Privacy Policy

Last updated: 20 October 2026

At a glance

This page explains which personal data thecollective-magazine.com processes, for what reasons, with which service providers, and which rights you have. "We" and "us" means B.I. Collection SG AG; "you" means anyone visiting or using this website.

  • Collected automatically when you visit — what it covers: Trackers, Usage Data, IP address, device and browser information, page views, clicks, browsing history, number of users, session statistics; what we use it for: showing content from external platforms, analytics, hosting and backend infrastructure

You decide whether we may use analytics cookies and similar technologies. You can change that decision at any time with Cookie Preferences in the footer or the mobile menu. See "Cookies and your consent".

Who is responsible

The controller responsible for processing your data on this website is:

B.I. Collection SG AG, Bachstrasse 1, 9203 Niederwil, Switzerland

Email: stgallen@bicollection.ch

You can use this address for any question about this policy and to exercise your rights.

Terms used in this policy

  • Personal data (or data): any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person; an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, including in combination with other information, in particular by reference to an identifier such as an identification number.
  • Usage Data: information that this website, or a third-party service used on it, gathers automatically. It can include:
  • the IP address or domain name of the computer a visitor uses;
  • URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) addresses;
  • the time of each request and the method used to send it to the server;
  • the size of the file returned and the numeric code showing the status of the server's response (for example success or error);
  • the country of origin;
  • the characteristics of the browser and operating system;
  • time details of each visit, such as how long is spent on each page;
  • the route taken through the website, in particular the order of the pages visited;
  • other parameters about the device's operating system and IT environment.
  • User: the person using this website. Unless stated otherwise, the user is also the data subject.
  • Data subject: the natural person the personal data relates to.
  • Data processor (or processor): a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller, as described in this policy.
  • Data controller (or owner): the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data, including the security measures for running and using this website. Unless stated otherwise, the controller is the owner of this website, B.I. Collection SG AG.
  • This website (or this application): the means through which users' personal data is collected and processed.
  • Service: the service offered through this website, as described in the applicable terms (where available) and on this website.
  • European Union (EU): unless stated otherwise, every reference to the EU in this policy covers all current EU member states and the European Economic Area.
  • Tracker: any technology that makes it possible to track users, for example by reading or storing information on their device. Examples are cookies, unique identifiers, web beacons, embedded scripts, e-tags and fingerprinting.
  • Cookie: a tracker made of a small set of data stored in the user's browser.

What data we process

Through this website, either directly or via third parties, we process the following types of personal data:

  • Trackers
  • Usage Data
  • IP address
  • device information
  • browser information
  • page views
  • clicks
  • browsing history
  • number of users
  • session statistics

You may provide personal data freely; Usage Data is collected automatically while you use the website. The section "Services we use" gives full details of the data each service processes. Where a specific form or feature collects data, it may show its own explanation before collection.

Is providing data mandatory? Unless we say otherwise, the data we ask for is required, and without it we may not be able to provide the service. Where we mark data as optional, you can leave it out and the website will still be available and work as normal. If you are unsure which data is required, please contact us.

Cookies and trackers. Whenever this website, or a third-party service it uses, relies on cookies or other trackers, it does so to provide the service you asked for and for the other purposes described in this policy and in our Cookie Policy.

Data about other people. If you obtain, publish or share personal data of third parties through this website, you are responsible for doing so.

Why we process data

We process your data so that we can:

  • provide our service;
  • meet our legal obligations;
  • respond to enforcement requests;
  • protect our rights and interests, and those of our users or third parties;
  • detect malicious or fraudulent activity.

We also process data for these specific purposes, each explained in "Services we use":

  • showing content from external platforms;
  • analytics;
  • hosting and backend infrastructure;
  • infrastructure monitoring.

Services we use

For every service below, the place of processing is the United States. The "Cookie category" line shows which category in our cookie banner the service is assigned to.

  • PostHog product analytics — provider: PostHog, Inc.; purpose: Analytics; cookie category: Analytics
  • Google Analytics 4 — provider: Google LLC; purpose: Analytics; cookie category: Analytics
  • Google Maps Widget — provider: Google LLC; purpose: Showing content from external platforms; cookie category: External media (not offered in the banner while this website shows no maps)
  • Vercel — provider: Vercel Inc.; purpose: Hosting and backend infrastructure; cookie category: not applicable
  • Sentry — provider: Functional Software, Inc.; purpose: Infrastructure monitoring; cookie category: not applicable

Analytics

Analytics services let us measure and analyse traffic on this website and can be used to follow how users behave on it.

