Privacy Policy - Fishing & Gaming Hub

1. Introduction

Fishing & Gaming Hub ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website located at fishinggaminghub.co.uk (the "Website").

This Privacy Policy complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable UK privacy laws.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

Register for an account on our forum
Subscribe to our newsletter
Contact us via email or contact forms
Participate in our games and activities
Post content on our forum

This information may include:

Name
Email address
Phone number (if provided)
Postal address (if provided)
Username and password
Profile information
Any other information you choose to provide

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our Website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device, including:

IP address
Browser type and version
Operating system
Pages you visit and time spent on pages
Referring website addresses
Device identifiers
Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see our Cookie Policy)

2.3 Game Data

When you play our games, we may collect:

Game scores and achievements (FS points)
Gameplay statistics
Progress data stored locally in your browser

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To provide and maintain our services: To operate our Website, forum, games, and other services
To communicate with you: To respond to your inquiries, send you updates, and provide customer support
To improve our services: To analyse usage patterns and improve user experience
To ensure security: To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and security threats
To comply with legal obligations: To meet our legal and regulatory requirements
For marketing purposes: With your consent, to send you promotional materials and newsletters
To personalise your experience: To customise content and features based on your preferences

4. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data based on the following legal bases:

Consent: When you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for specific purposes
Contract: When processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you
Legal obligation: When processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation
Legitimate interests: When processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and interests do not override these

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

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

Service providers: With third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Website and providing services (e.g., hosting, analytics, email services)
Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or government regulation
Business transfers: In connection with any merger, sale, or acquisition of our business
With your consent: When you have given explicit consent for us to share your information
Google Services: We use Google Maps and may use other Google services, which are subject to Google's Privacy Policy

All third-party service providers are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information and are prohibited from using it for any purpose other than providing services to us.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. When we no longer need your personal information, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

Game scores and achievements may be retained for longer periods to maintain leaderboards and historical records, but will be anonymised where possible.

7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

Right of access: You have the right to request copies of your personal data
Right to rectification: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure: You have the right to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances
Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request restriction of processing of your personal data
Right to data portability: You have the right to request transfer of your data to another service
Right to object: You have the right to object to processing of your personal data
Rights related to automated decision-making: You have rights regarding automated decision-making and profiling

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact information provided in Section 11.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Security measures include:

Encryption of data in transit (SSL/TLS)
Secure server infrastructure
Regular security assessments
Access controls and authentication
Regular backups

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

Adequacy decisions by the UK government
Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
Other approved transfer mechanisms under UK GDPR

10. Children's Privacy

Our Website is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information.

For users aged 13-17, we recommend parental supervision when using our services.

11. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 20 774 3205
Address: 15 Coastal Road, Brighton, BN2 1TW, United Kingdom

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection authority:

ICO Website: ico.org.uk
ICO Helpline: 0303 123 1113

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

Material changes will be communicated through prominent notices on our Website or via email where appropriate.

13. Data Processing Details

13.1 Processing Activities

We process personal data for the following specific activities:

User Registration: Processing name, email, username, and password for account creation and management
Forum Participation: Processing posts, comments, and user-generated content for forum functionality
Game Analytics: Processing game scores, FS points, and gameplay statistics for leaderboards and analytics
Newsletter Subscription: Processing email addresses for marketing communications (with consent)
Customer Support: Processing contact information and communications for support purposes
Website Analytics: Processing usage data for website improvement and optimisation

13.2 Data Categories

We process the following categories of personal data:

Identity Data: Name, username, profile information
Contact Data: Email address, phone number, postal address
Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information, login data
Usage Data: Information about how you use our Website and services
Content Data: Forum posts, comments, messages, and other content you submit
Game Data: Scores, achievements, gameplay statistics, FS points
Marketing Data: Preferences for receiving marketing communications

13.3 Special Categories of Data

We do not intentionally collect or process special categories of personal data (such as data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, health data, or biometric data) unless you voluntarily provide such information in forum posts or communications. If you choose to share such information, you consent to our processing of it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

14. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

We may use automated decision-making processes, including profiling, in the following circumstances:

Content Moderation: Automated systems may flag potentially inappropriate content for review
Personalisation: We may use profiling to personalise content and recommendations based on your usage patterns
Fraud Prevention: Automated systems may detect and prevent fraudulent activities

You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. If you wish to exercise this right, please contact us using the information provided in Section 11.

