Privacy Policy
Last updated: 24 October 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected and used when you visit SofiaCh’ (sofiach.com, the “Site”), subscribe to the newsletter or contact me. I have tried to keep it short and in plain language.
1. Who is responsible for your data
The data controller is:
Individual Entrepreneur Sofia Chukovskaia
Georgia
Email: hello@sofiach.com
If you have any question about your data or want to use any of your rights, write to hello@sofiach.com.
2. What data I collect
Data you give me
- Newsletter: your email address and, if you give it, your first name, when you subscribe through a newsletter form on the Site (in the footer, inside a post or in a pop-up window).
- Messages: your name, email address and the content of your message, if you contact me by email or through a contact form.
Data collected automatically
- Technical data: IP address, browser and device type, operating system, language, referring page, pages visited and the date and time of your visit. My hosting provider records this in server logs, and the security tools described below record it too.
- Usage and advertising data: how you use the Site, collected by analytics and advertising tools (Google Analytics 4, Yandex Metrica, Meta Pixel, Pinterest Tag) through cookies and similar technologies, only if you agree (see section 5).
I do not knowingly collect sensitive data (such as health, religion or political opinions), and I do not ask for payment details.
3. Why I use your data and on what legal basis
| Purpose | Data | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Sending the newsletter with new travel blogs | Email address, first name (optional) | Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
| Answering your messages | Name, email, message | Your request / my legitimate interest in replying |
| Running the Site securely: hosting, caching, backups, protection against spam and attacks | Technical data, IP address | My legitimate interest in a working and safe website |
| Understanding which content readers like (analytics) | Usage data, cookies | Your consent |
| Measuring and showing my posts on Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and Pinterest | Usage data, cookies, hashed identifiers | Your consent |
| Complying with legal obligations | Data required by law | Legal obligation |
These legal bases follow the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection and, for visitors from the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, the GDPR.
4. Who I share data with
I do not sell your personal data. I share it only with service providers who help me run the Site and process it on my behalf:
- Hostinger: website hosting, content delivery network (CDN), server logs and backups.
- Brevo (Sendinblue SAS, France, EU): newsletter sending and subscriber management.
- Google (Google Ireland Ltd. / Google LLC): Google Analytics 4 analytics and embedded Google Maps.
- Yandex (YANDEX LLC, Russia): Yandex Metrica analytics. Its data is stored in Russia.
- Meta Platforms (Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd. / Meta Platforms Inc.): Meta Pixel and embedded Instagram posts.
- Pinterest (Pinterest Europe Ltd. / Pinterest Inc.): Pinterest Tag.
- Security and performance tools on the Site: Wordfence (firewall and login protection, processes IP addresses), LiteSpeed Cache (page caching) and UpdraftPlus (backups).
I may also disclose data if the law requires it, or to protect my rights or the safety of others.
5. Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small files stored on your device. The Site uses:
- Strictly necessary cookies: needed for the Site to work and to stay secure, for example for security checks and logged-in sessions. These do not need your consent.
- Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4, Yandex Metrica): count visits and show how the Site is used. Yandex Metrica also uses Webvisor, which records how you scroll, move the mouse and click on pages, so I can see what is convenient and what is not; it does not record what you type in the email fields. Set only with your consent.
- Advertising cookies (Meta Pixel, Pinterest Tag): measure visits that come from social media and help show my content to people who may like it. Set only with your consent.
When you first visit the Site you can accept or reject non-essential cookies in the cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time with the cookie settings link at the bottom of the page, or by deleting cookies in your browser.
Local storage. The Site also saves a small note in your browser’s local storage to remember that you have already seen the newsletter pop-up or subscribed, so the pop-up is not shown to you again. It contains no personal data and is not used for tracking. You can delete it by clearing your browser data.
Embedded content. Posts may include Google Maps and Instagram posts. These behave as if you visited the provider’s own website and may set their own cookies. Where possible they load only after you give consent.
6. Newsletter
When you subscribe, your email address (and your first name, if you give it) is stored in Brevo and used only to send you new travel blogs and related news from SofiaCh’. If you subscribe from a pop-up about a specific destination, I may also add you to a list for that destination, so I can send you guides about it. You may be asked to confirm your subscription by clicking a link in a confirmation email (double opt-in). Every email has an unsubscribe link. Brevo may record whether an email was opened and which links were clicked, so I can understand what readers find useful. If you unsubscribe, I stop sending emails immediately.
7. International data transfers
Some of the providers above are located, or process data, outside Georgia and the European Economic Area, for example in the USA. In those cases transfers rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (where the provider is certified), the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, or other mechanisms allowed by Georgian law and the GDPR.
Visitors from Russia. Yandex Metrica data is stored in Russia. Other data, including newsletter subscriptions (Brevo) and Google Analytics data, is stored and processed outside Russia. By subscribing to the newsletter or accepting analytics cookies, you agree to this transfer of your data abroad. If you do not want your data to be processed outside Russia, please do not subscribe and reject analytics cookies in the cookie banner.
8. How long I keep data
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. After that I may keep your email on a suppression list so that you are not added again by mistake.
- Messages: as long as needed to answer you and for up to 2 years after that, unless a longer period is required by law.
- Server and security logs: usually for no longer than 12 months.
- Analytics data: Google Analytics retention is set to 14 months; Yandex Metrica keeps data according to its own rules. Meta and Pinterest keep data according to their own policies.
- Backups: overwritten regularly in the normal backup cycle.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you have the right to:
- ask for access to the personal data I hold about you;
- ask me to correct inaccurate data;
- ask me to delete your data;
- ask me to restrict or object to processing, including processing based on legitimate interest;
- receive your data in a portable format;
- withdraw consent at any time. This does not affect processing that happened before you withdrew it.
To use any of these rights, write to hello@sofiach.com. I will reply within the time limit set by law, normally within one month.
You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority. In Georgia this is the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia (personaldata.ge). If you live in the EEA or the UK, you can complain to the authority in your country.
California residents. I do not sell personal information. Sharing data with advertising partners (Meta, Pinterest) for measurement happens only with your consent, and you can opt out at any time through the cookie settings.
10. Security
The Site uses HTTPS, a firewall and login protection, regular updates and backups. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, but I take reasonable measures to protect your data.
11. Children
The Site is not directed at children under 16, and I do not knowingly collect their personal data. If you believe a child has given me personal data, please contact me and I will delete it.
12. Links to other websites
The Site links to other websites and social networks, such as Instagram and Pinterest. Their own privacy policies apply when you visit them.
13. Changes to this policy
I may update this Privacy Policy when the Site or the law changes. The date at the top shows the latest version. If the changes are significant, I will make this clear on the Site or in the newsletter.
14. Contact
Individual Entrepreneur Sofia Chukovskaia, Georgia
hello@sofiach.com