Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Art Collective is an online marketplace that connects artists with art collectors and buyers worldwide. We are the data controller responsible for your personal data.

Our platform is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18 years of age.

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at [email protected]

2. Information We Collect

We collect different types of information depending on how you interact with our platform:

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Email address, password, and name when you create an account
• Artist Profile: Biography, profile photo, studio details, location, and links to your website or social media
• Artwork Listings: Images, descriptions, pricing, dimensions, medium, and availability of your artwork
• Purchase Information: Shipping address and contact details when you buy artwork
• Messages: Communications between artists and buyers through our messaging system
• Saved Items: Artworks you add to your wishlist or favourites
• Follows: Artists you choose to follow on the platform

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system
• Usage Data: Pages visited, artworks viewed, search queries, and how you interact with our platform
• Location Data: General location derived from your IP address

2.3 Payment Information

We use Stripe to process all payments. When you make a purchase or set up payouts as an artist, your payment details are collected and processed directly by Stripe. We do not store your full credit card number or bank account details on our servers. Please refer to Stripe's Privacy Policy for information on how they handle your payment data.

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 To Provide Our Services

• Create and manage your account
• Display your artist profile and artwork listings to potential buyers
• Process purchases and facilitate payments through Stripe
• Enable communication between artists and buyers
• Send order confirmations and shipping updates
• Provide customer support

3.2 To Improve Our Platform

• Analyse how users interact with our platform to improve the experience
• Develop new features and services
• Personalise artwork recommendations based on your interests

3.3 For Security and Compliance

• Detect, prevent, and address fraud or abuse
• Comply with legal obligations
• Enforce our Terms of Service

3.4 For Marketing (With Your Consent)

• Send newsletters about new artists, collections, and platform updates
• Notify you about artwork from artists you follow
• Share promotional offers and features

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us at [email protected]

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Contract: Processing necessary to provide our services to you (e.g., managing your account, processing orders)
• Legitimate Interests: Processing for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our platform and preventing fraud, where this does not override your rights
• Legal Obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable laws
• Consent: Where you have given consent for specific processing (e.g., marketing emails)

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share your data only in the following circumstances:

5.1 With Other Users

• Artist Profiles: Your artist profile and artwork listings are publicly visible
• Order Fulfilment: When you purchase artwork, your name and shipping address are shared with the artist so they can ship your order directly to you
• Messages: Communications you send through our messaging system are shared with the recipient

5.2 With Service Providers

• Stripe: For payment processing and artist payouts
• Cloud Hosting: For secure data storage
• Email Services: For sending transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets)

These service providers only have access to the information necessary to perform their services and are bound by confidentiality obligations.

5.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Art Collective, our users, or others.

5.4 Business Transfers

If Art Collective is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred. We will notify you of any such change via email or a notice on our website.

6. International Data Transfers

As we serve users globally, your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence. When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including standard contractual clauses or transfers to countries with adequate data protection laws.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary:

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after closure
• Transaction Records: Retained for 7 years for tax and legal compliance
• Messages: Retained while your account is active
• Technical Logs: Typically retained for 12 months

When data is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymise it.

8. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences, and understand how you use our platform. For detailed information, please see our Cookie Policy.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
• Restriction: Request that we limit how we use your data
• Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

To delete your account, please contact us at the email above. Note that we may need to retain certain information for legal or legitimate business purposes.

Right to Complain: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your data, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure data storage
• Access controls and authentication
• Regular security monitoring

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Third-Party Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites, including artist websites and social media profiles. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]

We aim to respond to all requests within 30 days.