Privacy Policy | Carmelo Siciliano

Last updated: April 2026

1. Data controller

The data controller for this website is Carmelo Siciliano, a self-employed professional operating under Italian VAT regulations, based in Italy. Contact: info@carmelosiciliano.com. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data is collected when you visit www.carmelosiciliano.com, how it is used, and what rights you have under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR — Regulation 2016/679).

2. What data is collected and how

2.1 — Contact via email or WhatsApp

If you contact me directly by email (info@carmelosiciliano.com) or via WhatsApp, I will receive the personal data you choose to include in your message — typically your name, email address, phone number, and the content of your enquiry. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(b) GDPR — processing necessary for the performance of pre-contractual measures (e.g. enquiries about lessons or services), or Article 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest in responding to communications addressed to me. Retention: Email and message records are retained for as long as necessary to manage the communication and any resulting relationship, and in any case no longer than required by applicable law.

2.2 — Contact form

The website includes a contact form. Data submitted through the form (typically name, email address, and message) is sent directly to my email inbox and is not stored on any third-party server independently from that email system. The same conditions described in section 2.1 apply.

2.3 — Newsletter (Brevo)

This website links to an external newsletter sign-up form hosted by Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), a service provided by Sendinblue SAS, 7 rue de Madrid, 75008 Paris, France. The form is hosted on Brevo’s own infrastructure and opens in a new tab when you click the subscribe link. No newsletter-related scripts or cookies are loaded on this website. If you choose to subscribe, your email address will be processed by Brevo under their own privacy policy. Subscription is voluntary. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link included in every newsletter email. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR. Brevo Privacy Policy: https://www.brevo.com/legal/privacypolicy.

2.4 — Embedded videos (YouTube)

Some pages may contain videos embedded from YouTube (Google LLC). When you load a page containing an embedded video, the respective platform may set cookies and collect data about your visit — including your IP address — even if you do not play the video. YouTube videos are embedded using the privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com), which limits the data collected before you interact with the player. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR — consent collected via the cookie banner displayed on first visit. YouTube embeds are not loaded until consent is given. YouTube (Google) Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

2.5 — Server Logs

Like all websites, this site’s hosting server automatically records standard access data when pages are loaded: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, and date/time of access. This data is used solely for technical maintenance and security purposes and is not linked to any identified individual. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interest in maintaining the security and proper functioning of the website. Retention: Server logs are typically retained for 30 days.

2.6 — Comments

Visitors may leave comments on blog posts and articles published on this website. When submitting a comment, the following personal data is collected: your name (as entered), your email address, your website URL (optional), and your IP address. Your name and comment are displayed publicly. Your email address is not published but is used to verify your identity and, if enabled, to display a profile avatar. It is not shared with third parties. Submission of a comment requires explicit consent via a checkbox linked to this Privacy Policy. Your data is used solely to publish and manage comments on this website. Comments are stored in the WordPress database hosted on this server. They are retained for as long as the comment remains published, and deleted upon request. To request deletion of a comment and the associated personal data, contact: info@carmelosiciliano.com. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR — your freely given consent at the time of comment submission.

2.6a — Spam filtering

Comments submitted on this site are automatically checked for spam using Antispam Bee, an open-source plugin that runs entirely on this server. No personal data from comments is transmitted to external servers or third-party services. IP addresses may be temporarily compared against publicly available DNS-based blocklists (DNSBL) as part of the spam detection process; this does not involve sending your personal data to any third party.

3. Analytics and tracking

This website does not use Google Analytics or any cookie-based behavioural tracking or advertising service. No cookies are set for advertising, profiling, or tracking purposes by this website.

3a — Analytics (Umami)

This website uses Umami, a privacy-focused analytics service that does not use cookies and does not collect personally identifiable information. Aggregated data about page visits (including anonymised IP addresses) is processed by Umami’s servers. No individual user is tracked or profiled. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interest in understanding aggregate website traffic. Umami Privacy Policy: https://umami.is/privacy

4. Cookies

This website uses only the following categories of cookies:

Technical / functional cookies (no consent required):
- WordPress session cookies — strictly necessary for the website to function correctly.
- Polylang (pll_language) — stores your language preference to display the site in the correct language. Set automatically on page load.

Third-party cookies (consent required):
- May be set if pages contain embedded videos from YouTube. These are subject to the privacy policies of the respective providers and are loaded only upon your consent via the cookie banner shown on first visit.

You may manage or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Note that disabling all cookies may affect the functionality of some page elements.

5. Data sharing and transfers

Your personal data is not sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing or commercial purposes. Data may be shared only in the following limited circumstances:

With hosting and infrastructure providers, limited to technical data necessary to operate the website.
When required by law, court order, or regulatory authority.
With security tools operating locally on this server: this website uses a custom firewall plugin that logs access attempts for security purposes. IP addresses recorded by this tool are partially anonymised and are not transmitted to any external service. Logs are retained for a limited period and used solely to protect the website from malicious activity.

Where data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA) — for example, to Google LLC in the United States — such transfers are governed by Standard Contractual Clauses or other appropriate safeguards pursuant to Article 46 GDPR.

6. Your rights under the GDPR

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

Right of access (Art. 15): you may request a copy of the personal data I hold about you.
Right to rectification (Art. 16): you may ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure (Art. 17): you may ask me to delete your personal data, subject to certain conditions.
Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18): you may ask me to limit how your data is used.
Right to data portability (Art. 20): you may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to object (Art. 21): you may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7(3)): where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact me at info@carmelosiciliano.com. I will respond within 30 days. No fee is charged for standard requests. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Italian data protection authority: Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali — www.garanteprivacy.it.

7. Minors

This website is not directed at children under 18 years of age. I do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted data to this site, please contact me at info@carmelosiciliano.com so that I may delete it.

8. Changes to this policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes in the services offered or applicable law. The date of the last update is always indicated at the top of this page. You are encouraged to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the website does not constitute consent to any new processing activities that require explicit consent.

9. Contact

For any questions or requests relating to this Privacy Policy, write to: info@carmelosiciliano.com.