Privacy Policy

Last updated: 4 June 2026

This page explains what personal data we collect when you visit Hikebeast or buy the guide, why we collect it, who processes it, and your rights. We keep it readable on purpose. If you have questions, email leon@hikebeast.ch.

Who we are

The controller responsible for your data is Saftladen GmbH, Birkenstrasse 47, 6343 Rotkreuz, Switzerland (UID CHE-296.654.267). Contact: leon@hikebeast.ch. Full company details are in our imprint. We handle data under the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP), and, for visitors in the EU/EEA, under the GDPR.

What we collect, and the legal basis

• Free sample sign-up: your email and an optional first name, to send the sample and occasional updates about new editions or related products. Basis: your consent and our legitimate interest in our own similar products (Art 6(1)(a)/(f) GDPR). You can unsubscribe from any email at any time, which removes your address from the list.
• Buying the guide: your email, billing country and payment confirmation, plus the account you create to access the guide. Used to deliver the product, run your account, issue a receipt and prevent fraud. Basis: performance of our contract with you (Art 6(1)(b) GDPR).
• Your account and in-app activity: a username, a hashed password, an optional Instagram handle, and the spots you save, visit or swipe. Basis: contract (Art 6(1)(b) GDPR).
• Advertising measurement: the cookies and identifiers used by the Meta Pixel and Conversions API (see below), only where you have agreed (EU/EEA) or on an opt-out basis (Switzerland). Basis: consent (Art 6(1)(a) GDPR); in Switzerland, legitimate interest with a right to object.
• Abuse prevention: a short-lived record of the email or IP used to request the sample, so the form cannot be used to email-bomb someone. Basis: legitimate interest (Art 6(1)(f) GDPR).
• Server logs: IP address, browser type, URL and response code, kept short-term by our host for security and operations. Basis: legitimate interest (Art 6(1)(f) GDPR).

The web app is a complimentary extra

What you buy is the digital guide itself (the downloadable e-book/PDF). The interactive web app at hikebeast.ch/full is a free addition to it. We may change, limit or take the web app offline at any time, which does not affect the e-book you have downloaded.

Services we use

The providers below help us run the site and deliver the product. Some set cookies; others only process data when you take a specific action like requesting the sample or buying the guide. Most are based in the United States; where that is so, the transfer relies on the EU-US and Swiss-US Data Privacy Framework where the provider is certified, and otherwise on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. Each provider has its own privacy policy, linked below.

Convex (member accounts and app database)

Your member account and in-app data (account details, a hashed password, the spots you save, visit or swipe, and the referral records) are stored with Convex (Convex, Inc., United States), the database that powers the web app.

Privacy details: convex.dev/legal/privacy

ManyChat pixel

We use the ManyChat pixel to connect this website with our Instagram DM funnel. When you arrive from one of our DMs, ManyChat can recognise you and attribute which conversation brought you here. The pixel sets cookies from the manychat.com and mccdn.me domains.

Privacy details: manychat.com/privacy.html

Facebook / Meta pixel

We use the Meta Pixel (operated by Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd.) to measure how visitors interact with the site, retarget people who have shown interest, and improve ads on Facebook and Instagram. The pixel sets cookies from facebook.com.

Privacy details: facebook.com/privacy/policy

Meta Conversions API (server-side)

Alongside the browser Pixel, we send key conversion events (a sample request, a purchase) to Meta server-side through their Conversions API. This includes a SHA-256 hashed version of your email and, where available, your name and location, together with your IP address, browser type and the Meta click/browser identifiers, so ad measurement still works when the Pixel is blocked. For visitors in the EU/EEA we rely on your consent to ad measurement; you can object at any time by emailing us.

Details: facebook.com/business/help/conversions-api

Stripe (payment processing)

When you buy the Swiss Gems of Switzerland guide, payment runs through Stripe (operated by Stripe Payments Europe Ltd. for European customers). Stripe receives your card or wallet details directly through their embedded checkout, and we never see or store full card numbers. Stripe also receives your email and billing country to issue the receipt and prevent fraud. They store this data on their own servers, governed by their own privacy policy.

Privacy details: stripe.com/privacy

Resend (email delivery)

We use Resend to send transactional emails: the purchase confirmation with your download link, and the free-sample email if you signed up for one. Resend processes the recipient address and message content, and keeps delivery logs for a limited time so we can investigate if an email bounces or doesn't arrive.

Privacy details: resend.com/legal/privacy-policy

Vercel (hosting)

This site is hosted on Vercel. Their infrastructure logs basic request data (IP address, user agent, page URL, response code) for short-term operational monitoring. We also run Vercel Analytics, which counts page views without using cookies.

Privacy details: vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy

Order log (Google Sheets via Apps Script)

After a successful purchase, we log the order metadata to a private Google Sheet via Google Apps Script: order id, your email, currency, amount, and the country code Stripe inferred from your IP. We use it for our own bookkeeping. The personal data overlaps with what Stripe already holds on your behalf.

Affiliate / referral program

If you join our referral program, anyone who buys through your link appears in your affiliate dashboard so you can see your referrals and earnings, including the buyer's email and, if they gave one, their Instagram handle. If you buy through someone's referral link, your purchase is attributed to that affiliate for their payout. Basis: our legitimate interest in running the program (Art 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Submitting a photo

If you submit a spot photo through the web app, the image and your note are emailed to us for review. We only publish a submission if we choose to and you have confirmed you hold the rights to it.

How long we keep your data

• Order and accounting records: as long as Swiss bookkeeping law requires (10 years, Art 958f CO).
• Your account: until you delete it or ask us to.
• Marketing list: until you unsubscribe.
• Abuse-prevention records and server logs: short-term only.

Your rights

You can ask us to give you access to your data, to correct, delete or export it, to restrict or object to a use, and to withdraw a consent at any time (which does not affect processing before the withdrawal). Email leon@hikebeast.ch and we will respond within a reasonable time. You can also complain to a supervisory authority: in Switzerland the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (edoeb.admin.ch), or in the EU/EEA your local data-protection authority.

Cookies and consent

Essential cookies (your login session, the checkout) are always set, because the site needs them to work. Non-essential marketing cookies (the Meta Pixel's _fbp and _fbc) are only set once you agree. If you visit from the EU/EEA or the UK, we ask for your consent in a banner before any marketing cookie is set, and you can decline. From Switzerland and the rest of the world these run on an opt-out basis, and you can also block them in your browser. Vercel Analytics counts page views without cookies.