast) | Track SEO interactions. | 1-2 years. | Content optimization (with consent). |
| Security Cookies (from Wordfence) | Detect threats. | 30 days. | Site protection. |
| Font Cookies (from Google Fonts in Chromenews) | Load external fonts. | Session. | Text display (with consent). |
These are first-party or third-party cookies with safeguards, not used for tracking or advertising. You can withdraw consent by deleting cookies.
How to Manage Cookies?
You can configure your browser to reject or delete cookies (e.g., in Chrome or Firefox). However, some site features, like comments or donations, may not work.
Fonts
The Chromenews theme uses external fonts by default (e.g., Google Fonts for headings and text), loaded from Google servers. When visiting the site, your IP address is sent to Google to load the fonts, which constitutes a data transfer to a third country (United States). We request explicit consent via the cookie banner for this purpose, and Google is committed to GDPR via SCCs and the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. We do not store any data from fonts. For higher privacy, fonts can be self-hosted using a plugin like OMGF, and we will update the policy if implemented.
Changes to Our Policy
We review the policy regularly and update it here. Last update: November 05, 2025.
How to Contact Us?
If you have questions about the policy, wish to delete a comment or donation data, or exercise your rights, contact us: Via email: info@ldsf.info Via phone: +491630088844
How to Contact the Supervisory Authority?
If you feel we have not addressed your concerns, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI): Email: poststelle@bfdi.bund.de Address: Husemannstraße 30, 50968 Köln.
