01. Who is responsible for your data

The Fillennial is a personal blog operated by an individual based in the Netherlands. It’s not a company, not a registered business, and not a publication with an editorial team. It’s one person sharing his personal stories about money, trying to give you an enjoyable experience while doing so.

02. What information is collected

Three categories of information may be collected when you visit this site:

Information you provide directly. The only place where personal data is explicitly requested is the email subscription form on the homepage. When you subscribe, your email address is collected so you can receive notifications when new posts are published.

Information collected automatically. Technical information such as IP addresses, browser type, device information, referral sources, and pages visited may be processed automatically for security, spam prevention, and understanding how the site is used. This information is typically collected through cookies, server logs, or analytics scripts.

Information stored on your device. The Fillennial contains a hidden experience layer for the most engaged. All data produced by it remains entirely on your device, is not transmitted to any server, and can be viewed or cleared at any time through your browser’s developer console or settings. Please consult section 04 in this document for more information.

03. Cookies and similar technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly necessary cookies are required for the site to function. These do not require your consent and are used for session management and security.

Analytics cookies may be used to understand how visitors use the site in aggregate. These are only activated with your consent.

Advertising cookies may be used by advertising partners when ads are active, to display relevant ads and measure effectiveness. These are only activated with your consent.

You can manage or withdraw cookie consent at any time through the cookie settings on the site, or by clearing cookies through your browser.

04. A Data Collection Secret

If there’s anything true in personal finance, it’s that reading the fine print usually pays off. So if you’ve made it this far into the Privacy Policy page, there’s something you deserve to know: there is more to this blog than meets the eye.

Between the hero text and the ‘About me’ button on the homepage, a hidden link awaits. Finding it is the first step into the deeper layer of The Fillennial: a good old-fashioned Easter egg hunt, where you’ll have to look for hidden rom-com references in my stories. I’d happily invite you to give the whole thing a try. The number of other personal finance blogs with a hidden rom-com Easter egg hunt is probably quite limited.

Your progress through the hunt is stored in your browser’s local storage, which is a mechanism similar to cookies but with one important difference: the data never leaves your device. It’s not sent to any server, is not tracked, and cannot be accessed by me or anyone else. You can view this data in your browser’s developer console under “Local Storage”, and you can clear it at any time.

You can voluntarily choose to register your completed milestone paths for the hidden community of Easter egg hunters. This is the only moment where Easter egg data leaves your device.

05. Third-party services

The Fillennial relies on third-party service providers to operate. These may include:

Hosting provider, which may process technical data (IP addresses, request logs) for delivery and security.

Email subscription service, which processes email addresses for the sole purpose of sending new post notifications.

Analytics services, which process aggregated usage data to help understand site performance.

Advertising partners, when ads are active, which may process cookies and browsing data to display relevant advertisements.

Embedded content providers, such as YouTube for embedded videos, which may collect data according to their own policies as if you had visited their site directly.

Some of these providers may process data outside the European Union. Where this occurs, appropriate safeguards are applied in line with GDPR requirements, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions.

06. Legal basis for processing

Processing of personal data on this site relies on the following legal bases under the GDPR:

Consent for email subscriptions, analytics cookies, and advertising cookies.

Legitimate interest for site security, spam prevention, and core technical functionality.

07. How long data is retained

Email subscriptions are retained until you unsubscribe, which you can do at any time using the unsubscribe link in every email.

Technical logs are typically retained for no longer than 12 months unless required for security or abuse investigations.

Analytics data retention depends on the specific service used and is typically between 14 months and 26 months.

Local storage data (Easter egg progress) remains on your device until you clear it yourself.

08. Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• The right to access data held about you
• The right to request correction of inaccurate data
• The right to request deletion of your data
• The right to object to certain types of processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to withdraw consent at any time
• The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

Because The Fillennial does not directly store personal data beyond email subscriptions, most data rights requests will need to be directed to the relevant service provider. Inquiries can still be made via support@thefillennial.com, and I will do my best to help you identify where your data is held and how to exercise your rights with that provider.

If you believe your rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) or the data protection authority in your country of residence.

09. Children

This site is not directed at children under 16, and no personal data is knowingly collected from minors.

10. Security

Appropriate technical measures are taken to protect any data processed by or through the site, including:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS) for all data exchanges
• Strong authentication with multi-factor protection for the administrator accounts
• Automated security updates and regular backups
• Reliance on reputable third-party services that meet GDPR standards

No system is perfectly secure, but every reasonable effort is made to protect your information.

11. International visitors

This site is operated from the Netherlands and is subject to Dutch and EU law. If you are visiting from outside the European Union, your data may be transferred to and processed in the EU, where data protection standards are generally stricter than in other jurisdictions.

12. Changes to this policy

This privacy policy may be updated from time to time. When meaningful changes are made, the “last updated” date at the top of this page will be revised. For significant changes affecting how data is processed, subscribers will be notified via email where appropriate.

13. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, or if something on the site seems unfair or incorrect, please reach out to support@thefillennial.com with your inquiries. I’m a person, not a legal department, and I’d rather resolve something through a conversation than through formal proceedings.