This policy explains what personal data CETARCH processes when you visit this website, which cookies and third-party services are used, and what rights you have. We collect as little as possible: you can browse the whole collection without accepting any optional cookies.
1. Who is responsible
The data controller for this website is:
The CETARCH project
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact us at the address above with any question about this policy or your personal data.
2. What we collect and why
Visitor statistics (no cookies)
To see which parts of the collection are used, our own server counts page views: the page visited, the time, the website you came from, your country (provided by our network provider Cloudflare), and your device type and browser. We do not store your IP address and set no cookie for this. Instead, a one-way code is calculated from your IP address and browser with a secret value that changes every day, so a visitor can be counted once per day but cannot be recognised on another day or identified. Searches typed on the site are stored without any link to you. Visits by bots and logged-in staff are not counted.
Legal basis: our legitimate interest in understanding and improving the use of a public research collection (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)). Retention: 25 months.
Google Analytics (only with your consent)
If you accept analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics 4, provided by Google Ireland Ltd., Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, to measure how the site is used. Google Analytics sets cookies and receives information such as the pages you view, your approximate location, device and browser. Google does not store or log full IP addresses in Google Analytics 4. Google signals and advertising features are switched off. Data may be transferred to Google LLC in the USA, which is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.
Legal basis: your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) and section 3-15 of the Norwegian Electronic Communications Act). Google Analytics is not loaded at all until you accept, and you can withdraw consent at any time under “Cookie settings”; its cookies are then deleted. Retention: the cookies last up to 2 years and analytics data is kept for up to 14 months. See Google’s privacy policy.
3D model viewer — Sketchfab (only with your consent)
Some specimens have an interactive 3D model hosted on Sketchfab, a service of Epic Games, Inc. The viewer is only loaded when you click “Load 3D model” or have allowed external media under “Cookie settings”. Sketchfab then receives your IP address and browser information and may set its own cookies. Data may be transferred to the USA. Legal basis: your consent. See Sketchfab’s privacy policy.
Maps
Maps on the site display map images (“tiles”) loaded directly from OpenStreetMap, OpenTopoMap and Esri (ArcGIS). To deliver those images, the provider receives your IP address and browser information. These services set no cookies through our site. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in showing where specimens were found (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).
Hosting, security and code libraries
The site runs on a server rented from our hosting provider and is served through Cloudflare, Inc., which protects it against attacks and abuse. Like every web server, these systems briefly process your IP address and request details in technical logs for security and troubleshooting. Some open-source code libraries (Leaflet, Alpine.js) are loaded from the content delivery networks unpkg and jsDelivr, which receive your IP address to deliver the files. Fonts are hosted on our own server. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in operating a secure website (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).
3. Cookies and similar technologies
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PHPSESSID | CETARCH | Keeps search navigation and form security (CSRF protection) working | Until you close the browser | Strictly necessary |
cetarch_consent (browser storage) | CETARCH | Remembers your cookie choice | 12 months | Strictly necessary |
cetarch_lang | CETARCH | Remembers the language you chose with the English | Norsk switch | 12 months | Strictly necessary |
remember_token | CETARCH | Keeps staff signed in to the admin panel (staff only) | 7 days | Strictly necessary |
__cf_bm, cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Distinguishes people from bots to protect the site | 30 minutes – 1 year | Strictly necessary |
_ga, _ga_* | Counts visits and distinguishes visitors in Google Analytics | 2 years | Analytics (consent) | |
| Set by Sketchfab | Epic Games (Sketchfab) | Operation of the 3D viewer, see Sketchfab’s policy | Set by Sketchfab | External media (consent) |
Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent because the site cannot work without them. All other cookies are only set after you agree, and “Reject all” is always available on the same level as “Accept all”.
4. Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, and to data portability. Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting earlier processing, using “Cookie settings” at the bottom of every page. Because our own visitor statistics cannot identify you, we will usually not be able to link any of that data to you.
To exercise your rights, contact us at the address in section 1. You also have the right to complain to the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, Datatilsynet, or to the supervisory authority in the country where you live.
5. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when the website or the services it uses change. The date at the top shows the latest version. If we add new optional cookies, we will ask for your consent again.