Who is responsible
Hydrogenology is operated by its founder in the European Union and is the contact point for privacy matters. The founder's identity and role are disclosed on the About page. Email contact@hydrogenology.org.
Information we collect
- Information you choose to include in a discrepancy report.
- Your email address, which is required for report, comment, or device-request verification.
- The display name or pseudonym, submitted text, GMT submission time, consent time, and privacy-notice version associated with a community comment or device-testing request.
- For a device-testing request: the selected category, manufacturer, exact model, and a normalized device key used to count matching approved requests.
- Up to three screenshots attached to a report.
- Limited technical and security logs produced by the hosting service.
Why we use it
We use report, comment, and device-request data to verify the submitted email address, moderate public submissions before publication, investigate possible errors, operate the public comments and device-request sections, count matching approved device requests after duplicate and abuse checks, allow the administrator to assign Top 3 positions, contact you about a submission when necessary, maintain an editorial audit trail, and protect the site. We do not sell this information or use it for advertising.
What becomes public
Email confirmation does not publish a comment or device request automatically. After confirmation, an authorized Hydrogenology administrator reviews it. An approved comment may publicly show its display name or pseudonym, text, and GMT submission time. An approved device request may publicly show those elements plus the category, manufacturer, and exact model. A device selected for a Top 3 position may also show the number of matching approved requests. The Top 3 is an administrator-managed record of reader interest, not an endorsement, recommendation, test result, or promise to test. Inappropriate or promotional submissions will not be published. The email address, consent record, verification tokens, and private moderation metadata remain private.
Your private submission receipt
The initial confirmation email contains the exact public-facing fields submitted with a comment or device request and its GMT submission time. If you confirm the email address, Hydrogenology sends those details again to that verified address as a private confirmation receipt. The second email also records the acknowledgement made when submitting the form. This provides a record of what you submitted and acknowledged but does not mean the submission has been approved, published, or placed in a Top 3 position, and does not limit your GDPR rights. If you did not make the submission, you can use the private deletion link in the initial email. The email delivery provider necessarily processes these messages to deliver them.
Important: do not submit health data
Please do not include names, medical records, diagnoses, treatment histories, faces, account details, or other sensitive personal information in comments, reports, or screenshots. Public comments that contain an email address or telephone number are rejected automatically. Crop or cover anything that is not needed to show a discrepancy.
Legal bases
Considering a comment or device request for publication and confirming its email address are steps taken at your request, while the checkbox records your agreement to possible public display after moderation. Editorial review, accuracy, abuse prevention, a transparent reader-request ranking, accountability, and site security are pursued as legitimate interests. You may withdraw a public submission before or after publication by using the private deletion link or contacting Hydrogenology.
Retention
Unconfirmed or expired comments and device requests are deleted after 7 days. Confirmed submissions awaiting moderation are deleted after 30 days if they are not approved, and rejected submissions are deleted when the rejection is recorded. An approved submission remains public until deleted by its author, removed through moderation, or removed following a valid request. Removing an approved device request also removes any Top 3 position attached to it. The private email address attached to an approved comment or device request is removed after 24 months; the private deletion token remains available until the submission is deleted. Report data and screenshots are ordinarily retained no longer than 12 months after resolution unless a longer period is required to establish or defend legal claims.
Sharing and international processing
Private information is available only to authorized Hydrogenology administrators and service providers required to host the site, store submissions, and deliver verification emails. Processing may occur outside the European Economic Area under the provider’s applicable transfer safeguards. Hydrogenology does not sell comment data, use it for advertising, or disclose the private email address alongside a comment.
Your GDPR choices and rights
Where the GDPR applies, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, data portability where applicable, or object to processing based on legitimate interests. You may withdraw consent without affecting processing already carried out. Use the private deletion link in the verification email or send a request to contact@hydrogenology.org. We may need to verify your identity. You may also lodge a complaint with the data-protection authority in your country.
Last updated: 11 August 2026 · Contact: contact@hydrogenology.org