Who is responsible
Fluent in Tech is the coaching practice of Mark Parfenov, operating as a sole proprietorship in the United States. Mark is the data controller for the personal data described here. For any privacy question or request, email mark.parfenov@gmail.com.
The short version
- This site uses no cookies and no advertising trackers. Visits are counted with privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics.
- Fonts and images are served from this site, not from third parties.
- The video only loads from YouTube (in its privacy-enhanced mode) when you press play.
- Personal data is only collected when you contact Mark, book a call, join the email list, take part in coaching or pay — and it is never sold.
What is collected and why
Visiting the website
The site is hosted by Vercel. Like any web server, it processes technical data such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested, to deliver the site and protect it against abuse. This is necessary for the site to work and is based on legitimate interests (GDPR Article 6(1)(f)).
Visitor statistics
The site uses Vercel Web Analytics to count visits: which pages are viewed, the referring website, and the visitor’s country, browser and device type. It sets no cookies and doesn’t store IP addresses or identify you across websites or across days. The data is used only in aggregate, to understand which pages are useful. Legal basis: legitimate interests in running and improving the site (Article 6(1)(f)).
Settings saved in your browser
If you choose to see prices in US dollars or euros, that choice is saved in your browser’s local storage, together with the latest exchange rate, so the site remembers it on your next visit. The exchange rate comes from the European Central Bank through this site’s own server; nothing about you is sent with it. After you download a program guide, your browser also remembers for that visit that you’ve seen the consultation offer, so it isn’t shown again. None of this is a cookie, none of it is sent to Mark, and you can clear it at any time in your browser settings.
Contacting Mark
The message form on the booking page does not send anything to this website. It opens your own email app with your message filled in, and nothing is sent until you press send there. When you email Mark, your name, email address and message are received in his Gmail account and used to reply and to prepare for a first call. Legal basis: steps taken at your request before entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) and legitimate interests in answering enquiries (Article 6(1)(f)).
Joining the email list
If you sign up for new guides, your email address is stored together with the date, the page you signed up on and the wording you agreed to, so there is a record of your consent. It is used only to send you new guides and occasional coaching tips from Fluent in Tech, and it is never shared or sold. The list is stored in a Neon Postgres database hosted in the United States (Washington, D.C. region). Legal basis: your consent (Article 6(1)(a)), which you can withdraw at any time.
To unsubscribe, use the unsubscribe link in any email or email mark.parfenov@gmail.com. Your address is then marked as unsubscribed so you won’t be emailed again; if you’d like it deleted completely, just say so.
Requesting a consultation after downloading a guide
Program guides download freely. Afterwards, you can choose to leave your email address to request a free consultation. If you do, your email, the guide you downloaded and the page you were on are stored in the same Neon Postgres database, and used only to contact you about that consultation — not added to the email list. Legal basis: steps taken at your request before entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b)). Requests that don’t lead to coaching are deleted within 12 months.
Booking a call
The booking calendar is provided by Google Calendar. When you book, Google collects the details you enter (such as your name, email address and any notes) and shares them with Mark so the call can take place. Sessions run on Google Meet. Legal basis: steps taken at your request before entering into a contract, and performance of the coaching contract (Article 6(1)(b)).
Coaching sessions
To coach you well, Mark keeps notes on your goals, progress and the material you choose to share, such as a CV, a job description or a presentation. Please don’t share confidential information belonging to your employer. Sessions are not recorded unless you ask for a recording. Legal basis: performance of the coaching contract (Article 6(1)(b)).
Payments and invoices
Payments are handled by the provider you choose — Stripe, PayPal, Wise, Revolut, Zelle, a bank, or a crypto wallet or exchange. Mark receives confirmation of payment and the details needed for an invoice (such as your name, company and billing address); card numbers are never shared with him. Invoices and payment records are kept to meet tax and accounting obligations (Article 6(1)(c)).
Reviews
Reviews shown on this site come from public reviews that clients left on Preply, italki and Superprof, and are shown with a first name only. If you’d like your review removed from this site, email Mark and it will be taken down.
Who else processes your data
Mark uses these services to run the practice. Each processes data under its own privacy terms:
- Vercel — website hosting and visitor statistics
- Neon — database for the email list and consultation requests
- Cloudflare — domain name service (DNS)
- Google — email, calendar booking, video calls and, when you press play, YouTube
- Payment providers — the one you choose: Stripe, PayPal, Wise, Revolut, Zelle, your bank or a crypto service
Links to LinkedIn, Preply, italki and Superprof take you to those sites, which have their own privacy policies.
International transfers
Some of these providers are based in, or process data in, the United States and other countries outside the UK and the European Economic Area. Where that happens, transfers rely on the safeguards the providers offer, such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (and its UK extension) or Standard Contractual Clauses.
How long data is kept
- Enquiries that don’t lead to coaching: deleted within 12 months.
- Email list: kept until you unsubscribe; on request, your address is deleted completely.
- Coaching notes and materials: kept while you’re a client and deleted within 12 months after your last session, unless you ask for earlier deletion.
- Invoices and payment records: kept for as long as tax and accounting law requires.
Your rights
Under the GDPR and UK GDPR you can ask to access your personal data, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to how it is used, or receive a copy in a portable format. Where processing relies on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. To make a request, email mark.parfenov@gmail.com — you’ll get a reply within one month.
You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority: in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk); in the EU, the authority in the country where you live or work.
Children
Coaching is offered to adults. This site is not directed at children under 16, and their data is not knowingly collected.
Changes to this policy
If the way personal data is handled changes — for example, if cookies or advertising tools are ever added to this site — this page will be updated first, and consent will be asked for where the law requires it.