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Privacy Policy

Data protection overview

We take the protection of your personal data very seriously. This privacy policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have regarding your data when using our KiTa Directory Switzerland website.

Data Collection

Information We Collect

  • We do not store searches on the visitor’s device: the search lives in the address bar. The device keeps a language chosen in the language switcher, an opt-out from usage measurement and the analytics cookies listed under “Cookies and Local Storage”. While a request is being written, its draft stays in the browser tab until the tab closes.
  • Technical data: the visitor’s IP address, browser type, device information and operating system, for security and optimisation.
  • Usage data: we automatically collect information about how visitors use the website, including pages visited, search terms and interaction patterns.

Information we do not collect from visitors who only browse the site

  • E-mail addresses, unless a visitor writes to us or sends a childcare request
  • Financial information
  • Names, postal addresses and phone numbers. A childcare request is the exception: it carries the parent’s name and, if given, a phone number (see “Childcare requests through kita-swiss.ch” below).
  • Location data beyond general geographic region

How We Use Your Data

  • To analyse usage patterns and optimise performance
  • To improve website functionality and user experience
  • To ensure website security and prevent abuse
  • To provide and maintain our directory service
  • To respond to your inquiries when you contact us

Cookies and Local Storage

We use a small number of cookies and local storage to operate the site and to measure how it is used:

  • Analytics cookies: Google Analytics 4 sets first-party cookies to compile anonymised usage statistics (IP addresses are anonymised; advertising features are disabled).
  • Essential Cookies: Required for basic website functionality
  • Local Storage: Cache search results for offline access

We do not use cookies for advertising, cross-site tracking or profiling that would require your prior consent under Swiss law. You can object to analytics at any time in the “Web Analytics” section below, or block cookies in your browser settings.

Web Analytics

To understand how the directory is used, we rely on privacy-preserving audience measurement:

  • Google Analytics 4: usage statistics with IP anonymisation and first-party cookies only; Google Signals and all advertising features are disabled. Runs unless you object (opt-out).

Legal basis: Art. 45c lit. b of the Swiss Telecommunications Act (TCA) and the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP). Audience measurement of this kind does not require prior consent under Swiss law; instead, you have the right to refuse it at any time.

Your choice: refuse analytics

Use the control below to object to Google Analytics measurement for this browser. Your choice takes effect immediately, is stored on your device and does not restrict your use of the site in any way.

Server-Side Analytics

To understand how our platform is used and to improve our directory service, we collect aggregate usage statistics using a privacy-preserving method that does not use cookies or persistent identifiers.

Data Collected

  • A temporary session identifier is computed from the truncated IP address and your browser's User-Agent string, combined with a daily-rotating cryptographic salt.
  • Your IP address is truncated (last segment removed) before processing. The truncated address is never stored.
  • Only aggregate statistics are produced (e.g., total page views, average visitors per facility). Individual session data is never exposed in reports or dashboards.
  • Search terms are truncated and automatically cleaned before storage: email addresses, phone numbers and similar identifiers are removed. Postal codes are retained, as they form the basis of the demand analysis.
  • Raw records are deleted after 30 days; only aggregated daily figures without any session identifier remain thereafter.
  • This identifier rotates every 24 hours. It cannot be used to track you across days or sessions.

Interactions recorded

Alongside page views and searches, we record when a facility’s contact option is used: a click on a phone number, email address, website or directions link. Only the fact of the click and the facility concerned are recorded, never the content of your call or message. We do not broker contact between you and the facility.

Purpose

These statistics help us understand which facilities are most viewed, which search queries return no results, and how to improve the directory for parents seeking childcare in Switzerland.

Opt-Out

You can opt out of server-side analytics at any time using one of these methods:

  • Enable "Do Not Track" (DNT) in your browser settings
  • Enable “Global Privacy Control” (GPC) in your browser
  • Send the header X-Analytics-Opt-Out: true with your request
  • Add ?analytics=off to any page URL
  • Use the “Disable analytics” toggle higher up on this page. It applies to both server-side analysis and contact-click recording

Opting out does not affect your ability to use the website. No data will be collected for opted-out requests.

Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell personal data. We may use non-personal, aggregated usage data for research or improvement purposes.

Our own database: our PostgreSQL database has run on our own server in Switzerland since 7 July 2026. We operate the open-source Supabase software ourselves; no data is passed to Supabase Inc. or to any other database provider.

