Privacy Notice

2. Controller

For the purposes of UK data protection law, the controller for personal data processed in connection with this website is Lex et Ratio Ltd, unless otherwise stated.

Contact: peter.kahl@juris.vc.

3. Personal data we may process

When you visit this website, the server may process and record technical data associated with your request. This may include:

• IP address;
• date and time of request;
• requested URL and query string;
• HTTP method and status code;
• referrer, where supplied by your browser or client;
• user-agent string;
• basic visitor or session indicators used for abuse detection and traffic analysis;
• GeoIP-derived country information;
• autonomous system number, network, or organisation information, where available;
• robot, crawler, or automated-access indicators;
• blocked-request records;
• 404 Not Found request records;
• security, diagnostic, and server-error records.

This website does not require public user accounts. It does not invite visitors to submit special category data. You should not send confidential, legally privileged, commercially sensitive, or special category personal data through this website unless expressly requested in a separate written context.

4. Visitor tracking, GeoIP, and security logging

This website uses server-side visitor tracking and logging to understand basic traffic patterns, distinguish likely human visits from automated access, detect misuse, protect the server, diagnose errors, and record 404 Not Found requests.

GeoIP, ASN, network, organisation, request-pattern, and user-agent information may be used to identify country-level traffic patterns, hosting providers, automated systems, crawlers, abusive access, malformed requests, or suspicious infrastructure.

Some requests may be blocked, rate-limited, logged, or served a 404 response where the request appears automated, abusive, misleading, excessive, security-relevant, or inconsistent with the Crawler Policy.

5. Cookies, storage technologies, and similar identifiers

This website is designed to operate without behavioural advertising cookies and without third-party advertising trackers.

The site may use strictly necessary or security-related technical identifiers where required for ordinary website operation, abuse prevention, traffic distinction, diagnostic integrity, or server protection.

Where cookies or similar storage/access technologies are used, their use is assessed by reference to applicable UK data protection law and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (‘PECR’). Non- essential storage or access technologies requiring consent under PECR should not be used without obtaining appropriate consent.

The website does not use cookies or similar technologies for behavioural advertising.

6. Purposes of processing

Personal data may be processed for the following purposes:

• operating and delivering the website;
• maintaining server security and availability;
• detecting, investigating, and preventing abuse, scraping, malicious traffic, or unauthorised access;
• distinguishing likely human visits from robots, crawlers, and automated systems;
• understanding basic aggregate traffic patterns;
• diagnosing technical errors and broken links;
• recording and investigating 404 Not Found requests;
• enforcing the Terms of Use and Crawler Policy;
• responding to correspondence sent by email;
• complying with legal obligations and protecting legal rights.

7. Lawful bases

Depending on the context, the lawful bases for processing personal data may include:

• legitimate interests, including operating and securing the website, preventing abuse, maintaining service integrity, understanding non-invasive traffic patterns, and protecting legal rights;
• legal obligation, where processing or retention is necessary to comply with applicable law;
• contract or steps prior to contract, where correspondence concerns a possible or existing professional engagement;
• consent, where consent is specifically requested for a distinct processing activity.

Where legitimate interests is relied upon, the relevant interests are balanced against the rights and freedoms of affected individuals. The site seeks to avoid intrusive tracking and does not sell visitor data to advertisers.

8. Email correspondence

If you contact Peter Kahl or Lex et Ratio Ltd by email, the information you provide will be processed for the purpose of reading, responding to, and managing that correspondence.

Email correspondence may be retained where necessary for academic, professional, administrative, legal, contractual, or record-keeping purposes.

Sending an email does not create a client relationship, fiduciary relationship, duty of care, solicitor-client relationship, or advisory engagement. Those matters are governed by the Terms of Use and by any separate written agreement.

9. Direct marketing

This website does not operate behavioural advertising. Personal data from website visits is not sold to advertisers.

If direct marketing is ever undertaken, it will be assessed by reference to applicable data protection law and PECR. Where PECR requires consent, consent will be treated as the appropriate basis for the relevant electronic marketing activity.

10. Sharing and processors

Personal data may be processed by hosting, infrastructure, email, security, logging, analytics, professional, or technical service providers where necessary for the operation, maintenance, security, or administration of the website.

Data may also be disclosed where required by law, court order, regulatory obligation, legal process, or where necessary to protect rights, security, property, or legitimate interests.

Personal data is not sold to advertisers.

11. International transfers

Some service providers, external repositories, email systems, academic platforms, or linked services may process data outside the United Kingdom. Where applicable, such processing should be subject to safeguards or transfer mechanisms required by data protection law.

External websites and repositories have their own privacy notices and processing arrangements. This Privacy Notice does not govern third-party services.

12. Retention

Server logs, visitor records, robot logs, blocked-request logs, 404 logs, and security records are retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for security, diagnostics, abuse prevention, operational analysis, legal protection, and policy enforcement.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record. Security, blocked-access, and abuse-related records may be retained for longer where necessary to investigate persistent attacks, crawling abuse, misuse, vulnerability probing, unlawful activity, or attempted unauthorised access.

Email correspondence may be retained for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was sent, including academic, professional, administrative, legal, contractual, or record-keeping purposes.

13. Security

Reasonable technical and organisational measures are used to protect the website and associated records. These may include server-side logging, blocking mechanisms, request filtering, access controls, firewall rules, and monitoring of suspicious traffic.

No internet-facing system can be guaranteed secure. Users remain responsible for the security of their own devices, browsers, networks, and communications.

14. Your rights

Subject to legal limits and exemptions, you may have rights under UK data protection law, including rights to:

• request access to personal data held about you;
• request correction of inaccurate personal data;
• request erasure in certain circumstances;
• request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests;
• object to direct marketing;
• request portability where applicable;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Requests may be sent to peter.kahl@juris.vc. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO is the United Kingdom’s data protection supervisory authority.

15. Automated access and crawler records

Automated-access records may be processed to enforce the Crawler Policy, protect the website, detect scraping or abusive activity, and maintain the availability of the service.

Records may include IP address, ASN, organisation, country-level GeoIP result, user-agent string, requested URL, time of request, referrer, status code, blocked/not-blocked status, and request-pattern indicators.

16. Children

This website is directed toward academic, professional, policy, institutional, and adult public-interest audiences. It is not directed toward children and does not knowingly seek to collect children’s personal data.

17. External links

This website may link to external repositories, academic platforms, DOI services, social media services, professional websites, or other third-party services. Those services are governed by their own terms and privacy notices.

18. Changes to this Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice may be updated from time to time. The current version will be published on this page.

19. Contact

Enquiries concerning this Privacy Notice may be directed to:

Peter Kahl
Lex et Ratio Ltd
Email: peter.kahl@juris.vc