A plain explanation of what this site collects, why, and who to ask if you want something changed or removed. Written to meet the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018 and Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019). Last updated 3 August 2026.
Pattaya Bar Directory (realpattayabars.com) is operated by Matt Goodman, United Kingdom. We're the "data controller" for the personal data described on this page — the party responsible for deciding why and how it's used, and the one you should contact with any question or request about your own data (see "Contact" below).
This site uses Google Analytics (GA4) to see roughly how many people visit and which pages they use. It does not load until you click "Accept" on the cookie banner shown on your first visit — if you click "Decline", or just close the banner, nothing is sent to Google at all. You can change your mind at any time by clearing your browser's site data for this domain, which brings the banner back. Legal basis: your consent — the only thing stored before you accept is your accept/decline choice itself, in your browser's local storage, not a cookie.
When it is running, GA4 records things like which page you're on, roughly which country you're visiting from,
and which button you clicked (for example, viewing an advert or clicking through to a bar's own website) — IP
addresses are truncated before Google stores them (anonymize_ip). It does not know your name,
email, or phone number unless you've separately given us those through one of the forms below. Google
normally keeps this event data for 14 months before automatically deleting it.
| Name | Purpose | Set by | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga, _ga_* | Distinguishes visitors for analytics | Google Analytics (only after you accept) | Up to 2 years |
pbd_analytics_consent | Remembers your accept/decline choice | This site (browser local storage, not a cookie) | Until you clear site data |
This site uses Sentry to catch and log genuine software errors (a page crashing, a broken request) so we can fix bugs — never marketing or behavioural tracking, and it sets no tracking cookie. An error report can include the page URL, browser/device type, and — if you were mid-form — some technical detail about what the page's code was doing when it failed. Legal basis: legitimate interest (keeping the site working). Data is processed by Sentry on servers in the EU (Germany) and kept for up to 90 days.
Several pages on this site ask you to type in real details — this is only ever used to run the directory itself, never sold or handed to a third party for marketing. Legal basis: performing a contract with you (or taking steps towards one, like reviewing a claim before approving it).
None of this is required to simply browse the directory — only used if you choose to submit one of these forms. Sign-in codes and any account-related email are sent via Resend, our transactional email provider.
Photos submitted through a listing, advert, or recommendation form are checked to confirm they're a real image, then stored either on our server or via Cloudflare R2 (a file-hosting service) so pages load quickly. We don't run facial recognition or any other analysis over uploaded images beyond that basic file check.
Claiming a bar, or signing your own bar up, is free — no payment is involved for either. Buying an ad slot, or a Hot Promo boost, is paid for through Stripe. Card details are typed directly into Stripe's own checkout page — this site never sees or stores your card number, expiry date, or CVC. We only keep a record that a payment happened, for billing and support purposes, and for as long as applicable accounting/tax law requires us to keep financial records. Legal basis: performing our contract with you, and our legal obligation to keep accounting records.
Scanning a bar's check-in QR code doesn't need an account. Your device gets a random token stored in your browser (not tied to your name or email) so we can stop the same phone checking in over and over. Your IP address is briefly recorded alongside a check-in purely to stop a burst of fake scans from one source — it isn't linked to any other data we hold about you, and isn't kept beyond what's needed to enforce that short cooldown window. Legal basis: legitimate interest (preventing abuse of the check-in feature).
Only the services that make the site work, each acting as a data processor on our instructions — we don't sell data, and we don't share it with anyone for their own marketing.
| Who | What for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Google (Analytics) | Visitor analytics, only if you accept cookies | US / global |
| Stripe | Payment processing | US / global |
| Cloudflare | Image hosting (R2) and DNS | Global network |
| Resend | Sending sign-in codes and account emails | US |
| Sentry | Error monitoring | EU (Germany) |
Some of these providers are based outside the UK/EEA and Thailand. Where that's the case, they provide their own safeguards for handling the transfer (such as the EU/UK Standard Contractual Clauses) — see each provider's own privacy policy for detail.
Listing, claim, and advert details are kept for as long as the listing itself is live on the directory. If a claim, advert, or bar submission is rejected, we keep the contact details only as long as needed to handle any follow-up, then remove them. If an owner asks us to delete their account, we hold it for a 30-day grace period (in case that was a mistake) and then permanently delete the listing, cancel any subscription, and remove its photos. You can ask us to delete your details sooner — see "Your rights" below.
Under UK and Thai data protection law, you can ask us to:
Get in touch (see "Contact" below) and we'll sort it out directly. If you're not satisfied with our response, you also have the right to complain to a data protection regulator — in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO); in Thailand, the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC).
This site is about bars and nightlife and isn't aimed at, or knowingly used to collect data from, children. If you believe a child has given us personal data, contact us and we'll remove it.
We don't use your data to make any automated decision that has a legal or similarly significant effect on you — for example, listing and advert approvals are reviewed by a person, not a scoring algorithm.
If what this site collects or how it's used changes meaningfully, this page will be updated and the "last updated" date at the top will change.
Questions about this policy, or a request about your own data — email [email protected].