This Privacy Policy explains how the publisher of soulfuss.com (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses and protects personal data when you visit soulfuss.com (the “Website”), send us a message through the contact form, leave a comment or otherwise interact with our content.
1. Who we are
For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, “GDPR”) and applicable national data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
- Controller: Juan Andrés Chousa Pita, acting as a natural person (autónomo / sole trader)
- Registered address: Carril Flores 24, 4º B, 27004 Lugo, Spain
- Tax identification number (NIF): 33536600R
- Contact email for privacy matters: info@soulfuss.com
- Data Protection Officer: not appointed — we are not required to appoint one under Article 37 GDPR.
2. Scope
This policy applies to personal data we process through the Website and through the channels described below. It does not apply to third-party websites, platforms or services that we link to or embed; those services are governed by their own privacy policies, which we recommend you read.
3. Personal data we collect
Depending on how you use the Website, we may process the following categories of personal data:
- Data you give us directly: your name or display name, email address, and the content of your message when you contact us through the contact form or leave a comment.
- Comment metadata: your chosen username, the comment text and the date of publication.
- Technical and usage data collected automatically: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, time and date of access, and interactions with the Website.
- Cookie and similar-technologies data: identifiers and preferences stored or read on your device, as described in section 5.
We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data (such as data revealing health, political opinions, religious beliefs or trade-union membership) and ask that you do not include such information in comments or messages.
4. Purposes and legal bases for processing
We process personal data only where we have a valid legal basis. The table below summarises what we do, why, and on what basis:
| Purpose | Data involved | Legal basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Publishing the Website and keeping it secure and available | Technical and usage data (including IP address) | Legitimate interests — operating and securing the Website, preventing abuse, fraud and unauthorised access (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Responding to enquiries received through the contact form | Name, email address, message content | Legitimate interests in answering our readers (Art. 6(1)(f)) or pre-contractual steps at your request (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Displaying and moderating comments, preventing spam and unlawful content | Display name, comment text, comment metadata, IP address | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) and our legitimate interests in running a lawful, spam-free community (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Measuring audience and improving our editorial content | Usage data, cookie identifiers | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — Google Analytics 4 cookies are set only after you accept them |
| Showing advertising and measuring its performance | Cookie and device identifiers, usage data | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — obtained before any advertising cookie is set |
| Complying with legal obligations and defending legal claims | Any of the above as strictly necessary | Compliance with a legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) and establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
Where we rely on our legitimate interests, those interests are limited to: operating a secure and functional music-news website, maintaining a lawful comments section, and protecting our legal position. You may object to this processing at any time as explained in section 7.
5. Cookies and similar technologies
The Website uses cookies and similar technologies (such as local storage, pixels or tags) to make the site work, to remember your choices and — only with your consent — to analyse traffic and deliver advertising. Essential cookies are necessary for the Website to function and are used on the basis of our legitimate interests; they cannot be switched off from the consent banner. All non-essential cookies are blocked until you give your consent and can be changed or withdrawn at any time through the cookie settings link in the site footer or the consent banner.
The categories we use are: strictly necessary (site functionality, security, consent management), preferences (language and layout choices), statistics (Google Analytics 4 audience measurement) and marketing (Google AdSense advertising and its measurement). Google Analytics 4 and Google AdSense are provided by Google Ireland Limited. A continuously updated list of the individual cookies, their providers and their duration is available in the cookie declaration linked in the footer of the Website.
You can also delete or block cookies through your browser settings; note that blocking all cookies may affect the way the Website works. Browser-level opt-outs do not necessarily override consent already given for the Website.
5.1 Advertising, Google AdSense and third-party vendors
This Website is supported by advertising served through Google AdSense. The following information is provided as required by Google for sites that display its advertising:
- Third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website or other websites.
- Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
- Users may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings at www.google.com/settings/ads. Alternatively, users may opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info.
Third-party vendors and ad networks other than Google may also serve ads on this Website. We notify visitors of the vendors and networks involved, provide links to their websites where available, and inform users that they may visit those websites to opt out of the use of cookies for personalised advertising where the vendor offers that option. The list of ad technology providers currently active with our advertising account can be consulted on Google’s ad technology providers page, and the cookie declaration linked in the footer of this Website lists the cookies those providers may set on your device.
