Privacy Policy

Last updated: 25/10/2026

Who we are

This website ("Innovation Lab", https://innovationlab.earth-turtle.com) is operated by Ossi Jalonen, webmaster@earth-turtle.com. For the purposes of EU/UK GDPR, the data controller is Ossi Jalonen, 138c Churchbury Lane, Enfield. EN1 3HG, UK.

What we collect

Account data (only if you sign in with Google). When you use the "Sign in with Google" option, we receive your Google account identifier, display name, and email address. We store:

- your display name (as it appears next to your comments; you can ask us to change it), - a one-way hashed (salted SHA-256) copy of your email address — used only to look up your account; the readable email is not stored, - Google's account identifier (needed to recognise you on return).

Content you submit. Comments and "Sparks" ⚡ you give a post. Comments are held in a moderation queue and are not published until approved by a human moderator. URLs and email addresses inside comments are automatically masked before storage and are never unmasked or published.

Technical basics. A server-side session cookie (see the Cookie Policy) when you sign in. We run Google Analytics (in use since November 2025) only with your explicit consent: the analytics script is not loaded unless you click Accept on the cookie banner. Declining is one click, loads nothing, and hides no content — the full site works identically either way. GA processes visit data at aggregated, IP-anonymized level for audience measurement only; no advertising, no cross-site tracking, no profiling. See the cookie policy for the cookie names and how to change your mind.

Why we process it (legal bases, GDPR/UK GDPR)

- Sign-in, sparks, and comments: legitimate interest in running an interactive blog, and performance of a service you request (Art. 6(1)(b)/(f)). You can exercise your rights below at any time. - Moderation and abuse prevention: legitimate interest in keeping the site spam-free and lawful. - No special-category data is processed. No profiling. No automated decision-making. No sale or sharing of personal data — ever.

Retention

- Unapproved/deleted comments: removed within 30 days. - Approved comments: kept until you ask us to remove them or the post is deleted. - Account records: kept until you request deletion. - Moderation logs: 12 months, then purged.

Your rights

EU/UK GDPR gives you rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, and port your data, and to object to processing; CCPA/CPRA (California) gives you rights to know, delete, and opt out of sale (we never sell data anyway). To exercise any right, email webmaster@earth-turtle.com. We respond within 30 days.

Google Sign-In: you can revoke this site's access at any time at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions. Signing in is entirely optional — the site is fully readable without an account.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 13 (16 in the EEA/UK where GDPR requires consent for minors). We do not knowingly collect their data.

Changes

We post changes here with a new "last updated" date. Material changes to how we handle data will be highlighted on the site before they take effect.

Complaints

EU/UK residents may complain to their local data protection authority (The Information Commissioner's Office - https://ico.org.uk/).