Privacy

English translation for convenience. The German version is legally binding.

1. Controller

Balane GmbH, Balanstraße 84, 81541 München, Germany
Managing director: Jonas David Höttler · Email: contact@balane.tech

We have not appointed a data protection officer. Please send any privacy requests to contact@balane.tech.

2. In brief

Parkuhrfinder is a satirical service and a joke gift. There are no user accounts. We process as little data as possible: no advertising networks, no tracking cookies. Session replay only runs with your consent.

3. Hosting and server logs

The website is hosted by Railway Corp. (USA) in its EU region (Amsterdam, Netherlands). The database (parking meter locations and vouchers) runs at Railway Corp. in the EU region (Amsterdam). When you visit, technically necessary server logs are processed (IP address, time, requested page, referrer, browser) and deleted after about 7 to 30 days. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (secure, stable operation). Transfers to the USA are based on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and/or standard contractual clauses.

4. Reach measurement with Umami

We use the open-source software Umami on our own instance, hosted by Railway Corp. in the EU region (Amsterdam). Umami records a hashed IP address, anonymised device and browser data, the page visited, referrer, time and country, plus anonymous events (e.g. “shared”, “code entered”). Umami sets no cookies and does not access your device. The hash only serves recognition within one day and is then discarded. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Storage: aggregated statistics 24 months, individual records at most 30 days.

5. Session replay with OpenReplay (only with consent)

With your consent we use the open-source software OpenReplay on our own instance (replay.balane.tech, hosted by Hetzner Online GmbH in Germany). It records page changes, mouse movements, clicks, scrolling and technical characteristics to find errors and improve usability. Form inputs are not recorded; dedications, voucher codes, disguised link texts, email addresses and numbers are masked. OpenReplay is not started on the privacy policy and legal notice pages. A random session ID is stored in your browser’s local storage. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR in conjunction with § 25(1) TDDDG. Storage: recordings at most 30 days, aggregated evaluations at most 12 months. You can withdraw your consent at any time via “Privacy settings” in the footer.

6. Storage on your device

If you switch languages, a cookie (NEXT_LOCALE) stores your choice. Your consent decision is stored in local storage. Both are technically necessary (§ 25(2) TDDDG).

7. Location, place search and maps

If you choose “Use my location”, your browser asks for permission; the position is only used to find nearby parking meters and is not stored. Search terms are sent to Photon (komoot GmbH, Germany) for place lookup. Map tiles are loaded from OpenFreeMap; your IP address is transmitted for technical reasons. Directions open Google Maps or Apple Maps only when you click. Fonts are self-hosted; there is no connection to Google Fonts. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

8. Buying a voucher – payment via Stripe

Payments are processed by Stripe Payments Europe, Limited, 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland. You enter your payment details and email address directly with Stripe; we never receive card data. Stripe processes, among other things, name, email address, payment details, IP address and device data, also for fraud prevention, partly as an independent controller. Data may be transferred to Stripe, Inc. (USA) on the basis of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract), Art. 6(1)(c) (statutory retention), Art. 6(1)(f) (fraud prevention). Further information: stripe.com/privacy.

For each voucher we store: code, chosen parking meter, duration, amount, optional dedication (name, sender, message), payment status and Stripe’s payment references. We do not store email addresses in our database.

9. The digital parking meter

What you type into the digital parking meter stays in your browser and is never sent to us. If you switch on the microphone, your browser asks for permission; the audio level is only shown on your device – nothing is recorded, stored or transmitted. We only count anonymously that something was entered (without the content).

9a. Dedications and shared links

Dedications are only visible to people who know the voucher code. They never appear in link previews and are not indexed by search engines. Texts for disguised links are part of the link itself and are not stored in our database. Reports about missing parking meters are stored without personal data.

10. Storage period

Voucher data is stored for as long as needed to provide the voucher and handle claims; payment-related details are retained in line with statutory retention obligations (up to 10 years). We delete dedications on request at any time. For server logs, Umami and OpenReplay see the sections above.

11. Your rights

You have the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20), withdrawal of consent with effect for the future (Art. 7(3)) and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77). An informal email to contact@balane.tech is sufficient.

12. Right to object

You may object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to processing based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We will then no longer process the data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds or the processing serves legal claims.

13. Supervisory authority

Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht (BayLDA), Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach, Germany · Phone +49 (0) 981 180093-0 · poststelle@lda.bayern.de

Last updated: 16 October 2026.