Service Providers

  • Google Cloud: this website runs on Google Cloud Run in the Zurich region (europe-west6), is delivered through Google Cloud Load Balancing with Cloud CDN, and is deployed by Cloud Build. The encrypted connection terminates at the nearest Google location; connection data may therefore be processed briefly outside Switzerland. As a precaution we treat this as a disclosure abroad. For the United States it rests on the Swiss–U.S. Data Privacy Framework, to which Google LLC is certified; for Google locations in other countries, on the standard contractual clauses in the Google Cloud Data Processing Addendum.
  • Cloudflare: DNS provider for kita-swiss.ch. Since 1 September 2026 website traffic no longer passes through Cloudflare's network; no audience measurement, security or performance features run there for visitors. We do operate a Cloudflare Tunnel for the connection between the website and our database (api.kita-swiss.ch); that traffic passes through Cloudflare's infrastructure.
  • Google Analytics 4: usage analytics on an opt-out basis with IP anonymisation and all advertising features disabled. Data may be processed in the United States under the Swiss–U.S. Data Privacy Framework. You can object at any time via the Web Analytics section of the privacy policy.
  • Vercel: Until decommissioning (planned by 28 September 2026) we keep an inactive copy of the website at Vercel Inc. (USA) as a fallback. It serves no pages under kita-swiss.ch while the website runs on Google Cloud. Should we ever switch back, we will update this notice first.

Our service providers act as processors and process data only as far as necessary to provide their services.

Should legal requirements change, we reserve the right to disable or replace providers to ensure compliance.

Where your data is held

Personal data in our database (facility records, server-side session identifiers, aggregated statistics) is held on our own server in Switzerland. The application itself runs on Google Cloud Run in the Zurich region (europe-west6). Delivery to you goes through Google's worldwide network, so the encrypted connection may briefly be routed via Google locations outside Switzerland. Usage data from Google Analytics 4 may be processed in the United States. Transfers to the United States – for delivery via Google's network as for Google Analytics 4 – rest on the Swiss–U.S. Data Privacy Framework, in force since 15 September 2024, which ensures adequate protection for certified U.S. companies. For delivery via Google Cloud locations in other countries, the standard contractual clauses in the Google Cloud Data Processing Addendum apply.

Childcare requests through kita-swiss.ch

Through kita-swiss.ch, parents can send a childcare request to up to five KiTas of their choice. Nothing is sent until the parent opens the link in our confirmation e-mail and confirms the sending. This section describes what happens to the parent’s details along the way.

The controller is happycode.ch, Anthony Calek (details in the legal notice). Contact for privacy questions: privacy@kita-swiss.ch.

What we process

The child’s age band, the desired start month, the care days, the parent’s name and e-mail address, optionally a phone number and a short message, and the chosen KiTas. We never ask for the child’s name or date of birth. To prevent abuse, we count requests per e-mail address (per day) and per internet connection (per hour), using one-way checksums.

Purposes

  • Forwarding the request to the KiTas the parent chose.
  • Three days after sending, one reminder to each KiTa whose answer is not yet on record. Seven days after sending, one short check-in with the parent about the KiTas whose answer is still not on record.
  • Anonymised usage statistics (number of inquiries by canton, month and outcome), with nothing that identifies a person.

Recipients and legal bases

  • The KiTas a parent chooses receive the request with the parent’s name, e-mail address, phone number and message (if given) and the care details. The basis is the parent’s request, confirmed by e-mail.
  • Sinch Mailgun (EU region, servers on Google Cloud in Germany and Belgium) sends the e-mails on our behalf. Basis: a data processing agreement with the EU standard contractual clauses 2021/914 and the Swiss addendum.
  • Google Cloud (Zurich region) runs the inquiry service and its database on our behalf. Basis: a data processing agreement; Google LLC is certified under the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

Retention

  • Unconfirmed inquiries: 24 hours, then automatic deletion.
  • Confirmed requests with the parent’s details: 12 months after sending, then automatic deletion. A withdrawal stops all further mails about the request but does not shorten this period.
  • A non-identifying key against duplicate inquiries to the same KiTa: 14 days.
  • Anonymised statistics: without time limit.

No profiling, no tracking, no marketing. The statistics and the analytics event (with a random identifier per event) cannot be linked to a person.

Parents’ rights to access, rectification, deletion and objection (see the section “Your Rights”) apply here too. Parents exercise them by writing to privacy@kita-swiss.ch.

Your Rights

Under Swiss data protection law, you have the following rights:

  • Right to access your personal data
  • Right to deletion of your data
  • Right to information about data processing
  • Right to object to processing
  • Right to data portability
  • Right to rectification of inaccurate data
  • Right to restrict processing

To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@kita-swiss.ch.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes:

  • Access controls and authentication
  • Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS)
  • Secure database storage
  • Regular security updates and monitoring

Data Retention

We retain data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Raw usage-telemetry records (page views, search queries) are deleted automatically after 30 days by a daily scheduled job; only anonymised daily aggregates with no session identifier are kept beyond that point. The temporary keys used to compute anonymous session identifiers are deleted after 7 days. Server request logs are retained for 30 days. In Google Analytics 4, event data is retained for 2 months and user-level data for 14 months; the period restarts on new activity. Local preferences stay in your browser until you clear them.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify users of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact Information

If you have questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: contact@kita-swiss.ch
Subject: Privacy Policy Inquiry

Last updated: 03.09.2026

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