Privacy Policy & Legal Disclosures

1. Scope & Covered Domains

This policy applies to all websites operated by Silas Tautz and the Tautz Family (collectively, "we," "us," or "our"), including the following domains and any subdomains thereof:

• tautz.group
• tautz.co
• silas.tautz.co
• silas.tautz.group
• silastautz.org
• silastautz.com

The data controller for all personal data processed across these sites is reachable at contact@tautz.group.

2. Data We Collect and Why

A. Infrastructure Data (Cloudflare)

All sites are served through Cloudflare's globally distributed content delivery network. When you visit any of these sites, Cloudflare automatically processes certain technical data as a necessary part of routing and securing web traffic. This includes:

• IP addresses, including approximate geographic location (country, state, city level)
• HTTP request headers, browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution
• Requested URLs, latency, data transfer volumes, and cache status
• Operational metrics such as error rates and uptime measurements

This processing is performed for security (DDoS mitigation, bot detection), performance optimization, and reliable content delivery. Cloudflare acts as a data processor on our behalf under a Data Processing Addendum. Because Cloudflare operates a global network, your data may be processed in data centers outside your country of residence, including in the United States. For full details on Cloudflare's data handling, see cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.

Legal basis (GDPR): Legitimate interests — operating a secure and performant website.

B. Contact Form Data (Web3Forms)

The personal portfolio sites on this network include a contact form powered by Web3Forms, a service of Web3Creative, a company registered in Kerala, India. When you submit the contact form, the following information is collected:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your message
• Submission metadata (timestamp and referring path)

Submissions are transmitted over HTTPS to Web3Forms' servers, hosted on Amazon Web Services infrastructure in the US-East region. On the free plan, Web3Forms may store submissions for up to 30 days, after which they are automatically deleted. Server logs may be retained for up to 60 days. Submissions are simultaneously forwarded to our email address. Web3Forms does not sell or share your data with third parties. For Web3Forms' full privacy policy, see web3forms.com/privacy.

We also retain email correspondence received from form submissions in our email inbox for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to and record the inquiry.

Legal basis (GDPR): Legitimate interests — responding to inquiries you have voluntarily initiated.

3. Data Retention

• Cloudflare infrastructure data: Retained per Cloudflare's internal policies for operational and security purposes. See Cloudflare's privacy policy for specifics.
• Web3Forms contact submissions: Stored on Web3Forms' servers for up to 30 days, then automatically deleted. Server logs deleted within 60 days.
• Email correspondence: Retained in our inbox for as long as necessary to maintain a record of contact, then deleted manually.

4. Cookies

These sites do not deploy tracking, analytics, behavioral, or advertising cookies.

Because we use Cloudflare's infrastructure, Cloudflare may set strictly necessary security cookies in your browser, including but not limited to __cf_bm, __cfruid, and _cfuvid. These cookies serve a single purpose: distinguishing human visitors from automated bot traffic. They do not track you across websites, build behavioral profiles, or serve any advertising function. They expire automatically according to their configured lifetimes.

No consent banner is displayed because we do not use non-essential cookies. If you have questions about these cookies, contact us at contact@tautz.group.

5. Your Rights

A. All Users

Regardless of where you are located, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal data we hold about you by emailing contact@tautz.group. We will respond within 30 days.

B. EU / EEA Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Restriction: Request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Withdrawal of consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
• Supervisory authority: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your member state.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@tautz.group. We will respond within 30 days. Note that some rights may be subject to limitations where we are required to retain data by law or for legitimate operational reasons.

C. California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act:

• Right to know: You may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing: We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. No opt-out is required.
• Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise your California rights, contact contact@tautz.group.

D. Other U.S. State Residents

Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Utah, and Connecticut have similar privacy rights under their respective state laws, including the right to access, delete, correct, and opt out of certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact contact@tautz.group.

6. Children's Privacy

These sites are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted personal information through one of our sites, please contact us at contact@tautz.group and we will delete it promptly.

7. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach involving personal information we hold, we will notify affected individuals as required under Illinois's Personal Information Protection Act (815 ILCS 530) and any other applicable state or federal law. Notifications will be issued without unreasonable delay and will describe the nature of the breach, the categories of data involved, and steps being taken.

8. Third-Party Data Processors

We use the following third-party services that may process personal data on our behalf:

• Cloudflare, Inc. (United States) — CDN, DNS, security, and performance services. Privacy Policy
• Web3Forms / Web3Creative (India; servers in US-East) — Contact form processing and email delivery. Privacy Policy

We do not sell personal data to any third party. We do not use any advertising networks, behavioral analytics platforms, or data brokers.

These sites may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their policies independently.

9. Terms of Use

A. Content Disclaimer

All content published across these sites is provided for informational purposes only. We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or continued availability of any content or external links.

B. Intellectual Property

All original designs, code, and written content on these sites are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, mirrored, or distributed without prior written consent from Silas Tautz or the Tautz Family.

C. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Silas Tautz and the Tautz Family shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of your use of, or inability to use, these websites.

D. Governing Law & Venue

These policies are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any legal proceedings arising from these policies must be brought in state or federal courts located within Illinois.

10. Policy Updates

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will change. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of these sites after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

11. Contact

For privacy requests, data subject rights inquiries, or general legal questions regarding these policies, contact us at:

contact@tautz.group

We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days.