For users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, we obtain consent for the use of cookies or other local storage where legally required, and for the collection, sharing and use of personal data for ads personalisation, through a Google-certified Consent Management Platform, in line with Google’s EU user consent policy. You can change or withdraw that consent at any time from the cookie settings on the Website.
6. Comments and user contributions
When you leave a comment, your display name, comment text and publication date become visible to other visitors and may remain published indefinitely as part of the Website’s public record. We may store your IP address to detect spam, abuse and unlawful content. If you would like a comment you posted to be removed, contact us at info@soulfuss.com and we will assess your request in the light of your data protection rights.
7. Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy (Art. 15).
- Rectify inaccurate or incomplete personal data (Art. 16).
- Erase personal data where one of the legal grounds applies (Art. 17).
- Restrict processing in the circumstances set out in the law (Art. 18).
- Data portability — receive personal data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, or have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible (Art. 20).
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal (Art. 7(3)).
- Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77).
Right to object (brought to your attention separately)
You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of your personal data which is based on our legitimate interests, including profiling based on those provisions. If you object, we will stop processing that data unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or unless the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. Where personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time, and we will stop processing it for that purpose immediately (Art. 21).
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@soulfuss.com. We will respond within one month, extendable by two further months where the request is complex or we receive a large number of requests, and we will inform you if we extend the deadline. We may ask you to confirm your identity before acting on a request, as a security measure.
8. Complaints to a supervisory authority
If you believe that we have processed your personal data unlawfully, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State where you live, work or where the alleged infringement took place. Our lead supervisory authority is the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), www.aepd.es. We would naturally appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first, so please consider contacting us before escalating.
9. Service providers and international transfers
We use the following providers, which may process personal data on our behalf:
| Provider | Service | Location and safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Hosting of the Website (servers in Spain) | Spain (European Union) — no international transfer |
| Google Ireland Limited | Google Analytics 4 (audience measurement) | EU entity, with possible access from the United States under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and/or Standard Contractual Clauses |
| Google Ireland Limited | Google AdSense (advertising) | EU entity, with possible access from the United States under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and/or Standard Contractual Clauses |
| Platform operators of embedded media (e.g. YouTube, Spotify, Instagram) | Playback of embedded audio/video and social content | Only loaded when you interact with the embedded player; governed by each platform’s own policy |
Where a provider processes personal data outside the European Economic Area, we ensure that an appropriate safeguard is in place, such as an adequacy decision of the European Commission (including the EU–US Data Privacy Framework where the recipient is certified) or the Standard Contractual Clauses. You can request a copy of the relevant safeguard by writing to info@soulfuss.com.
10. Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above:
- Comments: until you ask us to remove them or until the Website’s comment archive is discontinued.
- Contact-form messages: for as long as needed to handle your enquiry and, where relevant, to defend legal claims.
- Server and security logs: 6 months, after which they are deleted or anonymised.
- Consent records: for as long as the consent remains relevant and, afterwards, for the period necessary to prove that consent was obtained.
- Analytics and advertising data: as configured in Google Analytics 4 and Google AdSense (retention periods set in our account settings), after which the data is aggregated or deleted.
11. Security
We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access — including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls and the principle of least privilege for anyone who administers the Website. No internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we review our measures regularly and notify the competent authority and, where required, the affected users of any personal data breach.
12. Children
The Website is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children below the age at which they can validly consent to data processing in their country of residence. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us at info@soulfuss.com and we will delete it.
13. Automated decision-making and profiling
We do not carry out automated decision-making, including profiling, that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR. Where Google Analytics 4 or Google AdSense build audience segments, this is done on the basis of your consent and you may withdraw it at any time through the cookie settings.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or the law. The version published on the Website, with the “Last updated” date shown at the top, is always the applicable one. Where the changes are significant, we will announce them on the Website.
15. Contact
For any question about this Privacy Policy or the way we handle personal data, write to info@soulfuss.com or to Juan Andrés Chousa Pita, Carril Flores 24, 4º B, 27004 Lugo, Spain.