Privacy Policy

At The Waterways Trust, accessible at thewaterwaystrust.com, we are committed to the highest standards of privacy and data protection. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, process, store, and protect your personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”), the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), and other applicable data privacy laws.

1. Commitment to Privacy and Data Protection

The Waterways Trust values the trust you place in us and is fully committed to safeguarding your privacy. We ensure all personal information is handled with care, integrity, transparency, and in compliance with data protection laws. We collect only what is necessary, protect it appropriately, and use it solely for fully disclosed and legitimate purposes.

2. Scope of Policy and Data Controller Role

This Privacy Policy applies to all data collected through your use of the website thewaterwaystrust.com and our associated services. The Waterways Trust acts as the “Controller” of your personal data as defined by GDPR, determining the purposes and methods of data processing. For queries about this policy or your personal information, you may contact us at: [email protected].

3. Categories of Data We Process

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

a. Usage Data: Includes details about how you use our website, including IP address, browser type, device identifiers, language preferences, access times, and referring website addresses.

b. Account Data: Includes your name, email address, postal address, phone number, and other contact details you provide when creating an account or communicating with us.

c. Profile Data: Information about your interests, preferences, purchases, feedback, survey responses, and behavior on our platform.

d. Communication Data: Includes records of your communication with our customer support and any messages or inquiries sent through our contact forms or direct correspondence.

e. Technical Data: Includes system and device information such as your operating system, device type, screen resolution, internet service provider, configuration settings, and diagnostic data.

f. Transaction Data: Includes payment details, billing history, transactional communications, and delivery information when you engage in purchasing activities on thewaterwaystrust.com.

g. Preference Data: Data relating to your marketing preferences, newsletter subscriptions, and interests in specific products, events, or services.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases as stipulated under GDPR and recognized under CCPA:

– Consent: When you provide consent, for example by subscribing to newsletters or accepting non-essential cookies.
– Contractual necessity: When processing is required to fulfill a contract with you, such as processing a purchase or delivering a service.
– Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary for compliance with legal or regulatory requirements.
– Legitimate interest: Where we have a genuine business interest that does not override your rights and freedoms, such as enhancing website security, improving user experience, or fraud prevention.

5. Your Rights

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

– Right of Access: Obtain confirmation about whether we process your data and access a copy of the data.
– Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
– Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
– Right to Restriction: Ask us to limit processing where applicable.
– Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and transmit it to another controller.
– Right to Object: Object to the processing of your data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

6. Security Measures

We implement robust technical and organizational safeguards to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures include but are not limited to:

– Industry-standard encryption protocols for data transfer and storage
– Role-based access control across systems
– Regular security audits and data protection training for staff
– Secure backup and disaster recovery procedures

While we strive to protect your data, no system can be 100% secure. We encourage users to remain vigilant online.

7. International Data Transfers

Your personal data may be processed or stored in countries outside your country of residence, including jurisdictions that may not afford the same data protection laws as your own. In such cases, we ensure adequate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, are in place to protect your data and uphold your rights.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including:

– Usage and Technical Data: Retained for up to 12 months to support analytics and diagnostic purposes.
– Account and Transaction Data: Retained for at least 6 years to comply with financial and legal recordkeeping obligations.
– Communication & Support Data: Retained for 3 years from date of last contact.
– Preference and Marketing Data: Retained until withdrawal of consent or for up to 2 years from last engagement.

After the applicable retention periods, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

9. Cookie Policy

We use cookies and similar technologies on thewaterwaystrust.com to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us understand how you interact with our website.

We use the following categories of cookies:

– Essential Cookies: Necessary for providing core website functionality and security.
– Functional Cookies: Remember user preferences such as language and region.
– Analytics Cookies: Gather anonymized data for understanding visitor interactions (e.g., Google Analytics).
– Performance Cookies: Monitor and improve the performance of our website and services.

10. Cookie Management and Compliance with GDPR and CCPA

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. When accessing thewaterwaystrust.com for the first time, you will receive a clear cookie banner requesting your consent to non-essential cookies in accordance with GDPR requirements.

California residents may also exercise their CCPA rights, including opting out of the sale or sharing of personal data. We do not sell personal data.

To modify your cookie preferences or to update your consent choices, access the cookie settings tool available on our website at any time.

11. Children’s Privacy Protection

The Waterways Trust does not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 13. If we learn we have inadvertently collected such data, we will promptly delete it. Parents and legal guardians who believe their child has submitted data to us without consent are encouraged to contact us.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, regulatory requirements, or technological advancements. Any material updates will be communicated via the website or email where appropriate. Continued use of thewaterwaystrust.com following changes to the Privacy Policy constitutes acceptance of those changes.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact:

The Waterways Trust
Email: [email protected]
Website: thewaterwaystrust.com

Our team is committed to addressing your concerns in a prompt, respectful, and privacy-respecting manner.

We fully comply with GDPR, CCPA, and all applicable data protection laws. Thank you for trusting The Waterways Trust with your personal information.