Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are & Scope

Esowiki (hereinafter "we", "us" or "the platform") operates this website as a spiritual online encyclopedia and community. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have.

2. Data We Collect

• Account data: name, e-mail address, profile details and password (encrypted) when you create an account.
• Content: posts, comments, messages and uploads you create.
• Contact form: name, e-mail address and your message.
• Usage and device data: IP address, browser type, referrer URL, pages viewed and timestamps, collected automatically via server logs and cookies.

3. How & Why We Use Data

• To provide, operate and secure the website and your account (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).
• To respond to enquiries submitted through the contact form (Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR).
• To analyse and improve our service and to serve advertising (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR – consent, or (f) – legitimate interest).
• To comply with legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR).

4. Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use strictly necessary cookies (e.g. for login and security) and, subject to your consent, analytics and advertising cookies. You can control or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Disabling strictly necessary cookies may limit website functionality.

5. Advertising, Google AdSense & Third Parties

This website uses Google AdSense, a service provided by Google LLC, to display advertisements. For this purpose, third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies.

• Google and its partners use cookies (including the DoubleClick DART cookie) to serve ads based on prior visits to this and other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits.
• Other third-party vendors and ad networks may also set cookies that are outside our control.

Your choices: You may opt out of personalised advertising through Google Ads Settings, via www.aboutads.info/choices, or, within the EU, via www.youronlinechoices.eu.

For more information on how Google uses data, see policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. This website also contains affiliate/partner links (e.g. Awin); clicking them may allow partners to set cookies to attribute referrals.

6. Analytics & Measurement

We use Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics (Google LLC) to analyse how the website is used. This may process usage data such as your (truncated) IP address and interactions. Processing is based on your consent. Google's information: policies.google.com/privacy.

7. Data Sharing & Retention

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with service providers (e.g. hosting, advertising and analytics providers) as needed to operate the website, or where legally required. Some providers (e.g. Google) may process data in third countries such as the USA; appropriate safeguards (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses) apply.

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above or as required by law.

8. Your Rights

• Access, rectification, erasure and restriction of processing.
• Data portability and the right to object to processing.
• Withdrawal of consent at any time, with future effect.
• The right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority.

9. Minors & External Links

Our service is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their data. Our website may contain links to external sites whose privacy practices we do not control.

10. Changes & Contact

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time; the current version is always published on this page. For any privacy questions, contact us via our contact form.

Please also see our Terms of Service.