This Privacy Statement informs you about the type of personal data that is collected and received through our website https://waltstearns.com, and about how we use, share, retain and protect such personal data.
Who We Are
The Underwater Journal is a hybrid online magazine/blog published by Walt Stearns/Ocean Arts, Inc. covering a variety of subjects on diving. We are the controller responsible for the processing of personal data through this website, with the home office located in the United States.
Do We Obtain Personal Data?
We are NOT in the business of collecting or receiving personal data through this website for the purposes of reselling or sharing with other businesses or data collectors. Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
The only time we collect personal data is when you choose to voluntarily provide it to us when making an enquiry about purchasing imagery.
Cookies are bits of text that are placed on your computer’s hard drive or mobile device when you visit certain websites. Cookies hold information that may be accessible by the party that places the cookie, which is either the website itself (first-party cookie) or a third party (third-party cookies). You do have control over cookies and can refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate setting on your browser. Most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to be notified when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable or delete existing cookies.
On this website, cookies are used to analyze how many users view pages on the website, and which pages are visited.
We may collect and receive the following personal data from you:
Name and contact information (such as name, address, email and phone number). This is only used when you are purchasing imagery or contracting content creation and photographic services from Walt Stearns/Ocean Arts, Inc.
In What Instances would We Use Personal data
Your personal data will be used to contact you to respond to your inquiry, provide information, service proposals and billing details if you are looking to have or are in the process of making an image purchase or contracting our services.
To verify compliance with applicable legal requirements and our policies.
Competent public authorities or other third parties, if required by law or reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property and safety of ourselves or others.
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data.
Data transfers outside the EEA
We do not provide your personal data to countries, including countries outside the European Economic Area.
How We Protect Personal Data
We maintain appropriate technical and organizational security safeguards designed to protect your personal data against accidental, unlawful or unauthorized destruction, loss, alteration, access, disclosure or use. However, due to the inherent open nature of the Internet, we cannot guarantee that communications between you and us or the personal information stored is secure.
How Long We Retain Personal Data
We retain the Personal Information we receive as described in this Privacy Policy for as long as you use our Services or as necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected, provide our Services, resolve disputes, establish legal defenses, conduct audits, pursue legitimate business purposes, enforce our agreements, and comply with applicable laws.
Your Rights
You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
The right to obtain, at reasonable intervals and free of charge, information on whether your personal data is being processed and to receive the personal data that is being processed in an intelligible form.
The right to request rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of or objection to processing of your personal data. You may also request us to provide you your data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format which can be transmitted to another controller.
To exercise these rights, please contact us using our contact details set out below. We may request you to provide a copy of your ID card or otherwise evidence your identity. We will respond to your request within the applicable statutory term.
Moreover, subject to this Privacy Statement, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.
Updates to this Privacy Statement
We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time. All changes shall be effective from the date of publication, unless otherwise provided in the notification.