Privacy Policy – SmartBeggar

This Privacy Policy explains how the SmartBeggar project (“SmartBeggar”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses and protects personal data when you visit smartbeggar.com or interact with our content and donation links.

SmartBeggar is a personal, transparency-based project run by an individual, not a company or charity organisation.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at:
Email: smartbeggar.official@gmail.com

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1. Data we collect

We collect only the minimum amount of data needed to run the website, understand how people use it and show basic project updates.

a) Information you provide directly
You may choose to share information with us, for example:
• When you contact us by email or social media
• When you leave a public message attached to a donation on BuyMeACoffee

This can include your name or nickname, email address and the content of your message.

b) Information collected automatically
When you visit smartbeggar.com, basic technical information may be collected automatically, such as:
• IP address and rough location (country/city level)
• Browser type, device type and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on the site and referring page
• Date and time of your visit

This information may be collected through:
• Our hosting provider (Netlify or a similar service), which keeps standard server logs
• Basic analytics or performance tools, if enabled in the future

We use this information only in aggregated form to understand how the site is used and to improve it.

c) Third-party services
We use a small number of external services:
1. BuyMeACoffee
• Used to process voluntary donations and support.
• When you click a “Donate” or “Support the project” button, you are redirected to BuyMeACoffee.com.
• We do not receive or store your full payment details (card numbers, bank details, etc.).
• We may see information that you choose to share publicly there (amount, name/nickname, message).
2. Social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube)
• Links and buttons on the site may lead to external social media profiles.
• These platforms may collect their own data about you according to their own privacy policies.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party services.

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2. How we use your data

We use personal data only for the following purposes:
• To operate and maintain the website
• To understand how people use the site (traffic, popular pages, basic analytics)
• To respond to messages you send us
• To show anonymised or aggregated statistics about the SmartBeggar project
• To keep the project safe, prevent abuse and detect technical issues

We do not sell your data to anyone.
We do not use your data to target ads.

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3. Legal bases (for visitors from the EU/EEA)

If you are in the European Union or European Economic Area, we process your personal data based on:
• Legitimate interest – to operate the site, keep it secure and understand how it is used (server logs, basic analytics).
• Consent – when you voluntarily choose to send us a message or make a donation through a third-party platform.
• Legal obligations – to comply with applicable laws, if required.

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4. Sharing of data

We may share data only in limited situations:
• With service providers who host the website or provide basic analytics (e.g. Netlify), under appropriate data protection agreements
• With BuyMeACoffee, when you choose to make a donation and are redirected to their platform
• When required by law, court order or government authority
• To protect our rights, safety or the rights and safety of others

We do not share your personal data with advertisers or unrelated third parties.

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5. International transfers

Because we use global services (such as hosting providers and payment platforms), your data may be processed in countries outside your own, including outside the EU/EEA.

Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards offered by those providers (such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms) to help protect your data.

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6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy:
• Server logs and technical data – usually kept for a limited period for security, troubleshooting and analytics
• Emails and messages – kept as long as needed to handle communication, or longer if necessary for legal reasons
• Donation-related information visible to us on BuyMeACoffee – stored according to their policies and retained by us only as long as needed for project records and accounting

When data is no longer needed, it is deleted or anonymised.

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7. Your rights (EU/EEA visitors)

If you are in the EU/EEA, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
• Right to access – to know what data we hold about you
• Right to rectification – to correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data, where applicable
• Right to restriction – to limit processing in certain cases
• Right to object – to certain types of processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to data portability – to receive your data in a structured format, where technically possible

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at:
smartbeggar.official@gmail.com

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

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8. Cookies and similar technologies

At this stage, smartbeggar.com uses only basic, essential cookies or similar technologies necessary to:
• Serve the website correctly
• Maintain basic security and performance

If we later add analytics, A/B testing or similar tools that use cookies, we will update this Policy and, where required, ask for your consent.

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9. Children’s privacy

SmartBeggar is not directed at children under 16.
We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

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10. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
The “Last updated” date at the top shows when it was last revised.

Significant changes will be highlighted on the website or communicated via our channels.

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11. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle data, please contact:

SmartBeggar Project Owner
Email: smartbeggar.official@gmail.com