Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
This privacy policy describes how the Leiden Cell Observatory (LCO) website collects and processes information when you visit leiden-cell-observatory.github.io.
Who we are
The Leiden Cell Observatory is a shared research support infrastructure of Leiden University, operated jointly by the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), and the Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC).
Contact: cellobservatory@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Website analytics
We use Umami Analytics to help us understand how visitors interact with our website so we can improve our content and services.
What Umami does
Umami is a privacy-focused, open-source analytics tool. It is designed to be a less privacy-invasive alternative to tools such as Google Analytics.
- No cookies are used. Umami does not place any cookies in your browser.
- No cross-site tracking. Your activity on this website is not linked to your activity on any other website.
- No personal profiles are built.
Data processed
When you visit a page on this website, Umami may process the following data:
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Anonymised/hashed IP address | To estimate general geographic location (country level) and to de-duplicate page visits within a session. The raw IP address is never stored. |
| Browser type and version | To understand which browsers our visitors use |
| Operating system | To ensure cross-platform compatibility |
| Device type | To optimise the layout for desktop, tablet, and mobile |
| Referring URL | To understand how visitors find our website |
| Pages visited and time on page | To understand which content is most useful |
What we do not collect
- Name, e-mail address, or any other directly identifying information
- Precise location data
- Persistent identifiers or fingerprints that follow you across sessions or websites
Legal basis
We process the above data under Legitimate Interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). Our legitimate interest is the need to maintain and improve a publicly accessible scientific resource. Because Umami does not use cookies, does not track individuals across websites, and anonymises IP addresses, this use of analytics has minimal privacy impact.
You have the right to object to this processing. However, as Umami does not store persistent identifiers, we are generally unable to identify specific users in order to exclude them from aggregated statistics.
Data retention
Analytics data is retained for the retention period that applies to our Umami Cloud subscription, after which it is deleted by Umami. We do not retain a separate copy. Because no personal data is stored in identifiable form, there is nothing to delete on an individual basis.
Data processor
We use the hosted version of Umami, operated by Umami Software, Inc. (United States), which acts as our data processor. When you load a page, your browser contacts Umami's servers and your IP address is transmitted to them in order to be hashed; the raw IP address is not stored.
This involves a transfer of data to a third country outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Further information is available in the Umami privacy policy.
Hosting
This website is hosted on GitHub Pages (GitHub, Inc., a subsidiary of Microsoft). When you visit the site, GitHub processes your IP address to deliver the requested content. This processing is necessary for the technical operation of the website.
GitHub Pages is a US-based service. Visiting this website therefore involves a transfer of data to a third country outside the European Economic Area (EEA). GitHub (Microsoft) is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, for which the European Commission has adopted an adequacy decision under Article 45 GDPR. For more details, please see the GitHub Privacy Statement.
Fonts, scripts, and other third-party content
This website does not load webfonts, scripts, or stylesheets from third-party content delivery networks such as Google Fonts or unpkg. All fonts and scripts are either served from this website itself or taken from the fonts already installed on your device.
One exception: the microscope tiles page embeds public gallery views from Baserow (Baserow B.V., the Netherlands). If you open that page, your IP address is transmitted to Baserow so the embedded content can be displayed. Baserow is established within the EEA, so no third-country transfer is involved.
Other pages link to external services (for example YouTube videos, booking systems, or institutional pages of Leiden University). Those services apply their own privacy policies, and only receive data if you follow the link.
Your rights under GDPR
Under the GDPR, you have rights including access, rectification, and erasure of your personal data. Because our analytics setup is designed to be anonymous and does not store identifiable data, we are typically unable to link specific analytics data to an individual user.
If you wish to exercise your rights or have questions or concerns, please contact us. Please note we may require additional information to identify which data (if any) pertains to you.
cellobservatory@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy periodically. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes.
License
All other content on this website is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.