Privacy Policy
Last updated: 1 March 2026
1. Overview
How to Austria ("we", "us", "our") operates the website howtoaustria.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you visit our website, in compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Austrian Data Protection Act (Datenschutzgesetz, DSG).
2. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for processing your personal data is listed in our Imprint (Impressum). For data protection inquiries, please contact us at privacy@howtoaustria.com.
3. Data We Collect
3.1 Data you provide
- Name, email address, and message content when you use our contact form
- Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter
3.2 Data collected automatically
- IP address (anonymised)
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Referring URL
- Pages visited, time and date of visit
- Time spent on pages
3.3 Cookies
We use only technically necessary cookies and privacy-friendly analytics. We do not use third-party tracking cookies. See section 7 for details on analytics.
4. Purpose and Legal Basis
| Purpose | Legal Basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Responding to contact form inquiries | Art. 6(1)(b) – contractual/pre-contractual |
| Sending newsletter emails | Art. 6(1)(a) – consent |
| Website analytics (anonymised) | Art. 6(1)(f) – legitimate interest |
| Technical website operation | Art. 6(1)(f) – legitimate interest |
5. Data Retention
Contact form data is retained for 12 months after your last interaction. Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe. Anonymised analytics data is retained for 26 months. We delete your data when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
6. Your Rights
Under the GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access your personal data (Art. 15)
- Rectify inaccurate data (Art. 16)
- Erase your data (Art. 17)
- Restrict processing (Art. 18)
- Data portability (Art. 20)
- Object to processing (Art. 21)
- Withdraw consent at any time (Art. 7(3))
- Lodge a complaintwith the Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde, dsb.gv.at)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@howtoaustria.com.
7. Analytics
We use a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics solution to understand how visitors use our site. All data is anonymised and no personal data is shared with third parties. No consent banner is required for this type of analytics under GDPR and the Austrian Telecommunications Act (TKG 2021).
8. Affiliate Links
Our site contains affiliate links to third-party services. When you click these links, the third party may set their own cookies and collect data according to their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review their policies before using their services. We do not share any of your personal data with our affiliate partners.
9. Data Transfers
Our website is hosted within the European Union. We do not intentionally transfer personal data outside the EU/EEA. If any data processing involves non-EU providers, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses).
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
11. Contact
For any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at privacy@howtoaustria.com or through our contact form.