Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 10, 2025

At Critical Cat, we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our website.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Email Subscriptions

When you subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, we collect:

• Your email address
• Subscription date and time
• Subscription status (active/unsubscribed)

1.2 Analytics Data (GoatCounter)

We use GoatCounter, a privacy-friendly analytics service, to understand how visitors use our website. GoatCounter collects:

• Page views and referring URLs
• Browser and operating system information
• Screen size and device type
• Country of origin (based on IP address, which is not stored)

GoatCounter does not use cookies, does not track users across websites, and does not store IP addresses. For more information, see GoatCounter's Privacy Policy.

1.3 Bot Protection (Cloudflare Turnstile)

To protect our subscription form from spam and abuse, we use Cloudflare Turnstile. When you submit the subscription form, Cloudflare may collect:

• Browser characteristics and interaction data
• IP address (temporarily, for verification purposes)
• Device and network information

Cloudflare processes this data to verify you're a human, not a bot. For more information, see Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Email Subscriptions: To send you our weekly newsletter with curated links
• Analytics: To understand website traffic and improve user experience
• Security: To protect our forms from spam and automated abuse

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Consent: When you subscribe to our newsletter, you explicitly consent to us processing your email address
• Legitimate Interests: We use analytics and bot protection to maintain and improve our website, which is a legitimate interest that does not override your rights

4. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share data only with the following third-party services necessary to operate our website:

• GoatCounter: Privacy-focused analytics (see section 1.2)
• Cloudflare: Bot protection and content delivery (see section 1.3)

These services are GDPR-compliant and act as data processors on our behalf.

5. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time
• Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to Object: Object to processing of your personal data

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at critical.cat@alias.fluiid.party.

6. Data Retention

• Email Subscriptions: We retain your email address until you unsubscribe or request deletion
• Analytics Data: GoatCounter retains aggregated data indefinitely; no personal identifiers are stored
• Turnstile Data: Cloudflare retains verification data temporarily (typically minutes to hours) for security purposes

7. International Data Transfers

Our service providers (GoatCounter, Cloudflare) may process data outside the EEA. These providers comply with GDPR requirements and use appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses to protect your data.

8. Cookies

Our website uses minimal local storage (localStorage) to remember your preference for showing article summaries. This is stored locally in your browser and is not transmitted to our servers. We do not use tracking cookies.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify subscribers of significant changes via email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Email: critical.cat@alias.fluiid.party

12. Supervisory Authority

If you are located in the EEA and believe we have not addressed your concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.