Last updated: June 2026
Data controller
Piercing Reference (piercingreference.org). For any question about your data, use the contact form.
Data collected and why
We only collect what is strictly necessary:
- Visitors without an account : anonymous, aggregated statistics via Umami Analytics (no personal identifier, no tracking cookie).
- User account : email address (authentication), username (shown on contributions), age confirmation (the "I am 18 or older" checkbox). We do not collect your date of birth.
- Voluntary contributions : piercer experience reports (username + avatar at submission time), piercing reactions, community photos.
- Piercer listing : professional information entered voluntarily (name, city, country, website, photo).
Legal basis for processing
We process your data on the following legal bases: performance of the service you request (creating and managing your account, community features), your consent (e.g. to publish photos or enable the display of adult-only content), and our legitimate interest in keeping the site secure and moderating content. Audience statistics are anonymous and do not require consent.
Minimum age and age confirmation
Minimum age: creating an account is restricted to people aged 13 or older (a mandatory checkbox at sign-up). We do not store your date of birth: only your self-declared age group, as simple boolean flags (minor / adult). These flags are used for access to adult-only content (genital piercings) and to apply rules protecting minors. This declaration on your honour is in line with standard practice for adult-content platforms in Europe.
Cookies
Strictly functional cookies only: login session and language preference. Our analytics (Umami) works without cookies. No advertising or third-party tracking cookies.
Hosting and processors
Data is hosted in the European Union. Our processors: Vercel (CDN/server, EU region), Supabase (database and authentication, EU region), Infomaniak (sending authentication emails, Switzerland — a country recognised as adequate by the European Commission) and Umami (anonymous audience statistics, cookie-free). These providers are subject to the GDPR or an equivalent level of protection and only use your data to provide their service.
Your rights (GDPR)
You have the following rights over your data:
- Right of access : your data is visible in your account area.
- Right to erasure : from your account, you can permanently delete your profile. This immediately removes your account, your reactions and your photos, and anonymises your experience reports (username and avatar are replaced by "Deleted user"). Any piercer listing you created remains visible but is no longer linked to your identity.
- Right to rectification : you can change your username and avatar from your account area.
- Right to object : you can stop using the site at any time.
For any request you cannot perform yourself, contact us via the contact form. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority of your country (in France, the CNIL).
Retention period
Account data is kept as long as the account is active. Umami statistics are anonymous and aggregated — they cannot identify you.