Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 24, 2026

At Anatolian Bites, we are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit anatolianbites.com.

1. Data Controller

Anatolian Bites
Email: hello@anatolianbites.com
Website: anatolianbites.com

2. What Data We Collect

Data You Provide Directly

Name and email address when you submit a comment or contact form
Any content you submit through our forms

Data Collected Automatically

IP address (anonymized)
Browser type and version
Pages visited and time spent
Referring website
Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)

Data from Third-Party Services

Google Analytics — aggregated usage statistics
Google AdSense — advertising data

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

To operate and improve our website and recipe content
To respond to your comments and inquiries
To analyze website traffic and user behavior (anonymized)
To display relevant advertisements via Google AdSense
To comply with legal obligations

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

Consent — for analytics and advertising cookies
Legitimate interest — for website security and performance monitoring
Contract — when you use our contact or comment features
Legal obligation — where required by law

5. Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. For detailed information about the cookies we use, please read our Cookie Policy.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share data with the following third parties solely to operate our services:

Google LLC — Analytics and AdSense services
Amazon Web Services (SES) — Email delivery
Hetzner Online GmbH — Web hosting

All third-party providers are required to handle your data in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

7. Data Retention

Comments: retained until deleted by admin or upon request
Contact form submissions: deleted after 12 months
Analytics data: retained for 14 months (Google Analytics default)
Server logs: retained for 30 days

8. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union, you have the following rights:

Right of access — request a copy of your personal data
Right to rectification — request correction of inaccurate data
Right to erasure — request deletion of your personal data
Right to restriction — request limitation of processing
Right to data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interest
Right to withdraw consent — withdraw consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@anatolianbites.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers (such as Google) may process data outside the European Economic Area (EEA). In such cases, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

HTTPS encryption for all data transmissions
Regular security updates and monitoring
Access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel only

11. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact & Complaints

For any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Email: hello@anatolianbites.com
Website: anatolianbites.com/contact

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In Germany, this is the Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit (BfDI): www.bfdi.bund.de