Privacy Policy
Last updated: 21 October 2026
1. Controller
The controller responsible for processing personal data in connection with this website is Guido Zettier, professionally operating as Zettier Sound Design, Lessingstraße 12, 44147 Dortmund, Germany. The legal notice is available in the Imprint. For privacy-related requests, contact post@ruhrsound.de or use the contact details stated in the Imprint. Sound Post Production enquiries are routed to post@ruhrsound.de; Sound Post Supervision enquiries are routed to supervision@ruhrsound.de. The form authenticates to SMTP using the sender mailbox post@ruhrsound.de.
2. Website hosting and server logs
This website is hosted by STRATO. When the website is accessed, the hosting infrastructure may process technical request data, such as the requested page or file, date and time, transfer status and volume, browser and operating-system information, referrer information and IP-related data, in server logs or for security purposes. The exact fields and retention periods depend on STRATO's configuration and applicable policies.
The purposes are to deliver the website, maintain security and stability, and investigate technical faults or misuse. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests in secure and reliable website operation). For more information about STRATO's own processing, please see STRATO's privacy information.
3. Project enquiry form and email delivery
If you submit the project enquiry form, we process the information you enter: name, production company, project title, email address, production type and selected services (required fields are marked with an asterisk), plus any optional phone number, running time, dates, project brief and up to 10 file attachments. Multiple files may be selected; the combined total is limited to 5 MB. Accepted formats are PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, XLS, XLSX and PNG.
The form sends the submission to a server-side script on this website. The script validates the fields, checks a hidden anti-spam field, limits repeated submissions, validates attachment extensions and detected file types, and sends the enquiry as an email through an authenticated, SSL/TLS-encrypted connection to STRATO's SMTP server (smtp.strato.de, port 465). When the form is submitted over HTTPS, the browser-to-website connection is also encrypted using HTTPS/TLS; a valid TLS certificate must be active on the live domain for this protection. The Sound Post Production form is delivered to post@ruhrsound.de and authenticates to SMTP using that mailbox. The Sound Post Supervision form is delivered to supervision@ruhrsound.de and uses that mailbox for separate SMTP authentication. The server selects the recipient and matching sender mailbox from a fixed allowlist; visitors cannot enter or override either address. Both addresses must be configured as independent mailboxes with SMTP login enabled by the mail provider. The corresponding passwords are stored in separate server-side configuration files and are not publicly served. The form script does not save the enquiry or attached files in a website database or permanent website upload folder. Each file is processed temporarily to include it in the email.
Confidentiality and purpose of attachments: We treat documents submitted with a project enquiry as confidential. We use them only to review the enquiry and, where appropriate, prepare a proposal or quotation. We do not publish the documents, use them for marketing, or use them for unrelated purposes. Substantive access is limited to people involved in assessing and responding to the enquiry. STRATO and the email systems needed to transmit and receive the message also process the files as service providers. The form handles files temporarily to attach them to the enquiry email; it does not save them in a website database or permanent upload folder.
The message and any attached files are then handled by the email systems and mailboxes involved in delivery and receipt. They may be stored in those mailboxes or in provider-managed backups according to the applicable settings and retention rules. The browser-to-website connection is protected by HTTPS/TLS when a valid certificate is active, and the website's SMTP connection to STRATO uses SSL/TLS. Ordinary email after hand-off is not end-to-end encrypted by this website. Please attach only documents relevant to the enquiry and do not include passwords or unrelated sensitive personal data.
To reduce spam and misuse, the form limits submissions to four per request IP within a 15-minute window. The script stores a hash derived from the IP address and timestamps in temporary server storage for this rate-limiting purpose; the script's rate-limit mechanism does not write the un-hashed IP address. Timestamps older than 15 minutes are ignored on a subsequent request. Temporary files may remain until a later request or server-side cleanup. This anti-abuse processing is based on Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, our legitimate interest in protecting the form and website from spam and misuse. STRATO may separately process technical request information in server logs as described above.
Where an enquiry relates to a contract or steps before entering into a contract, the legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR. For other enquiries, the legal basis is generally Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, namely our legitimate interest in responding to communications and evaluating project enquiries. We retain correspondence only for as long as needed to handle the enquiry and any resulting business relationship or legal claims; statutory retention duties remain unaffected.
You may also contact us directly by email. In that case, we process the details and content of your message to respond and handle any follow-up. Providing optional information or attaching files is voluntary. If required fields are not provided, we may not be able to process the form submission.
4. Cookies, analytics and local scripts
The website is built from static HTML, CSS, local project data and scripts needed for the site's functions, including the project gallery and enquiry form. It is not configured to use analytics services, advertising pixels, tracking cookies, user accounts or third-party web fonts. When switching between language versions, a small sessionStorage entry may temporarily preserve the approximate scroll position; it is removed shortly afterwards and is not used for analytics or profiling. It does not automatically embed or load IMDb pages when you view a project. Any technical logs or temporary processing used by the hosting and form-security infrastructure are described above.
5. External links, including IMDb
Project titles, the IMDb credits link and certain other links on this website lead to external websites. These include IMDb film/title pages or searches and the Zettier Sound Design website at sounddesign.de. They are ordinary links; the external websites are not embedded in this site and are not contacted merely because you view a RUHRSOUND POST page. When you click a link, your browser connects to the destination and the destination may receive technical request data such as your IP address, browser/device information, the requested URL and date/time. Outgoing links are configured with noreferrer where applicable to prevent the referring page from being sent in the HTTP referrer header, but this does not prevent the destination from receiving ordinary connection data.
After you follow an external link, that provider's own privacy terms apply. See IMDb's Privacy Notice for information about IMDb's processing. We do not send the contents of your project enquiry to IMDb through these links.
6. Recipients and international transfers
Depending on the relevant interaction, recipients may include STRATO as website hosting and email service provider, the mailboxes and email systems involved in delivering and receiving your enquiry, and an external website you choose to visit by clicking a link. We do not sell personal data or intentionally disclose project enquiry content to IMDb or other linked sites. An external provider may process access data under its own terms, including in countries outside the European Economic Area; consult that provider's privacy notice for details.
7. Retention
We keep enquiry emails and related correspondence only as long as necessary to respond, manage any resulting project or contract, comply with statutory record-keeping obligations, or establish, exercise or defend legal claims. Technical server logs and the form's temporary rate-limit files are handled according to the hosting configuration and the temporary security function described above. Actual retention periods can vary with provider settings and legal obligations.
8. Your rights
Subject to the conditions in the GDPR, you may have the right to access personal data, request rectification or erasure, restrict processing, receive data portability where applicable, and object to processing based on legitimate interests. Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time with effect for the future. To exercise your rights, contact post@ruhrsound.de or the contact address in the Imprint.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority. In North Rhine-Westphalia, this includes the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of North Rhine-Westphalia (LDI NRW).
9. Automated decisions and required information
You are not required to provide personal data simply to view this website. The fields marked with an asterisk and at least one selected service are needed to submit a project enquiry. Optional fields and file attachments can be left blank. We do not use the information submitted through this form for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
10. Updates to this policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated if the website, hosting or email configuration, external links or applicable requirements change. The published version should be reviewed whenever such changes occur.