Privacy Policy

Effective Date:  July 24, 2025

Thank you for visiting Paulakitchen.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”). Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy outlines what personal data we collect, how we use it, and your rights under data protection laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

1. Who We Are

Website: https://Paulakitchen.com/
Owner: DIANA LOPES, Founder of Paula Kitchen
Contact: [email protected]

We operate as a personal wellness and recipe blog based in the United States. For the purposes of the GDPR, we act as the data controller for the information collected on this site.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

  • Contact Data: Your name and email address when you comment, subscribe, or contact us via forms.
  • Technical Data: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, and referral sources.
  • Usage Data: Pages viewed, time spent, click behavior, and interaction with website content.
  • Cookies and Tracking Data: For performance, analytics, and personalization.

We collect this information either because you provided it voluntarily (e.g. via forms) or based on our legitimate interests (such as site functionality and analytics).

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your data for the following purposes:

  • To respond to your inquiries or comments
  • To send newsletters (with your consent)
  • To improve our website performance and content
  • To prevent spam and abuse
  • For analytics and user experience optimization

4. Comments and Media Uploads

If you leave a comment, we collect the data shown in the form, along with your IP address and browser user agent to help detect spam.
If you upload images, please ensure they do not contain EXIF GPS location data. Visitors can download and extract this data.

5. Contact Forms

When you use a contact form, we collect your name and email address to respond to your message. This data is stored for up to 6 months and is not used for marketing unless you’ve opted in.

6. Cookies

We use cookies to:

  • Maintain essential website functions
  • Track performance and traffic (via Google Analytics)
  • Enable affiliate tracking (e.g., Amazon Associates)
  • Enhance social media sharing (e.g., Instagram, Pinterest)

7. Analytics

We use third-party analytics services such as Google Analytics to understand website traffic and user behavior. This data is anonymized and does not identify you personally.

8. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We may share limited data with the following trusted third parties:

  • Email marketing providers (e.g., ConvertKit or MailerLite)
  • Website hosting services
  • Analytics platforms
  • Affiliate marketing tools

All third-party services we use must comply with GDPR and ensure your data is protected.

9. Data Retention

We retain your data only as long as necessary:

  • Contact form entries: 6 months
  • Analytics data: 12 months
  • Comments: Indefinitely unless deleted
  • Subscriber data: Until you unsubscribe or request deletion

10. Your Rights (for EU/EEA Users)

Under the GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Request corrections to inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your data (“Right to be Forgotten”)
  • Withdraw your consent at any time
  • Restrict or object to how your data is processed
  • Request a copy of your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at [email protected]

11. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred outside the European Economic Area, including to the United States. We ensure safeguards are in place, such as:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
  • Data Processing Agreements (DPAs)
  • HTTPS encryption

12. How We Protect Your Data

We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures, including:

  • SSL (HTTPS) encryption
  • Secure password protection
  • Limited administrative access
  • Secure hosting providers

13. Data Breach Procedure

If a data breach occurs, we will:

  • Assess and document the breach internally
  • Notify users and authorities as required by law
  • Take immediate remedial steps

14. Third-Party Content

Some content (e.g., social media embeds or affiliate links) may include third-party tracking. These providers have their own privacy policies and may collect data independently.

15. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, the updated version will be posted here with a new “Effective Date.” We encourage you to review this page periodically.

17. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data rights, please contact us:

📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Contact Form: https://paulakitchen.com/contact/