Effective Date: June 16, 2026
Animal Culture Observatory ("we," "us," or "our") operates https://animalculture.org/ (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information.
1. Information We Collect
We aim to collect as little information as possible. The only personal information we collect is what you voluntarily provide to us through our contact form, which may include:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Any other information you choose to include in your message
We do not require you to create an account or provide any other personal details to browse the Site.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information you submit through the contact form solely to:
- Respond to your inquiry or message
- Follow up on related correspondence
- Keep a record of our communication
We do not sell, rent, or share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.
3. Legal Basis for Processing (EU/UK Visitors)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR:
- Consent: By submitting the contact form, you consent to us processing the information you provide in order to respond to you.
- Legitimate interests: For basic technical logs collected by our hosting provider (see Section 5), we rely on our legitimate interest in maintaining a secure and functional website.
You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us (see Section 9).
4. Data Retention
We retain contact form submissions only for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry and maintain reasonable records of our correspondence. You may request deletion at any time.
5. Third-Party Services
Our Site is built and hosted using Webstudio (https://webstudio.is). Webstudio's hosting infrastructure may automatically log certain non-personal technical information when you visit the Site, such as:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device and operating system
- Date and time of access
- Referring website
This data is processed by our hosting provider for standard purposes such as security, performance, and abuse prevention. Please refer to Webstudio's privacy policy for details.
Contact form submissions may be processed and delivered via Webstudio's form handling service and/or our email provider. These providers may temporarily process your submission in order to deliver it to us.
6. Cookies and Tracking
We do not use analytics tools, advertising trackers, or marketing cookies. Some strictly necessary cookies may be set by our hosting provider for the Site to function properly.
7. International Data Transfers
If you are submitting information from the EEA or UK, please be aware that your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your own, including the United States. Where required, we and our service providers rely on appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses to protect your information.
8. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Access: Request a copy of the information we hold about you
- Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate information
- Erasure: Request that we delete your information
- Restriction: Request that we limit how we use your information
- Objection: Object to our processing of your information
- Data portability: Request a copy of your information in a portable format
- Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
EU/UK residents also have the right to lodge a complaint with their local data protection authority.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.
9. Children's Privacy
Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EU), and we do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us so we can delete it.
10. Links to Other Sites
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised "Effective Date."
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at:
Animal Culture Observatory
Email: [email protected]