PostHog product analytics

PostHog, Inc. provides us with product analytics that show how users use this website.

  • Provider: PostHog, Inc.
  • Location: United States
  • Data: browser information, browsing history, clicks, device information, IP address, page views, Trackers
  • Cookie category: Analytics
  • Provider's privacy policy: posthog.com/privacy

Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 is a web analytics service from Google LLC ("Google"). With the data it collects, Google follows and analyses how this website is used, reports on that activity and shares the results with its other services. Google may also use the data to contextualise and personalise the ads in its own advertising network.

Google Analytics 4 only uses IP addresses at the moment of collection; they are thrown away before any data is logged in a data centre or on a server. More details are in Google's documentation. To understand how Google uses data, see Google's partner policy and its Business Data page.

Showing content from external platforms

Google Maps Widget

Google Maps is a map service from Google LLC that would let this website show maps on its pages. Embedded content like this, often called a widget, is a small element that shows information or provides a function, usually one you can interact with, while the content itself stays hosted on the external platform. Such a service may collect traffic data for the pages where it is embedded even if you do not use it.

This website does not currently show any maps, so the cookie banner does not offer a category for it. If a map is added, it will only be loaded after you consent.

  • Provider: Google LLC
  • Location: United States
  • Data: Trackers, Usage Data
  • Cookie category: External media (not offered in the banner while this website shows no maps)
  • Provider's privacy policy: business.safety.google/privacy

Hosting and backend infrastructure

Vercel

Vercel is a hosting and backend service from Vercel Inc. Services of this kind store the data and files that let this website run and be delivered, or provide ready-made infrastructure for specific features or parts of it. Some of them may run on servers spread across different regions, which makes it hard to say exactly where personal data is stored.

  • Provider: Vercel Inc.
  • Location: United States
  • Data: Usage Data; various types of data as specified in the service's privacy policy
  • Provider's privacy policy: vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy

Infrastructure monitoring

Sentry

Sentry is a monitoring service from Functional Software, Inc. Monitoring services observe how the components of this website are used and behave, so that we can improve performance, operation and maintenance and fix problems. Which personal data is processed depends on how the service works and how it is set up, since its job is to filter the activity on this website.

  • Provider: Functional Software, Inc.
  • Location: United States
  • Data: various types of data as specified in the service's privacy policy
  • Provider's privacy policy: sentry.io/privacy

How and where data is processed

Security. We take appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorised access to the data and its unauthorised disclosure, modification or destruction.

Methods. Data is processed with computers and other IT tools, following organisational procedures that are strictly tied to the purposes described here.

Who can access it. Besides us, the data may in some cases be accessible to:

  • people within our organisation involved in running this website (administration, sales, marketing, legal, system administration);
  • external parties, such as hosting providers, IT companies, technical service providers, mail carriers and communications agencies, which we appoint as data processors where necessary.

You can ask us for the current list of these parties at any time.

Where. Data is processed at our operating offices and at the locations of everyone else who takes part in processing it. Depending on where you are, this may mean your data is transferred to a country other than your own. The location of each service is shown in "Services we use".

How long we keep data

We process and store personal data for as long as the purpose it was collected for requires, unless this policy states otherwise. We may keep it longer if the law requires it or if you have consented to it.

Legal bases for processing (EU)

This section and the GDPR part of "Your rights" apply to all users in the European Union under the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"). For these users, they take precedence over any other information in this policy that may differ or conflict. Details on the categories of personal data processed, the purposes of the processing and the categories of recipients of the personal data, if any, are in "Services we use".

We may process your personal data if at least one of the following applies:

  • the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes;
  • processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps prior to entering into a contract;
  • processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject;
  • processing is related to a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
  • processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party.

We are happy to tell you which legal basis applies to a specific processing activity, and in particular whether the provision of personal data is a statutory or contractual requirement, or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract.

Retention details (users in the EU)

  • personal data collected for the performance of a contract between you and us is kept until that contract has been fully performed;
  • personal data collected for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us is kept for as long as needed to fulfil those purposes. The relevant sections of this policy describe these interests, and you can also ask us about them;
  • where you have consented, we may keep the data longer for as long as you do not withdraw your consent;
  • we may have to keep data longer to meet a legal obligation or because an authority orders us to.

When the retention period ends, the data is deleted. After that, the rights of access, erasure, rectification and data portability can no longer be exercised.

