The short version
- No accounts, no paywalls, no ads that follow you around, and your data is never sold.
- Google Analytics runs only if you accept it in the cookie banner — "Reject" works with one click and the site stays fully usable.
- If you use the contact form, your message is stored so it can be answered — nothing else is done with it.
- The newsletter is strictly opt-in and every email has an unsubscribe link that works immediately.
- Embedded YouTube videos load no player scripts or cookies from Google until you click play.
- Affiliate links lead to third-party sites governed by their own privacy policies — always marked as affiliate links before you click.
01Who is responsible for your data
The data controller for wayofthetrader.com — the person who decides what personal data is processed here and why — is:
- Creas Solutions Marek Kaliszuk (NIP: 4970066823)
- ul. Cynamonowa 9/2, 64-130 Nowa Wieś, Poland
- Email: contact@wayofthetrader.com
Because the controller is based in Poland, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to all processing described on this page, regardless of where you are located. This policy is written to meet the transparency requirements of Articles 13 and 14 of the GDPR.
02What data is collected, why, and on what basis
The site runs a handful of clearly separated processes. Each one is described below with the exact data involved, the purpose, the legal basis under Article 6(1) GDPR, and how long the data is kept.
Server logs & site security
Every web server records this technical data automatically for each request. It is not combined with any other data source and is not used to build profiles of visitors.
Contact form & bug reports
Providing this data is voluntary, but without a valid email address your message cannot be answered. Messages are stored in the site's database and delivered to the controller's mailbox; they are not shared with anyone else and are not used for marketing.
Newsletter
The newsletter is sent by the controller from the site's own infrastructure — no external mailing provider is involved, and your address never leaves the server described in section 3. Every email contains an unsubscribe link; withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it and does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
Some free tools on this site are delivered by email ("download link sent to your inbox"). Requesting a tool this way signs you up to the same newsletter under the same rules — this is stated next to the form before you submit it.
Analytics (Google Analytics 4)
Analytics is provided by Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland). Data may be transferred to Google LLC in the USA — this transfer is covered by Google's certification under the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Google Signals and advertising features are disabled.
If you reject analytics cookies, nothing from Google loads and the site works identically. You can change your decision at any time via the Cookie settings link in the footer, which reopens the consent preferences.
Embedded YouTube videos
Videos use a click-to-load ("lite") embed: the page initially shows only a thumbnail image. The YouTube player — and its cookies — load only after you press play.
03Who receives your data
Personal data is disclosed only to service providers who process it on the controller's behalf, under data processing agreements, and only to the extent needed to run the site:
- Hosting provider — Hetzner Online GmbH (Germany, EU): server infrastructure, server logs, database with contact messages and newsletter addresses.
- Analytics provider — Google Ireland Limited (Google Analytics 4): usage data described in section 2, processed only after your consent.
Beyond that, data may be disclosed where the law requires it (e.g. to public authorities acting under a legal obligation). Your data is never sold, rented, or shared for third-party advertising.
04Transfers outside the EEA
The site itself is hosted in the European Union, and newsletter data never leaves it. Two processes can involve transfers to the United States:
- Analytics — Google Analytics data may be processed by Google LLC in the USA under Google's EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework certification.
- YouTube embeds — after you click play, data is processed by Google, whose US entities are certified under the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework.
You can request a copy of the safeguards applicable to a given transfer via the contact details in section 1.
05How long data is kept
| Data | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Server logs | Up to 90 days, then deleted or anonymized |
| Contact messages | Up to 12 months after the matter is closed; longer only if needed for legal claims |
| Newsletter address | Until unsubscribe / consent withdrawal |
| Analytics | Cookies up to 2 years (set only with your consent); Google Analytics data retention: 14 months |
When a retention period ends, the data is deleted or irreversibly anonymized. Backups containing personal data are rotated automatically and overwritten within 30 days.
06Your rights
Under the GDPR you can, at any time and free of charge:
- Access your data and get a copy of it (Art. 15),
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete data (Art. 16),
- Delete your data ("right to be forgotten", Art. 17),
- Restrict processing while a dispute is resolved (Art. 18),
- Receive data you provided in a portable format (Art. 20),
- Object to processing based on legitimate interest — e.g. server logs (Art. 21),
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent (newsletter, analytics cookies, video embeds) — this does not affect processing that happened before withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, email contact@wayofthetrader.com. Requests are answered within one month; identity may need to be verified before data is released. You will never face negative consequences for exercising your rights.
07Complaints
If you believe your data is processed unlawfully, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The authority competent for this site's controller is the Polish one:
- President of the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO), ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warsaw, Poland — uodo.gov.pl/en
If you live in another EU/EEA country, you can instead complain to the supervisory authority in your own country of residence — both routes are equally valid.
08Cookies
Strictly necessary cookies (forms, security, and the cookie that stores your consent decision itself) are set without consent, as ePrivacy rules allow. Analytics cookies are set only after you accept them in the cookie banner — rejecting them leaves the site fully usable. You can revisit your choice at any time via the Cookie settings link in the footer.
| Cookie | Purpose | Type | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| way-of-the-trader-session | Keeps your session while you use forms on the site | Strictly necessary | 2 h |
| XSRF-TOKEN | Protects forms against cross-site request forgery | Strictly necessary | 2 h |
| wott_cookie_consent | Stores your consent decision so the banner does not reappear | Strictly necessary | 6 months |
| wott_cookie_consent_preferences | Stores your per-category cookie choices (e.g. analytics on/off) | Strictly necessary | 12 months |
| _ga | Google Analytics — distinguishes visitors | Analytics — consent | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Google Analytics 4 — keeps session state | Analytics — consent | 2 years |
Third-party cookies can be set only by services you actively invoke: YouTube after you click play on a video, or an affiliate partner's site after you follow an affiliate link. Those cookies live on their domains and are governed by their policies. You can also block or delete cookies entirely in your browser settings; the site's content remains fully readable without them.
09Affiliate links and external sites
Some links on this site are affiliate links — always marked as such before you click. Following one takes you to a third-party site (e.g. a prop trading firm), which may set its own cookies to attribute the referral. That processing happens entirely on the third party's domain, under its own privacy policy, and this site receives no personal data back — only anonymous, aggregated referral statistics.
The same applies to all other external links: once you leave wayofthetrader.com, this policy no longer applies. Check the destination site's policy, especially before entering personal or payment data.
10Note for US residents
This site does not sell or share personal information as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) or similar US state privacy laws, and does not meet the business thresholds that make those laws applicable. Regardless of legal obligation, US visitors can exercise the same rights described in section 6 — access, deletion, and correction requests are honored for everyone, everywhere.
11Children
This site covers leveraged futures trading and is directed at adults. It does not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided personal data here, contact the address in section 1 and it will be deleted.
12No profiling, no automated decisions
No processing on this site involves automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects for you (Art. 22 GDPR). Nothing here scores you, segments you, or decides anything about you.
13Changes to this policy
This policy is updated when the site's data practices change — for example, when a new tool or service provider is added. The date at the top always reflects the current version. Material changes affecting newsletter subscribers are additionally announced by email. Continued use of the site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy to the extent permitted by law; where a change requires fresh consent, it will be asked for explicitly.
14Questions
Anything unclear, or a request to exercise your rights: contact@wayofthetrader.com. Privacy questions are answered with the same 48-hour ambition as everything else — outside the trading window.