Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Damian Dzik (“I,” “me,” or “my”) operates damiandzik.com (the “Site”). I am a sole trader based in Waterford, Ireland. This page informs you of my policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data when you use the Site, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Data Controller

Damian Dzik is the data controller for the purposes of GDPR. If you have any questions about this policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact me at ddzik09@gmail.com. I aim to respond to all enquiries within 30 days.

3. Data Collected

I collect the following types of personal data:

• Contact form data: name, email address, phone number, and message content submitted via the contact form. This data is used solely to respond to your enquiry.
• Analytics data: page views, referral URLs, browser type, device type, and general location via Google Analytics 4 and Ahrefs. IP addresses are anonymized before storage.
• Technical data: IP address (anonymized), cookies, and session data required for site functionality.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

I process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

• Consent: for analytics cookies and non-essential tracking. You can withdraw consent at any time via your browser settings.
• Legitimate interest: for responding to contact form enquiries and improving the Site through analytics.
• Legal obligation: for retaining records as required by Irish and EU law.

5. How Data Is Used

Your data is used to:

• Respond to enquiries submitted through the contact form.
• Improve the Site through analytics and performance monitoring.
• Comply with legal obligations.

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

6. Cookies

This Site uses cookies for analytics (Google Analytics 4, Ahrefs) and essential functionality. You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Blocking certain cookies may affect site functionality.

The cookies used on this Site include:

• Essential cookies: required for the Site to function (e.g., session management, security). No consent is required for these.
• Analytics cookies: Google Analytics 4 and Ahrefs cookies to understand how visitors interact with the Site. These are set only after you provide consent where required by law.
• Third-party cookies: Vercel may set cookies for hosting and performance monitoring. These are governed by Vercel’s own privacy policy.

7. Data Sharing & Third-Party Processors

I do not sell your personal data. I share data only with trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating the Site. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and may only process it in accordance with my instructions.

The third-party data processors I use are:

• Vercel Inc. (USA): hosting provider. Data processed: IP address, request metadata. Privacy Shield certified.
• Google LLC (USA): Google Analytics 4. Data processed: anonymized usage data, cookies. GDPR-compliant data processing agreement in place.
• Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. (Singapore): SEO analytics. Data processed: anonymized usage data.
• Gmail / Google Workspace (USA): email delivery for contact form submissions. Data processed: name, email address, message content.

Where data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), I ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or Adequacy Decisions.

8. Data Retention

Contact form submissions and related correspondence are retained for up to 12 months after the last communication, unless a longer retention period is required for legal or contractual purposes.

Analytics data is retained in accordance with Google Analytics 4’s data retention settings (currently 14 months for user-level and event-level data).

Project-related personal data (e.g., client contact information) is retained for the duration of the project plus 6 years to comply with Irish tax law.

9. Data Security

I implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes using HTTPS encryption, secure password policies, and limiting access to personal data to only those who need it.

10. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject in the EU/EEA, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data I hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): You can request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal obligations.
• Right to restrict processing: You can request that I limit how your data is used.
• Right to data portability: You can request a copy of your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: You can object to the processing of your data for analytics or marketing purposes.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, contact me at ddzik09@gmail.com. I will respond within 30 days. If you are unsatisfied with my response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission.

11. Contact

For privacy-related enquiries or to exercise your rights, contact me at ddzik09@gmail.com.