Privacy Policy – ultimatecharityauction.com
1. Introduction
At ultimatecharityauction.com, we are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. We recognize the importance of transparency, accountability, and data stewardship. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit or engage with our website and services. We are committed to handling your data in compliance with all applicable data protection regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
2. Scope of Policy and Data Controller Role
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data collected through or by ultimatecharityauction.com. For purposes of data protection laws, the data controller responsible for your personal information is:
Ultimate Charity Auction
Email: [email protected]
By using our website or submitting information via ultimatecharityauction.com, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
3. Categories of Data Processed
We may collect, use, store, and transfer the following categories of personal data:
a) Usage Data
This includes information about how you interact with ultimatecharityauction.com:
– Browser type and version
– IP address
– Time zone settings
– Pages visited
– Referring website addresses
– Duration of page views and session times
– Clickstream behavior and scrolling activity
b) Account Data
Information provided when you register or maintain an account with us, such as:
– Full name
– Email address
– Postal address
– Phone number
– Account credentials (e.g., username)
c) Profile Data
Includes data collected or inferred through activity on ultimatecharityauction.com, including:
– Purchase history
– Bidding behavior
– Profile preferences
– Communication preferences
d) Communication Data
Information related to interactions via our support channels or general inquiries, such as:
– Any emails, messages, or requests you send to us
– Responses provided by our support and service teams
– Internal notes generated during support processes
e) Technical Data
Details about the devices and software used to access our website:
– Device type and model
– Operating system and platform
– Internet service provider
– System configuration details
f) Transaction Data
Details relating to donations, purchases, and other financial transactions:
– Payment card details (processed via secure third parties)
– Billing and delivery addresses
– Order history and donation details
g) Preference Data
This includes your consents and selections regarding:
– Email subscriptions
– SMS messages
– Targeted advertisements
– Auction or product interest categories
4. Legal Bases for Processing
We rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal data:
– Performance of a Contract: Where it is necessary to provide services you have requested or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.
– Consent: When you have provided explicit permission for specific processing activities.
– Legitimate Interests: For purposes such as improving the user experience, website analytics, fraud prevention, and conducting customer service.
– Legal Obligations: To comply with relevant financial, tax, anti-fraud, and regulatory requirements.
5. Your Rights
Subject to applicable laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
– Right of Access – Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
– Right to Rectification – Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data.
– Right to Erasure – Request deletion of your data, subject to retention requirements.
– Right to Restrict Processing – Request limitation on how we process your data.
– Right to Data Portability – Request to receive your data in a structured, commonly used machine-readable format.
– Right to Withdraw Consent – Withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
– Right to Object – Object to processing carried out in our legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to all lawful requests within the timeframes required by regulation.
6. Security Measures
We implement a range of organizational and technical safeguards to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:
– End-to-end encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest
– Role-based access control for system administrators and authorized personnel
– Regular security audits and penetration testing
– Multi-factor authentication protocols
– Secure backups with access logging
– Ongoing staff training on data protection principles
Despite our best efforts, no system can be guaranteed 100% secure; therefore, users share information at their own risk.
7. International Transfers
We may transfer your data to service providers and partners located outside your country or jurisdiction. In such cases, we implement appropriate safeguards:
– Use of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
– Verification of Privacy Shield or equivalent certification where applicable
– Direct contracts ensuring adequate data protection measures and accountability
8. Data Retention
We retain personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including:
– Account Data & Profile Data: Retained while your account remains active and for up to 6 years after inactivity.
– Transaction Data: Retained for 7 years to comply with financial regulations.
– Communication Data: Stored for 3 years after resolution of your inquiry or the last recorded interaction.
– Technical & Usage Data: Retained for 18 months for analysis and performance monitoring.
– Marketing Preference Data: Retained until unsubscribed or until consent is withdrawn.
When data is no longer required, we permanently delete or anonymize it in a secure manner.
9. Cookie Policy
ultimatecharityauction.com uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance website performance and user experience. Categories include:
– Essential Cookies: Required for basic website functionality.
– Functional Cookies: Remember your choices and personalization settings.
– Performance Cookies: Collect anonymized data about site usage for analytics.
– Analytics Cookies: Help us understand user engagement and improve services (e.g., Google Analytics).
10. Cookie Management and Compliance
Upon your first visit to ultimatecharityauction.com, we display a cookie consent banner in accordance with GDPR and CCPA requirements, enabling you to:
– Accept all cookies
– Decline non-essential cookies
– Customize cookie preferences through a user-controlled settings panel
You may also manage your cookie settings directly via your browser preferences. Opting out of certain cookies may impact the functionality of our services.
11. Children’s Privacy
ultimatecharityauction.com does not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from children under the age of 13. If we learn that we have collected data from a child under this age without verified parental consent, we will delete such information promptly. Parents and guardians who become aware of unauthorized data collection should contact us immediately at [email protected].
12. Policy Updates and Notifications
We reserve the right to modify or update this Privacy Policy at our discretion. Any changes will be posted on ultimatecharityauction.com and, where appropriate, we will notify users via email or on-site notifications. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted will constitute your acknowledgment and acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, you may contact our Privacy Officer at:
Email: [email protected]
We are committed to fully complying with applicable data protection laws and honoring your rights. If you believe your privacy rights have not been properly observed, please reach out — your trust is of paramount importance to us.