Privacy

The data controller for data processing in connection with this website is ARTICOBAR Sprachschule GmbH, Platz 1a, CH-8887 Mels.

Privacy enquiries: office@articobar-sprachschule.ch and the further contact details in the legal notice (phone, management).

We comply with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), the associated ordinance and — where applicable — other data protection law, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Processing is based on your consent, pre-contractual or contractual necessity, legitimate interests (e.g. secure operation, abuse prevention) or legal obligations, depending on the context.

This website provides information about our offerings and services and accepts enquiries and course registrations. Merely accessing the website does not create a contractual relationship.

We endeavour to keep content current and accurate. Information may change; content does not constitute binding legal advice.

When you contact us by phone, WhatsApp or email, we use your details to handle your enquiry and organise course operations. When contacting us via WhatsApp (Meta Platforms), the provider's privacy policy also applies.

Via the online forms on this website (course registration, feedback) you can submit data directly. This may include salutation, name, email, phone, address, course choice or your message.

Form data is stored in a database with our processor Supabase (see below) and is only accessible to authorised ARTICOBAR staff via a protected admin area.

To prevent abuse we use technical measures (e.g. honeypot fields, rate limiting). A one-way hashed identifier of your IP address may be processed — not the plain IP address.

If you have consented in the cookie settings, Google reCAPTCHA v3 is also used (see «Google external services»).

You can use our website without forms without providing personal data.

For course registration or handling your enquiry we need the details marked as required in the forms. Without these we cannot process your request.

Submitting some forms with Google reCAPTCHA also requires your consent to external Google services in the cookie settings.

On first visit you can choose via a banner whether external Google services may be loaded in addition to technically necessary functions.

Technically necessary storage includes your language choice and cookie decision in your browser's local storage. This remains on your device until you delete it or change your choice in the cookie settings.

External services (Google reCAPTCHA, Google Maps address autocomplete) load only if you choose «Accept». With «Essential only» they remain disabled; forms remain usable if you fill in fields manually and — where required — accept external services to submit.

You can change your choice at any time via «Cookie settings» in the footer.

This website is hosted by Vercel Inc. When pages are accessed, technical data may be processed, e.g. IP address, time of access, requested URL, browser type and referrer — as required for delivery, security and stability.

Server-side functions (e.g. form processing) run as short-lived serverless functions in a Vercel data centre in Switzerland configured for our project.

For fast delivery of static content, Vercel may additionally use a global content delivery network. The provider's contractual and technical safeguards apply. More information: https://vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy

Form submissions (registrations, feedback), editorial website content (e.g. course programme, team, FAQ, locations), uploaded files (team, location and review photos, course programme PDFs) and credentials for the internal admin area are stored with Supabase Inc. in our configured region in the European Union (EU West, Frankfurt data centre / eu-central-1).

Supabase processes data on our behalf as a processor. Access is restricted by authentication, roles and encryption in transit.

Supabase is based in the USA; data storage for our project takes place in the EU region stated above. More information: https://supabase.com/privacy

The protected area at /admin is accessible only to authorised ARTICOBAR staff. Login is via Supabase Auth (email and password).

Invitations for new admin users are sent by email; email address and authentication data are processed by Supabase. This area is used to maintain website content and view form submissions — it is not public.

We use the following service providers as processors: Vercel (hosting), Supabase (database, file storage, admin authentication), Resend (email delivery), Sentry (error monitoring), Google (reCAPTCHA and optional Maps, only with consent) and OpenAI (translation assist in the internal admin area only).

Where required, data processing agreements or equivalent contractual safeguards are in place. For transfers to countries without an adequate level of protection (in particular the USA for Google, OpenAI and Sentry), we rely on recognised safeguards, including standard contractual clauses where applicable.

To notify our office of new form submissions and to send acknowledgement emails, we use Resend (Resend, Inc.).

Data required for notification (e.g. name, contact details, course choice or feedback text) is transmitted to Resend and delivered to ARTICOBAR recipient addresses.

Resend processes this data on our behalf in Ireland (EU, data centre eu-west-1). Resend's privacy policy applies: https://resend.com/legal/privacy-policy

Google reCAPTCHA v3 (only with your consent): Protects our forms from automated abuse. Google may evaluate technical data and usage behaviour. Google's privacy policy and terms apply: https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://policies.google.com/terms

Google Maps Platform (only with your consent): The registration form may offer address autocomplete. Your input is sent to Google. On the locations page we link to Google Maps; the service is provided by Google only when you click the link.

More information: https://policies.google.com/privacy

In the internal admin area, authorised users may translate editorial text from German into other languages using OpenAI (OpenAI, L.L.C., USA). Only the entered text fields are sent to OpenAI — not visitor form data.

This service is for editorial maintenance only and is not accessible to the public.

To detect and fix technical errors and ensure secure operation we use Sentry (Functional Software, Inc.).

This may involve technical information (e.g. browser type, page accessed, time, error message) and — when errors occur — limited personal data from the page context or session recordings (session replay) where needed for analysis.

Sentry is based in the USA; contractual safeguards including standard contractual clauses apply where applicable. More information: https://sentry.io/privacy/

This website may link to third-party sites (e.g. Instagram, WhatsApp, Google Maps). We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data from unauthorised access, loss or misuse — including encryption in transit (HTTPS), access restrictions in the admin area and role-based permissions with our processors.

Form submissions and enquiries are kept as long as needed for processing, course organisation and follow-up, or as required by law. They are then deleted or anonymised unless longer retention is legally required.

Technical log data at hosting providers is generally stored for a limited period according to their policies.

We do not send newsletters or unsolicited advertising by email. Messages related to your registration or enquiry serve communication about our offerings and course operations.

We do not use automated processing that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.

Under applicable data protection law you have in particular the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing and data portability, where provided by law.

If you have given consent (e.g. for Google services), you may withdraw it at any time with future effect — via cookie settings or by contacting us.

Where we process data based on legitimate interests, you may object under the conditions provided by law.

To exercise your rights, contact office@articobar-sprachschule.ch or the addresses in the legal notice.

You may also lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority: Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC/EDÖB), Feldeggweg 1, CH-3003 Bern, https://www.edoeb.admin.ch

We may update this privacy policy when technical, legal or operational circumstances change. The version published on this website with the stated date is authoritative.