Last updated: 29 April 2026. This Privacy Statement explains how Dr. Bernd Bürger (“we”, “us”) collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you visit https://publicorderpolicing.com.
1. Data Controller
Dr. Bernd Bürger
Zwieselstr. 1
83404 Ainring, Germany
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +49 176 83226238
2. Supervisory Authority
Bavarian Data Protection Authority (Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht – BayLDA), Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach, Germany. Email: [email protected]. You have the right to lodge a complaint with this authority at any time (Art. 77 GDPR).
3. General Information on Data Processing
We process personal data only insofar as necessary to provide a functional website and our content. The legal bases for processing are:
- Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR – consent (e.g. newsletter subscription)
- Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR – performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures (e.g. when you contact us about a publication)
- Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR – legal obligation
- Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR – legitimate interests, e.g. security, stability, anti-spam, basic site analytics
4. Hosting and Server Log Files
Our website is hosted on a virtual private server operated by STRATO AG, Otto-Ostrowski-Straße 7, 10249 Berlin, Germany, in a German data centre. STRATO acts as a processor under Art. 28 GDPR; a Data Processing Agreement is in place.
The server automatically records information transmitted by your browser when you access our website (“server log files”):
- your IP address (anonymised after a short period)
- date and time of the request
- requested URL and HTTP status
- referrer URL
- user agent (browser, operating system)
Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR; legitimate interest in operating, securing, and troubleshooting the site. Storage period: typically up to 7 days, longer only in case of a security incident under investigation.
5. Cloudflare (Content Delivery and Security)
We use Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA, as a content delivery network (CDN), reverse proxy, and security layer. Each request to our website is routed through Cloudflare. In doing so, Cloudflare processes your IP address, request metadata, and may set its own technical cookies (e.g. __cf_bm, cf_clearance) for bot mitigation and rate limiting. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR; legitimate interest in protecting the site against attacks and ensuring availability.
Data may be transferred to Cloudflare servers in the USA. The transfer is safeguarded by the EU Standard Contractual Clauses concluded between us and Cloudflare. Further information: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.
Note (April 2026): The current Cloudflare Data Processing Addendum v6.4 (effective 3 April 2026) including the EU Standard Contractual Clauses applies. Cloudflare is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.
6. Cookies
Our website uses cookies and comparable technologies. For a complete list and detailed descriptions, please see our Cookie Policy. The cookie consent banner is provided by the plugin “Complianz” and stores your consent choices in cookies prefixed cmplz_. Legal basis for strictly necessary cookies: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR; for all other cookies your consent under § 25 (1) TDDDG and Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.
7. Web Statistics (Burst Statistics)
To understand how visitors use our website, we use Burst Statistics, a self-hosted analytics tool integrated into WordPress. Burst is operated entirely on our own server – no data is shared with third parties. We use it in cookieless mode: visitor IP addresses are anonymised before storage, no tracking cookies are set, and no fingerprinting takes place. Burst respects the “Do Not Track” browser signal. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR; legitimate interest in basic, privacy-preserving usage analysis.
8. Newsletter
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and, optionally, your name. We use the double opt-in procedure: after registration, you receive a confirmation email and must click the contained link to activate the subscription. We log the time of registration and confirmation as proof of consent. The newsletter is sent via WordPress using the Newsletter plugin and an SMTP server configured through WP Mail SMTP. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (your consent). You may unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every newsletter; we then delete your data unless we are legally required to retain it.
9. Comments
When you leave a comment on our site, we collect the data shown in the comment form, your IP address, and your browser user-agent string. The IP address and user-agent are stored solely for spam prevention. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. If you provide an email address used with the Gravatar service, an anonymised hash of your email may be transmitted to Automattic Inc. (USA) to display your avatar; you can prevent this by not using Gravatar or using an email not associated with it.
10. Social Media Buttons (Shariff)
We use the privacy-friendly Shariff buttons developed by c’t / Heise Medien. These buttons do not establish a connection to social network servers until you actively click on them. Only when you click does a connection to the chosen network (e.g. LinkedIn, X, Facebook) get established. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.
11. Image Optimisation (ShortPixel)
To reduce page weight, we optimise uploaded images using ShortPixel (operated by ShortPixel SRL, Romania). When an image is uploaded by an editor, it is transmitted to ShortPixel for compression and returned in optimised form. Visitor data is not transmitted. A Data Processing Agreement is in place.
12. Backups
Encrypted backups of the website (including database) are written nightly to a private NAS device located at the controller’s premises in Germany. No third party has access to these backups. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR; legitimate interest in disaster recovery.
13. SSL/TLS Encryption
This website uses TLS encryption for all connections. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the https:// address scheme and the lock symbol in your browser bar.
14. Your Rights
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access (Art. 15)
- Right to rectification (Art. 16)
- Right to erasure (Art. 17)
- Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18)
- Right to data portability (Art. 20)
- Right to object (Art. 21)
- Right to withdraw consent at any time (Art. 7 (3)) without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to the withdrawal
- Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77, see § 2 above)
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via the email address listed in § 1.
15. Changes to this Privacy Statement
We may update this statement when our website or applicable law changes. The current version applies; the date at the top reflects the last revision.
16. VG Wort Counting Mark (METIS)
To enable participation in the remuneration system of the German collecting society VG Wort (Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort, Untere Weidenstraße 5, 81543 Munich, Germany), this website integrates so-called counting marks (METIS pixels). When you call up an article, a 1×1-pixel image is requested from a server operated by VG Wort. The data transmitted in this process consists of a session identifier, a hashed IP address (truncated and SHA-based), the article URL and standard browser headers. No personal user profile is created and the hash is not reversible by VG Wort.
Purpose: statistical determination of how often a copyright-protected article has been accessed, which is required to claim royalties from the German copyright levy system. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest of the author and of VG Wort in the lawful collection and distribution of statutory remuneration). Storage period: as defined in VG Wort’s terms; the hashed IP is not stored permanently and not linked to your person.
Right to object: pursuant to Art. 21 GDPR you may object to this processing at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation by contacting [email protected]. Further information is available at tom.vgwort.de.
