Privacy policy
1. Controller
The controller responsible for data processing on this website under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:
John Lang
Mörikestraße 3
49143 Bissendorf
Germany
E-Mail: john (at) bortlecombat (dot) com
2. In short
This website uses no cookies for visitors, no third-party analytics or tracking, no advertising and no embedded third-party content. For simple, anonymous visitor statistics I use my own method without cookies (see section 3). Fonts, images and location data are hosted on my own web space. Visiting the site does not connect you to Google or any other third party.
3. Hosting and server log files
The website is hosted by checkdomain GmbH, Große Burgstraße 27/29, 23552 Lübeck, Germany. With every visit the web server automatically processes technically necessary data: IP address, date and time, requested file, amount of data transferred, status code, referrer URL, and browser and operating system. This is required to deliver the site and keep it secure, for example against attacks.
The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. My legitimate interest is the stable and secure operation of the website. The log files are deleted automatically by the host after a short period. A data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR is in place with the host.
Own visitor statistics
To see how often pages are viewed, this website stores on my own web space for each visit: date and time, the page viewed, the domain of the page you came from, browser, operating system and device type (derived from the user agent), country and, for visits from Germany, the approximate city (estimated from the IP address via a database on this server), browser language, screen width, and whether the light was switched off in the intro and which photos were opened. Your IP address and full user agent are not stored. To count the visitors of a day, an identifier is formed from IP address, user agent and a random value that is regenerated daily; the random value is discarded the next day, so you cannot be recognised across days. No cookies are set and no data is passed to third parties. The data is deleted automatically after 25 months.
The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. My legitimate interest is to evaluate the use of my website anonymously and to improve it. If “Global Privacy Control” is enabled in your browser, your visit is not counted.
4. Encryption
This website uses SSL/TLS encryption, indicated by the padlock icon and “https://” in the address bar.
5. Local storage in your browser
To remember your settings, the site keeps a few values in your browser’s local storage: the chosen language, the gallery filter, whether image annotations are switched on and, if you enter it, your location for the “Tonight” section (place name and coordinates). These values stay on your device and are not sent to me. You can delete them at any time in your browser settings.
The legal basis is § 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG, as storage is strictly necessary for a function you explicitly requested, and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.
6. “Tonight” section and cloud forecast
Moon phase, targets and planets are calculated entirely in your browser. The postcode and place search uses a file on this server, and what you type is not transmitted. If you have not entered a place yet, this server estimates your approximate location (town or region) from your IP address, using a database stored on this server (“IP to City Lite” by DB-IP, CC BY 4.0). Your IP address is not passed to third parties and not stored; the estimated place is only displayed. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. My legitimate interest is showing values for your area without you having to type anything. If you enter a postcode, that is used instead. If you tap the location icon, your browser asks for permission and determines your position. It is only used in your browser to find the nearest place and is not sent to me.
For the cloud forecast your browser sends your location’s coordinates, rounded to about 10 km, to this server. The server requests the forecast from Open-Meteo (open-meteo.com, using data from the German Weather Service) and caches the result for 30 minutes. Open-Meteo only receives the rounded coordinates, not your IP address or any other data about you. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. My legitimate interest is showing the forecast you asked for.
7. Astrobuddies (entries on the globe)
On the “Astrobuddies” page you can voluntarily place an entry on the globe. Stored are the name you enter, optionally a place, a short greeting and your Instagram and/or AstroBin username, plus the spot you clicked, rounded to about 15 km, and the time. If you choose “boy” or “girl” for your buddy, only that choice is stored so the figure looks right. It refers to the figure, not to you, and is optional. If you tap “Use my location”, your browser asks for permission and determines your position; it is only used in your browser to turn the globe there and is sent, rounded, only when you submit. This information is shown publicly on the website. Your IP address is not stored; to prevent spam, only a daily identifier that cannot be traced back is formed to allow only one entry per day. It is discarded the next day.
The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), given when you submit. You can withdraw it at any time; a message to the address above is enough and I will delete your entry. Entries are stored on my own web space and not passed to third parties.
For each entry, the number of feedings, the time of the last feeding and the number of days the owner fed it (for rewards) are also counted; only the reward is shown publicly. So you can recognise your buddy, your browser stores a random token in local storage (or you use the buddy link); the server only keeps an irreversible hash of it. For the sky report, your browser requests the cloud forecast for your buddy’s rounded location via this server (see section 6). To limit abuse, feeding – like entering – only forms a daily changing identifier that cannot be traced back.
8. Contact by email
If you email me, I process your address and message to answer your enquiry. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR where a contract is concerned (such as a print), otherwise Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. I delete the data once it is no longer needed and no statutory retention periods apply.
9. Links to other websites
The site contains plain links, for example to lightpollutionmap.info, Instagram or AstroBin. No data is sent to these providers until you click a link, after which their privacy policies apply.
10. Your rights
You have the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18) and data portability (Art. 20). Where processing is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, you may object at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation (Art. 21). A message to the address above is enough.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR), in particular in the state where you live.
11. Last updated
October 2026. I will update this policy whenever the website or the law changes.
This English version is provided for convenience. The German version is legally binding.