15. Data Breach Procedures

In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will:

Notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach
Notify affected individuals without undue delay if the breach poses a high risk to their rights and freedoms
Provide clear information about the nature of the breach, likely consequences, and measures taken to address it
Document all breaches, regardless of whether notification is required

We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to prevent and respond to data breaches, including regular security assessments, access controls, and incident response procedures.

16. Data Protection Officer

While we are not currently required to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) under UK GDPR, we have designated a privacy contact person to handle data protection matters. You can contact our privacy team at:

Email: [email protected]
Subject Line: "Data Protection Query"

We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days, or sooner if required by law.

17. Third-Party Data Processors

We use the following categories of third-party data processors:

17.1 Hosting and Infrastructure

Web Hosting: Cloud service providers for website hosting and storage
Content Delivery Networks (CDN): Services to improve website performance

17.2 Analytics and Performance

Google Analytics: Website usage analytics (see Cookie Policy for details)
Performance Monitoring: Services to monitor website performance and errors

17.3 Communication Services

Email Services: Providers for sending transactional and marketing emails
Customer Support: Platforms for managing customer inquiries

17.4 Payment Processing

Currently, we do not process payments. If we introduce payment processing in the future, we will update this section and ensure all payment processors comply with PCI DSS standards.

All third-party processors are required to:

Process data only in accordance with our instructions
Implement appropriate security measures
Comply with UK GDPR requirements
Notify us of any data breaches

18. Your Right to Complain

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal data or responded to your requests, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent authority set up to uphold information rights.

ICO Contact Information:

Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Email: [email protected]
Address: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

We encourage you to contact us first to resolve any concerns, but you have the right to contact the ICO at any time.

19. Data Subject Rights - Detailed Information

19.1 Right of Access (Article 15 UK GDPR)

You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and, if so, access to that data. You can request:

Confirmation that we are processing your personal data
A copy of your personal data
Information about the purposes of processing
Information about the categories of personal data
Information about recipients or categories of recipients
Information about retention periods
Information about your rights

We will provide this information within one month of your request, free of charge, unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

19.2 Right to Rectification (Article 16 UK GDPR)

You have the right to have inaccurate personal data corrected and incomplete data completed. You can update your account information through your account settings or by contacting us.

19.3 Right to Erasure / "Right to be Forgotten" (Article 17 UK GDPR)

You have the right to request deletion of your personal data in the following circumstances:

The data is no longer necessary for the original purpose
You withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis
You object to processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds
The data has been unlawfully processed
Deletion is required for legal compliance

We may retain certain data if we have a legal obligation or legitimate interest to do so.

19.4 Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18 UK GDPR)

You can request that we restrict processing of your personal data when:

You contest the accuracy of the data
Processing is unlawful and you oppose erasure
We no longer need the data but you require it for legal claims
You have objected to processing pending verification

19.5 Right to Data Portability (Article 20 UK GDPR)

You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit that data to another controller, where:

Processing is based on consent or contract
Processing is carried out by automated means

We can provide your data in JSON or CSV format upon request.

19.6 Right to Object (Article 21 UK GDPR)

You have the right to object to processing of your personal data for:

Direct marketing purposes (absolute right)
Processing based on legitimate interests (we will stop unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds)
Processing for scientific/historical research or statistical purposes (unless processing is necessary for public interest)

20. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information. For detailed information about our use of cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our Website.

21. Marketing Communications

If you have opted in to receive marketing communications, we may send you:

Newsletters about fishing tips, game updates, and community news
Promotional emails about new features or events
Surveys to improve our services

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email
Updating your preferences in your account settings
Contacting us directly

We will continue to send you essential service-related communications (such as account updates or security notifications) even if you opt out of marketing communications.

22. Google Services

Our Website uses Google Maps and may use other Google services. These services are provided by Google LLC and are subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By using our Website, you also agree to Google's terms.

Google Services We Use:

Google Maps: For displaying interactive maps and location services
Google Analytics: For website analytics and usage statistics (if enabled)
Google Fonts: For displaying web fonts (may collect IP addresses)

Google Privacy Resources:

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

23. Social Media Integration

Our Website may include social media features and widgets (such as "Share" buttons). These features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our Website, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly.

Social media features are either hosted by a third party or directly on our Website. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing them.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any social media platforms you use in connection with our Website.

24. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

Posting the updated Privacy Policy on this page with a new "Last Updated" date
Sending an email notification to registered users (if the changes are significant)
Displaying a prominent notice on our Website

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Material Changes: We will notify you of material changes at least 30 days before they take effect, unless we are required to make changes sooner due to legal or regulatory requirements.