Privacy Policy

This privacy policy covers the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) website at www.ghostgear.org. The GGGI is managed by Ocean Conservancy. GGGI respects the privacy of all visitors to its website and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is kept securely.

1 - WHO WE ARE

The GGGI is a collaborative project run by Ocean Conservancy, based in Washington, D.C., USA. In its capacity as host organization for the GGGI, Ocean Conservancy will, from time to time, will be the controller of your personal information in accordance with the policy outlined below.

2 - WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

We may obtain your personal information from a number of sources:

  • When you provide it directly - for example, when you communicate with us and provide us with your contact details (such as email address) or when you sign up to our newsletter.

  • When we obtain it indirectly - for example, when an organization partners with us, they may provide us with your name, job title, email address and telephone number as point of contact for the organization.

  • When you visit our website - we automatically collect certain technical information such as IP address, pages viewed and files downloaded. This helps us to monitor the site’s performance, determine how many people visit the site, identify what pages are most popular, and how regularly people visit.

3 - WHEN WE WILL GET IN TOUCH

When you give us your contact details, you may receive follow up information from us directly, including newsletters designed to assist with your involvement in the initiative (e.g. as stakeholders).

If at any time you wish to stop or change how we communicate with you, or update the information we hold, please do get in touch us using the contact details in section 12 below.

4 - WHAT DO WE DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To provide you with the information or services you have requested, and communicate with you in general;

  • To analyze, evaluate and improve our work, projects, services, activities or information;

  • To provide updates on our work;

  • To allow you to participate in the interactive features of our website;

  • To send users communications with regards to our projects and conferences, where it is lawful for us to do so;

  • To recruit and communicate with stakeholders and project partners/members;

  • To ensure we are not contacting people who have told us not to;

  • To conduct administrative tasks;

  • To satisfy legal obligations which are binding on us;

  • For research purposes;

  • For the prevention of fraud or misuse of services; and

  • For the establishment, defence or enforcement of legal claims.

5 - LAWFUL PROCESSING

We are required to rely on one or more lawful grounds to collect and use the personal information that we have outlined above. We consider the grounds listed below to be relevant:

Legitimate interests: Applicable law allows us to collect and use personal information for our or another person’s legitimate interests, provided the use of your personal information is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact your rights.

We rely on this ground to process your personal information when we believe that it is more practical or appropriate than asking for your consent. Where you contact us, we will rely on the legitimate interest ground to communicate with you in most instances.

Consent: Where we ask for your consent for our use of your personal information for a specific purpose. You always have the right to withdraw your consent.

Contract: Where it is necessary to use your personal information to fulfil a contract with you or to take steps at your request prior to entering into one.

Legal obligation: Where the processing of your personal information is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

6 - DISCLOSURE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

As an initiative with partners and offices situated throughout the world, it will from time to time be necessary to pass your information between overseas offices and between partner organizations (for more information see https://www.ghostgear.org/members/). This will generally only be as far as necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy.

The personal information we hold about you will be provided to our staff and volunteers who require it in connection with our work and services.

We may disclose your personal information to selected third party processors for the purposes outlined in this privacy policy. The third party in question will be required to use any personal information they receive in accordance with our instructions.

We reserve the right to disclose your personal information to third parties:

  • in the event that we buy or sell any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your lawfully collected personal information to the prospective buyer or seller of such business or assets;

  • if substantially all of our assets are acquired by a third party, personal information held by us may be one of the transferred assets;

  • with our professional advisors e.g. lawyers,  where necessary to protect our interests;

  • if we are under any legal or regulatory obligation to do so; and

  • in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.

Otherwise we will generally ask for your consent before we share your personal information with a third party.

7 - INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

As we operate globally, it is possible that personal information we collect from you will be transferred to and stored in a location outside the United States.

Please note that certain countries outside of the United States have a lower standard of protection for personal information, including lower security protections and fewer rights for individuals. Where your personal information is transferred, stored, and/or otherwise processed outside the United States in a country which does not offer an equivalent standard of protection, we will take all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that the information remains subject to appropriate safeguards. If you have any questions about the transfer of your personal information, please contact us using the details in section 12.

8 - HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We will keep your personal information only for as long as required in connection with the purposes for which it was collected and/or is used, including to manage your ongoing involvement in the initiative. However, in some circumstances we may keep your personal information for longer periods, for instance where we are required to do so in accordance with legal or regulatory requirements, such as tax and accounting.

In specific circumstances we may also retain your personal information for longer so that we have an accurate record of your dealings with us in the event of any complaints or challenges.

If you would like further information about this, please contact us using the details in section 12.

9 - COOKIES

We use cookies when you visit our website. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device by websites that you visit. They are used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently (e.g. by recognising a user’s device), as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.

You can find out more about cookies at www.allaboutcookies.org.

The GGGI website uses the following types of cookies:

  • Strictly necessary cookies: These cookies are essential for the user to move around the website and to use its features

  • Performance cookies: These cookies collect information about how the user makes use of the site, e.g. which pages the user visits most.

  • Functionality cookies: These cookies remember choices made by the user and enhance the features, e.g. language or users location. This cookie is also used to remember a user’s preferences for a font size, or customizable parts of a web page.

Most web browsers accept cookies by default, but allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. What you are able to do depends on which browser you are using. If you do not accept our use of cookies as set out above, please set your browser to reject cookies, using its settings/preferences options.

10 - YOUR RIGHTS

When we use your personal information you have the right to:

  • Ask us for confirmation of what personal information we hold about you, and to request access to a copy of that information. If we are satisfied that you have a right to see this personal information, and we are able to confirm your identity, we will provide you with this personal information.

  • Request that we erase the personal information we hold about you, as far as we are legally required to do so.

  • Ask that we correct any personal information that we hold about you which you believe to be inaccurate.

  • Object to the processing of your personal information where we: (i) process on the basis of the legitimate interests ground; (ii) use the personal information for direct marketing; or (iii) use the personal information for research purposes.

  • Ask for the provision of your personal information in a machine-readable format (the data portability right) to either yourself or a third party, provided that the personal information in question has been provided to us by you, and is being processed by us: (i) in reliance on your consent; or (ii) because it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party; and in either instance, we are processing it using automated means.

  • Ask for processing of your personal information to be restricted if there is disagreement about its accuracy or legitimate usage.

The rights above are subject to exemptions which we may apply in certain circumstances. They can be exercised by contacting us using the details in section 12.

11 - UPDATING THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this privacy policy. If we update this privacy policy in a way that significantly changes how we use your personal information, we will bring these changes to your attention where reasonably possible. Otherwise, you can access the latest version on the GGGI website.

12 - DATA PROTECTION INQUIRIES

In the first instance any data protection queries should be directed to info@ghostgear.org, this allows us to formally track their process.

Last updated: April, 2024