Your rights

Under the GDPR (users in the EU)

To the extent permitted by law, you have the right to:

  • withdraw your consent at any time, where you have given consent to the processing of your personal data;
  • object to processing that is based on a legal basis other than consent (see below);
  • access your data: obtain confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning you are being processed and, where that is the case, information on certain aspects of the processing and a copy of the personal data undergoing processing;
  • check and rectify your data: verify its accuracy and obtain the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you;
  • restrict processing: obtain restriction of processing, in which case we will not process your data for any purpose other than storage;
  • have your data erased or otherwise removed: obtain the erasure of personal data concerning you;
  • data portability: receive the personal data concerning you in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and, where technically feasible, have those data transmitted to another controller without hindrance;
  • lodge a complaint with your competent supervisory authority.

You may also ask us about the legal basis for transfers of personal data abroad, including to an international organisation (an organisation governed by public international law, or any other body which is set up by, or on the basis of, an agreement between two or more countries, such as the UN), and the security measures we take to protect your data.

More on your right to object. Where personal data is processed for a task carried out in the public interest, in the exercise of official authority vested in us or for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us, you have the right to object to that processing on grounds relating to your particular situation. Where personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to that processing, free of charge and without giving reasons. Where you object to processing for direct marketing purposes, the personal data shall no longer be processed for such purposes. This policy describes in the relevant sections whether we process data for direct marketing.

Under the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (users in Switzerland)

This part applies to users in Switzerland and, for them, takes precedence over any other information in this policy that may differ or conflict. Details on the categories of personal data processed, the purposes of the processing, the categories of recipients of the personal data, if any, and the retention period are in "Services we use" and "How long we keep data".

Within the limits of the law, you have the right to:

  • access personal data relating to you;
  • object to the processing of your personal data, which includes requesting that the processing of personal data be restricted, that a specific disclosure of personal data to third parties be prohibited, or that personal data be deleted or destroyed;
  • request that we deliver your personal data and transfer it to another controller (data portability);
  • request that incorrect personal data be corrected.

How to exercise your rights

Send your request to us using the contact details in "Who is responsible". Requests are free of charge. We answer as soon as possible and give you the information required by law; for requests under the GDPR, we provide information on action taken on your request within one month of receipt of the request.

Under the GDPR, we communicate any rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing to each recipient to whom the personal data have been disclosed, unless this proves impossible or involves disproportionate effort. We inform you about those recipients if you request it.

Cookies and your consent

This website uses trackers. Our Cookie Policy describes them in detail.

When you first visit, our own cookie banner asks for your choice. Accept all and Reject all are shown with equal prominence, and Customize lets you decide per category:

  • Necessary: always active, because these technologies are strictly necessary for the website to work;
  • Analytics: switched off until you turn it on.

Your choice is stored only in your browser's local storage, under the name `stc-consent`. It contains a random identifier, the version of our consent settings, your choice for each category and the date. It is not sent to our servers. We ask you again when this policy or our consent settings change in a way that requires a new version, and after 6 months at the latest.

You can change or withdraw your consent at any time with Cookie Preferences in the footer or the mobile menu. Your new choice applies immediately.

Other information

  • Legal claims. We may use your personal data in court, or in the steps leading up to possible legal action, if this website or our services have been misused. You acknowledge that public authorities may require us to disclose personal data.
  • More details on request. In addition to this policy, we can give you further information, on request, about particular services or about how we collect and process personal data.
  • System logs and maintenance. For operation and maintenance, this website and the third-party services it uses may record interactions with the website in files (system logs) or use other personal data, for example your IP address.
  • Anything not covered here. You can ask us for more details about how we collect or process personal data at any time, using the contact details in "Who is responsible".
  • Scope. This policy is based on the provisions of several legal systems. It applies only to this website, unless stated otherwise.

Changes to this policy

We may change this policy at any time. We will announce changes on this page and, where possible, elsewhere on the website. Where the law and technology allow, we may also notify you through the contact details we hold for you. Please check this page regularly; the date of the last update is shown at the top.

If a change affects processing that is based on your consent, we will ask for your consent again where required.

Need help?

You can ask us to:

  • tell you what information we hold about you and give you access to it;
  • correct information we hold about you;
  • delete the information we hold about you;
  • transfer your data to another service.

You can manage your cookie choices at any time with Cookie Preferences in the footer or the mobile menu.

We aim to give you a good experience, but issues between you and us can occasionally arise. If that happens, please get in touch at stgallen@bicollection.ch.