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Privacy policy

How this personal research website handles visitor data.

Last updated: 17 October 2026

Who is responsible?

Jacob Graving is responsible for this website at jakegraving.com, also reachable through jgraving.github.io.

Jacob Graving
Universitätsstr. 10
78464 Konstanz, Germany
Email: jgraving@gmail.com

At a glance

  • Google Analytics and other visitor-analytics scripts are not enabled by the website owner.
  • GitHub Pages hosts the website and processes technical request data, including IP addresses.
  • Your chosen dark or light theme is saved in your browser, not sent to the website owner.
  • Some video preview images are loaded from YouTube. YouTube players are loaded only when you select Play video.
  • Email links open your email application; there is no contact form on the homepage.

Hosting and access data

Pages and locally hosted images, documents, and videos are served by GitHub Pages. GitHub processes technical information needed to deliver and secure the service, including visitors’ IP addresses. Requests can also include the requested URL, time, browser information, and referring page.

The purpose is reliable delivery of this website and protection against misuse. The website owner’s legal basis is the legitimate interest in operating a secure research website under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. GitHub also processes data for its own service and security purposes. The website owner does not receive individual visitor access logs through GitHub Pages.

The hosting provider is GitHub, Inc., 88 Colin P. Kelly Jr. Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. GitHub describes its processing, retention criteria, and privacy contacts in its General Privacy Statement. Its policy explains transfers outside the EEA, including to the United States, and safeguards including standard contractual clauses and the EU–US Data Privacy Framework. GitHub determines retention of its hosting logs; this website does not specify or control a separate log-retention period.

Theme preference and local storage

When you choose a theme, the website stores light or dark under the key portfolio-theme in your browser’s local storage. It is read on later visits to apply your choice. This value is not an identifier and is not transmitted by the theme script. It remains until you change the preference or clear the website’s browser data.

This storage serves the theme preference you explicitly request (§ 25(2)(2) TDDDG). No advertising or analytics storage is added by the theme feature. You can clear site data in your browser settings; the site will then use its default theme.

YouTube previews and videos

Some research cards use preview images hosted on i.ytimg.com. Loading those images sends a request, including your IP address and browser request information, to Google’s servers even if you do not play the video. Their purpose is to identify and illustrate the research videos; the website owner’s basis for loading these static previews is its legitimate interest in presenting that research, Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Your browser can block requests to external image hosts.

YouTube players are not loaded with the page. Selecting Play video on a YouTube card loads a player from youtube-nocookie.com using YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode. Google then receives your IP address and technical information about the playback request and may process playback activity, cookies, or browser storage. Privacy-enhanced mode does not make playback anonymous or prevent all data processing. If you are signed in to Google, processing may also depend on your account settings.

The notice beside the video button explains this before activation. Optional player activation is based on your consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR and, where device storage or access requires it, § 25(1) TDDDG. You may leave videos unplayed and still read the website. Reloading or leaving the page removes the active player; the site does not remember a video-consent choice. Clear Google/YouTube site data in your browser to remove any storage already created. Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal.

For visitors in the EEA, Google’s services are generally provided by Google Ireland Limited. Data may also be processed outside the EEA, including in the United States. Details of recipients, retention, transfer safeguards, and your controls are in Google’s Privacy Policy. See also YouTube’s explanation of privacy-enhanced mode.

Videos served directly from this website use the same GitHub Pages hosting described above and do not load a YouTube player.

Contact by email

If you email me, I process your email address, message, and any information you choose to send in order to respond. My email service provider processes the message as part of delivery and storage. The legal basis is my legitimate interest in responding to enquiries, Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, or Article 6(1)(b) where the correspondence is necessary for a contract or steps you request before a contract.

Correspondence is kept for as long as needed to deal with the enquiry and any follow-up, or to meet applicable retention requirements or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. Please do not send sensitive personal information unless it is needed for your enquiry.

Your rights

Subject to the applicable GDPR conditions, you may request access, correction, erasure, restriction of processing, and data portability. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests for reasons relating to your particular situation. Where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time for the future.

Contact me using the details above to exercise rights relating to my processing. You may also complain to a supervisory authority, including the Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg, or the authority where you live or work. You are not required to contact me first.

This website does not use your data for automated decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects. You do not have to send an enquiry or activate external videos to browse the site. Technical requests are necessary to deliver pages; without an email address and message, I cannot respond to an email enquiry.

Following a link to another website subjects your visit to that provider’s privacy practices. This policy will be updated when the website’s features or data processing change.