Updated on 4 November 2026.
In short: we collect only the data we need, we never sell it, we never use it for advertising, and we delete it when you ask.
1. Who we are
UrbanKID.ro is a family website, written by Mihai and Dana since 2009. UrbanKID is not a company: the data controller is Mihai Dragomirescu, as a private individual. For any question about your data, write to hello@urbankid.ro.
2. What we collect and why
Newsletter. Your email address and, if you give it, your name. We use them only to send you the newsletter, in the language of the page you subscribed from. Legal basis: your consent. You can unsubscribe from any email.
Pen-pals (#UrbanKidPenPal). The writer’s name, date of birth, gender, languages, interests, city, country, postal address, the name of the adult who looks after the letters, and an email address. We use them to find a suitable pen-pal and to send the family we matched you with (and you theirs) the name, age, languages, interests, postal address and the adult’s name. For children, the data is sent by a parent or guardian. Legal basis: the consent given in the form.
The globe on the pen-pal page publicly shows, without names or addresses: the city (with the dot moved slightly so it never points to a house), the country, gender, age, the month of sign-up, and whether the person already has a pen-pal.
The emails we send. We see whether an email was delivered, opened, or whether a button in it was pressed, so we know a match really reached you.
Contact forms and comments. What you write, your name and email, so we can reply. Comments are checked for spam by Akismet.
Visit statistics. We count visits with WP Statistics, on our own server, without cookies and with your IP address anonymised. Google Analytics sets cookies only if you agree in the cookie banner; without your consent it receives only anonymous signals, without cookies.
3. Who we share data with
The family we matched you with, only the data above, so you can write to each other. And the providers that keep the site running, only as much as needed:
- hosting: Hetzner, with the server in Germany;
- email: Resend (USA), with the safeguards GDPR requires for transfers outside the EU;
- the position on the globe: OpenStreetMap (Nominatim), which receives only the city and country;
- statistics, only with your consent: Google Analytics (Google Ireland);
- comment spam checks: Akismet (Automattic).
We do not sell data and do not use it for advertising.
4. How long we keep data
- Pen-pals: for as long as you take part. We delete it whenever you ask, from the “Delete my data” link in any #UrbanKidPenPal email or at hello@urbankid.ro.
- Sign-ups whose email address was never confirmed: deleted after 30 days.
- Sign-ups from 2016–2018 with no answer after the invitation and reminder of November 2026: deleted on 4 December 2026.
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe.
5. Cookies
uk_consent: remembers your choice in the cookie banner (1 year). Necessary.pll_language: remembers the site language (1 year). Necessary._ga,_ga_*: Google Analytics, only if you accept (up to 2 years).
You can change your choice at any time from the “Cookie settings” link at the bottom of the page.
6. Your rights
You have the right to see the data we hold about you, to correct it, delete it, receive it in a portable format, restrict its use and withdraw your consent at any time. Write to hello@urbankid.ro and we will reply within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the Romanian data protection authority, ANSPDCP (dataprotection.ro), or to the authority in your own country.
7. Children
For children, only a parent or guardian can sign up for pen-pals. We do not verify the identity of participants; we only check that the email address is real. An adult reads children’s letters before they are sent.
8. Changes
If we change anything important, we update this page and the date at the top.