Privacy Policy

Last Revised: January 15, 2026 • Compliant with EU GDPR & International Privacy Standards

1. Overview and Data Controller

Rankrippleshowcase Ltd. ("we", "us", or "our"), operating the Rhine Heritage Atlas digital repository, respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy governs all interactions with rankrippleshowcase.com and informs you of your privacy rights under the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Data Controller Contact:
Rankrippleshowcase Ltd.
Rheinuferstraße 42, 56346 St. Goarshausen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Email: [email protected]

2. Data We Collect and Processing Purposes

We may collect and process several categories of information about you, including:

Identity & Contact Information: Name, professional title, email address, postal address, and contact preferences submitted when subscribing to our Heritage Dispatch or contacting our Cartography Desk.
Technical Data: Internet protocol (IP) address, browser variety and version, operating system, time zone offset, screen resolution, and WebGL hardware acceleration metrics necessary for 3D terrain rendering.
Usage Analytics: Information regarding how you navigate our interactive castle timeline, page response times, and interactions with archival monograph maps.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

Under Article 6 of the GDPR, we process personal information under the following legal bases:

Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Explicit opt-in for our quarterly newsletter and non-essential analytical cookies.
Contractual Performance (Art. 6(1)(b)): Fulfilling requests for archival field maps or photographic licenses.
Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Maintaining network security, preventing fraudulent access, and improving the stability of our WebGL rendering systems.

4. Cookies and Local Storage

We utilize local storage keys (such as cookieConsent) and minimal essential session cookies to record your preferences without tracking your personal identity across third-party websites. Detailed categorization and browser opt-out controls are set forth in our dedicated Cookie Policy.

5. Data Retention and Third-Party Processors

We retain personal data only as long as strictly necessary to fulfill the specific purposes for which it was gathered or to comply with German statutory accounting requirements (Handelsgesetzbuch § 257). We do not sell or trade personal data. We utilize vetted EU-based cloud hosting providers bound by Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

6. Your Statutory GDPR Rights

Subject to applicable regulations, European citizens and international users enjoy full rights to:

Request access to copies of all personal data held about you (Art. 15 GDPR).
Demand rectification of erroneous or incomplete data (Art. 16 GDPR).
Request erasure ("Right to be Forgotten") of your records (Art. 17 GDPR).
Restrict or object to processing activities (Arts. 18 & 21 GDPR).
Lodge a complaint with the Rhineland-Palatinate State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (LfDI RLP).