Legal
This website is deliberately built to be lean. This page explains which personal data is nevertheless processed when you visit it, what I use it for and what rights you have.
Last updated: September 2026 · This is a translation. The German version is legally binding.
The controller responsible for data processing on this website is:
Fabian von Karais
Auerstraße 10
50733 Köln (Cologne)
Germany
Email: kontakt@vonkarais.eu
I have not appointed a data protection officer, as there is no legal obligation to do so.
This website is hosted by IONOS SE, Elgendorfer Straße 57, 56410 Montabaur, Germany. IONOS processes data on my behalf under a data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.
Each time a page is accessed, your browser automatically transmits technical data that the server records in log files: the requested address, date and time, the amount of data transferred, the status code, browser and operating system, the previously visited page (referrer) and your IP address. IONOS anonymises the IP address in these logs and deletes the logs after eight weeks at the latest.
In addition, requests for addresses that do not exist on this website are logged without the IP address (address, time, referrer and browser identifier) so that I can find broken links. These entries are deleted after seven days.
The purpose is the secure and stable operation of the website. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; my legitimate interest lies in a functional, secure and error-free website.
To understand which content is read, I use the analytics software “Independent Analytics”. It runs entirely on this website’s server. No cookies are set and no data is transmitted to the vendor or any other third party.
The following is recorded: pages viewed, time and duration of the visit, the previously visited website or search engine, device type, browser and operating system, and your approximate location (country and city). Your IP address is only used briefly to determine this location and is not stored. To distinguish visits from one another, a non-reversible hash is created from the IP address and browser identifier together with a random value that changes daily. This makes it impossible to recognise you beyond the respective day.
The statistics are deleted automatically after 24 months. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; my legitimate interest is to improve the website based on usage figures. You can object to this processing at any time (see section 8).
To protect the website, I limit the number of failed login attempts. For this, I use a feature of the plugin “Admin and Site Enhancements”, which runs entirely on this website’s server. When a login attempt fails, the IP address, the username entered, the requested address, the time and the number of failed attempts and blocks are stored. After three failed attempts, the IP address is blocked for 15 minutes; after three such blocks, for 24 hours. The entries are deleted automatically 30 days after the last failed attempt. No data is transmitted to third parties; regular visits without a login attempt are not affected.
The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; my legitimate interest is to protect the website and the data stored on it against misuse and automated attacks. In addition, the connection to this website is encrypted using TLS (indicated by “https://” in the address bar).
This website does not use cookies for analytics or advertising. Only one cookie is used, and only if you use the related function:
The legal basis for storing and reading these cookies is Section 25(2) No. 2 of the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG); for any further processing, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. You can delete cookies at any time in your browser settings. The language of the website is determined by the address (English pages start with /en/); no cookie is stored for this.
If you contact me by email or phone – for example to arrange a conversation or to request the password for the case studies – I process your details (name, contact details and the content of your message) solely to answer your enquiry. Emails are received and stored on my behalf by my email provider. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR where your enquiry concerns a possible professional collaboration, and otherwise Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. I delete the data once your enquiry has been fully dealt with and no statutory retention obligations apply.
For appointment booking, I link to the Calendly service of Calendly LLC (USA). If you book an appointment there, Calendly processes your details (e.g. name, email address and selected time slot) on my behalf and forwards the booking to me. Calendly is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; the transfer to the USA is based on the European Commission’s adequacy decision (Art. 45 GDPR). The legal basis for the booking is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Deletion follows the same rules as for email enquiries. For more information, see Calendly’s privacy notice.
Links to LinkedIn, Calendly or the websites of former employers are plain links. No data is transmitted to these providers when you visit this website – only when you click a link are you taken to their websites, where their privacy notices apply, for example LinkedIn’s. No third-party content such as videos, maps, fonts or social media plugins is embedded on this website.
You have the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18) and data portability (Art. 20). An informal message to kontakt@vonkarais.eu is sufficient.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). The authority responsible for me is the Landesbeauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Nordrhein-Westfalen, Kavalleriestraße 2–4, 40213 Düsseldorf, Germany, www.ldi.nrw.de.
You are not obliged to provide me with personal data; however, I cannot answer an enquiry without contact details. No automated decision-making, including profiling, takes place. I update this policy when the website or the legal situation changes; the version published here applies.