1. Who We Are

This website is operated by Gabriela Rivera, trading as SpanishFluent, a private Spanish language coaching service.

When you use this website, contact us, or book a lesson, you are sharing personal data with us. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and how we handle it in accordance with applicable data protection laws including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) where applicable.

2. Data We Collect

Information you provide directly

When you contact us through the website form, by email, or through any booking process, we may collect:

• Your name and email address
• Your current Spanish level and learning goals
• Your time zone and scheduling preferences
• Any other information you choose to share in your message
• Payment information (processed securely through third-party payment providers — we do not store card details)

Information collected automatically

When you visit spanishfluent.com, certain data is collected automatically through cookies and standard web analytics tools:

• Your IP address and approximate geographic location (country/city level)
• Browser type and device information
• Pages visited and time spent on the website
• Referring website or search query that brought you here
• Date and time of your visit

Information from third-party platforms

If you purchase the Tico Talk book through Amazon, your purchase data is handled by Amazon and their privacy policy applies. We receive no personal data from Amazon purchases other than aggregated sales reports.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the information we collect only for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiries and book Spanish lessons
• To deliver and improve the quality of lessons
• To send session notes and lesson-related communications
• To process payments securely through our payment provider
• To send occasional updates or offers if you have explicitly consented
• To analyse website traffic and improve the user experience (anonymised data only)
• To comply with legal obligations

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract performance — processing necessary to deliver the lessons and services you have requested
• Legitimate interests — improving the website and our services, communicating about bookings
• Consent — for any optional marketing communications (you can withdraw consent at any time)
• Legal obligation — where we are required to process data to comply with applicable law

5. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We share your data only with the third-party service providers strictly necessary to operate this website and deliver our services. These currently include:

• Zoom — video conferencing platform used to conduct lessons. Zoom’s privacy policy applies to data processed during sessions.
• WordPress / Web hosting provider — for website hosting and the contact form. Data is stored on secure servers.
• Payment processor (e.g. Stripe or PayPal) — for secure payment processing. We never see or store your card details.
• Google Analytics — for anonymous website usage statistics (see Cookies section below).
• Email provider — for sending and receiving lesson-related communications.

All third-party providers we work with are required to handle your data in compliance with applicable data protection laws. We do not transfer your data to countries outside the European Economic Area or the United States without appropriate safeguards in place.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:

• Lesson enquiries and booking records — kept for up to 3 years after your last lesson or contact
• Payment records — kept for 7 years to comply with tax and accounting obligations
• Website analytics data — anonymised and retained for up to 26 months
• Marketing communications — until you withdraw consent or unsubscribe

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at gabriela@spanishfluent.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority — in the EU this is your local Data Protection Authority, in the UK the ICO (ico.org.uk), and in the US your state Attorney General’s office.

8. Cookies Policy

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. SpanishFluent uses cookies to make the website function correctly, to understand how visitors use the site, and to improve the user experience.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small data file placed on your browser by a website you visit. Cookies allow the website to recognise your device on subsequent visits, remember your preferences, and provide analytics to help us improve the site.

Types of cookies we use

Cookie Type	Purpose	Duration	Can you opt out?
Essential	Necessary for the website to function. Includes WordPress session cookies and security tokens. The site cannot work properly without these.	Session / up to 1 year	No — required for basic functionality
Analytics	Google Analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors use the site — pages visited, time on site, traffic sources. All data is anonymised.	Up to 2 years	Yes — via cookie banner or browser settings
Functional	Remember your preferences such as language or form data to improve your experience on return visits.	Up to 1 year	Yes — via cookie banner
Marketing	Used to track visitors across websites to display relevant ads. We currently do not use marketing cookies on this site.	N/A	Not applicable

How to manage cookies

When you first visit spanishfluent.com, a cookie consent banner will ask for your preferences. You can choose to accept or decline non-essential cookies at any time.

You can also manage cookies directly through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View and delete cookies already stored on your device
• Block all cookies or cookies from specific websites
• Set preferences for different types of cookies

Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of this website. For instructions on managing cookies in your browser, visit allaboutcookies.org.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use spanishfluent.com. This service collects anonymised data including pages visited, session duration, and traffic source. We have enabled IP anonymisation so no full IP addresses are stored. To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, you can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

9. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• SSL encryption on all pages of this website (HTTPS)
• Secure, password-protected access to any systems holding personal data
• Use of reputable, GDPR-compliant third-party service providers
• Regular review of data handling practices

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we do everything we can to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you have reason to believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at gabriela@spanishfluent.com.

10. Children’s Privacy

SpanishFluent offers Spanish lessons for students aged 8 and above. When a child under the age of 16 enrols for lessons, we require that the booking is made by a parent or legal guardian on their behalf. We collect the minimum personal data necessary to provide the service, and we do not use children’s data for any purpose other than delivering and administering their lessons.

Parents and guardians can request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child’s data at any time by contacting us at gabriela@spanishfluent.com.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy and Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of spanishfluent.com after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy and Cookies Policy, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

We will acknowledge your request within 5 working days and respond in full within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.