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Sternschenker
de

Privacy policy

This is a courtesy translation. Only the German version is legally binding.

1. Summary

Sternschenker is built so that we do not store any personal data. There are no user accounts, no database, no cookies, no tracking and no third-party services (fonts, scripts and star data are served from our own server).

2. Controller

axevio GmbH, Breitscheidstraße 67, 07407 Rudolstadt, Germany, represented by Fabian Wendel
E-mail: info@axevio.de, phone: +49 (0) 3672 / 376 95 90

3. Visiting the website (server log files)

The website runs on a server that we operate ourselves. The hardware is rented from Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany, and is located in a Hetzner data centre.

When you visit our pages, our web server processes technically necessary data: IP address, date and time, requested address (without the part after the # sign), referrer, browser and operating system. This serves secure and stable operation (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Log files are rotated daily, and IP addresses are anonymised (truncated) during rotation. Log files are deleted after 7 days. A data processing agreement (Art. 28 GDPR) is in place with Hetzner.

4. Star naming, certificate and PDF

Star name, naming date, dedication and star selection are processed locally in your browser only. The PDF is also created in your browser. The details are Base64-encoded into the part of the certificate address after the # sign (URL fragment). For technical reasons browsers do not send this fragment to the server – so the details never reach us.

Please note: Base64 is not encryption. Anyone who has the link or QR code can read the details. You decide whom you share it with. Therefore, do not enter sensitive data.

5. Star finder (camera, motion sensors, location)

“Find the star in the sky” uses – only after you allow it in your browser – your device’s camera, motion and orientation sensors and, optionally, its location. Everything is processed locally in your browser to overlay your star’s position. No images, sensor or location data are transmitted to us or third parties or stored. Without GPS permission we use an approximate location derived from your device’s time zone. You can revoke these permissions at any time in your browser settings.

6. Sharing and clipboard

“Share as image” makes your browser create an image of the certificate – entirely on your device. Your device’s share menu then opens, or the image is saved and the link copied to the clipboard. You decide where to send the image and link; the privacy terms of the respective app or network then apply.

Exception – “Share link”: so that WhatsApp, Facebook & co. can show a preview with name and star chart, the shared link (sternschenker.de/s/?c=…) contains the certificate details (star name, date, “for/from” and dedication if given, star) in a form our web server can read. When the link is opened – by recipients or by the networks’ preview services – a script creates the preview from it and redirects to the certificate. The details are not stored, but appear as part of the requested address in the server log files (see section 3). The networks usually store the preview text and image on their own servers, often permanently; we have no influence on this. Legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (a feature you requested). The link in your PDF’s QR code is not affected – there the details stay behind the # sign and never reach us.

“Copy link” and copying dedication ideas likewise only use your device’s clipboard.

Language: on your first visit the website chooses the language based on your browser’s language setting. If you pick a language yourself, your browser remembers this choice locally (localStorage). This information never leaves your device.

7. Contact form and e-mail

If you write to us via the contact form, your browser transmits the details (topic, optionally your name, e-mail address, message and, where applicable, the page concerned) in encrypted form to a script on our web server. It forwards them exclusively by e-mail to our mailbox – nothing is stored on the web server. The same applies if you e-mail us directly.

To protect against spam, your browser solves a small computing task in the background when you open the form (without cookies or external services). We also limit how many messages can be sent from one IP address. For this, the web server stores a keyed, irreversible hash of your IP address together with the time of sending for at most 24 hours; it is then deleted automatically. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (our legitimate interest in protecting the form against abuse).

We only process your details to handle your request (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR for enquiries about our service, otherwise Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR – our legitimate interest in answering enquiries and correcting reported mistakes). Your e-mail address is required so that we can reply. We delete the message once it has been dealt with and no statutory retention obligations apply.

8. Your rights

  • Access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17)
  • Restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20)
  • Objection to processing based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Art. 21)
  • Complaint to a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77), e.g. the Thuringian State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (TLfDI), Häßlerstraße 8, 99096 Erfurt, Germany

9. Changes

As of: September 2026. We will update this policy when the website changes – e.g. once a shop is added.