Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data of visitors to erkanterzi.com is collected, processed, shared, and protected, in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") and Türkiye's Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 ("KVKK"). Please read it before using the site.

1. Data Controller

The data controller for the purposes of this policy is:

• Name: Erkan Terzi
• Website: erkanterzi.com
• Contact email: iletisim@erkanterzi.com
• Location: Istanbul, Türkiye

2. Personal Data Collected

Only the following limited categories of personal data are collected:

2.1. Through the contact form

If you fill out the contact form on the site:

• First and last name
• Email address
• Subject category (Consulting / Speaker Request / Media / Partnership / Other)
• Message content (what you write)

This data is processed solely to respond to you; it is not used for any other purpose, nor added to any commercial mailing list.

2.2. Automatically (analytics)

During your visit, anonymous/anonymized technical data is collected via Google Analytics 4:

• IP address (truncated/anonymized by Google)
• Browser type and version, operating system, device type
• Referrer URL, session duration, pages viewed
• Approximate geographic information (country/city level only — not full address)

This analytics data does not directly identify you and is used to produce aggregate statistics. It is never shared with any advertising network.

3. Purposes of Processing

Personal data collected is used only for the following purposes:

• Responding to inbound inquiries (consulting, speaker, media, partnerships, etc.)
• Analyzing aggregate usage statistics and improving content quality
• Meeting legal obligations
• Ensuring site security and preventing malicious activity

4. Legal Bases for Processing

Your personal data is processed on the following legal bases (Article 6 GDPR / Article 5 KVKK):

• Consent — By submitting the contact form, you consent to your message being transmitted via email and responded to.
• Legitimate interest — Site security and aggregate usage measurement.
• Legal obligation — Where required by law (e.g., retention obligations).

5. Third-Party Transfers

Your data is shared with the following technical infrastructure providers solely to operate the corresponding service. These transfers constitute processor relationships under GDPR/KVKK.

• Resend (USA) — Email delivery infrastructure for messages from the contact form. Form content is processed via resend.com and delivered to iletisim@erkanterzi.com.
• Google Analytics / Google LLC (USA) — Site traffic analytics. Google Privacy Policy.
• Hetzner (Germany) — Server infrastructure hosting the site. Hetzner Privacy Policy.

International transfers: Resend and Google are located in the United States. These transfers are made under appropriate safeguards (Standard Contractual Clauses) and are necessary to deliver the requested service or rely on your explicit consent.

Your data is never sold or rented to any third party for advertising, marketing, or sales purposes.

6. Retention Periods

• Contact form messages: Retained in the email archive for at most 2 years after the response purpose has ended; then destroyed.
• Analytics data: Retained at most 14 months by Google Analytics under default settings; afterwards deleted or anonymized automatically.
• Server access logs: Kept for at most 30 days, then automatically deleted.

7. Cookie Policy

The site uses analytics cookies only. No advertising, profiling, or marketing cookies are used.

• Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*): For visitor counting and site usage statistics. You can delete or block them from your browser at any time.

Consent banner: On your first visit, a cookie preferences banner appears at the bottom of the page. Selecting "Accept All" enables analytics cookies; "Only Essential" prevents Google Analytics from loading. To change your preference later, click the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer.

To disable cookies entirely at the browser level, use your browser's privacy settings or install the Google Analytics Opt-Out browser add-on.

8. Your Rights (GDPR Articles 15–22 / KVKK Article 11)

You have the following rights regarding your personal data, exercisable by contacting the data controller:

• Confirm whether your data is being processed
• Request information about how it is processed
• Learn the purpose of processing and whether data is used in line with that purpose
• Know the third parties to whom data has been transferred, in Türkiye or abroad
• Request correction of incomplete or inaccurate data
• Request deletion or destruction under applicable conditions
• Request that corrections/deletions be communicated to third parties to whom data was transferred
• Object to outcomes produced by automated processing that significantly affect you
• Claim compensation for damages caused by unlawful processing

9. Submitting a Request

To exercise the rights above, submit your request:

• By email: iletisim@erkanterzi.com, including information that allows your identity to be verified.
• Via the contact form: erkanterzi.com/en/contact with Other selected as the subject.

Requests are responded to free of charge within 30 days, depending on their nature. Where additional cost is incurred under KVKK, the tariff set by the Personal Data Protection Authority may apply.

10. Security Measures

Reasonable technical and administrative measures are taken to protect your data against unauthorized access, unlawful processing, loss, or alteration:

• HTTPS/TLS encrypted communication (active certificate on every visit)
• Server access restricted via SSH keys
• SCC / standard contractual arrangements with third-party providers
• Regular server software updates

11. Policy Changes

This Privacy Policy may be updated to reflect legislative changes or changes in site features. The most recent version is always published on this page; you can track changes via the "Last updated" date at the top. For significant changes, an additional notice may be posted on the site.

12. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

The interpretation and application of this Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of Türkiye. Disputes shall be subject to the courts and execution offices of Istanbul.