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Home Privacy policy

Privacy policy

 (last modified on 04/11/2023)

This governs the processing of your personal data by Gentse Gidsen VZW (hereinafter "Gentse Gidsen", "us", "we", "our") when you:

a) visit our website (https://www.gentsegidsen.be, hereinafter referred to as: "website");

b) wish to communicate with us via email, telephone and social media (hereinafter referred to as "social media channels" e.g. Facebook);

c) joins us as a guide or member or participates in our activities.

d) makes a reservation with us and pays online.

1 GENERAL

1.1 Your personal data are processed by Gentse Gidsen VZW, Nederpolder 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium, with company number 0409.675.837. You may contact us by e-mail at administratie@gentsegidsen.be.

1.2 What is meant by ‘personal data’? Personal data is defined in the GDPR (General Data Projection Regulation) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified’. Personal data, in simpler terms, is any information about you that makes it possible to identify you. 

1.3 Where reference is made to certain laws or regulations, such reference includes any amendment, replacement or annulment of said laws or regulations, including any related implementing decrees.

1.4 Ghent Guides reserves the right to amend or modify the Privacy Policy at its sole discretion. Any such amendment or modification will be communicated through the website.

2 TYPES OF PERSONAL DATA WE PROCESS

2.1 When you use our website and social media channels, we may collect the following personal data:

  •  technical information about the device you use, such as your IP address, browser type, geographical location and operating system;
  •  information about your browsing behaviour, such as how long you visit the page, which links you click on, which pages you visit and how often you visit the page.

See our cookie statement for more information. 

2.2 When you contact us via email, phone or social media channels, we collect:

  •  the basic identity information you provide us, such as name, email address, postal address, phone number;
  •  the content of your communication and the technical details of the communication itself (who among us you correspond with, the date, time, etc);
  •  your preferences regarding receiving our email communications, such as information about our activities, etc;
  •  any other personal data you provide to us.

2.3 When you become a member with us, we collect and process the following personal data about you as part of your membership:

  •  the basic identity data you provide to us, such as name, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number;
  •  financial data, in particular your account number;

2.4 When you become a guide with us, we collect and process the following personal data about you in the context of your membership:

  •  the basic identity data you provide to us, such as name, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number, date of birth;
  •  financial data, in particular your account number;
  •  portfolio data (guided languages and subjects);
  •  your photograph.

2.5   When you make a booking with us via the website, email, telephone or social media channels, we collect:

  •  the basic identity data you provide us, such as name, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number;
  •  the content of your communication and the technical details of the communication itself (which of us you correspond with, the date, time, etc);
  •  your preferences regarding receiving our email communications, such as information about our activities, etc;
  •  any other personal data you provide to us.

3 PURPOSES FOR WHICH GHENT GUIDES USES YOUR PERSONAL DATA

3.1 Ghent Guides uses your personal data to provide you with the information you request via email, telephone or social media channels in an appropriate and efficient manner.

3.2 We will also process your personal data when you apply to us to become a member or guide, as part of the normal membership administration of our association. If you wish to participate in our activities, we will process the personal data indicated above to facilitate your participation. We also process your personal data in order to inform you and other participants about past activities afterwards, for example through atmospheric images.

3.3 We process your personal data to comply with legal obligations or to fulfil any reasonable request from authorised agents or representatives of law enforcement, judicial authorities, government agencies or bodies, including competent data protection authorities.

Ghent Guides may also on its own initiative transfer your personal data to the police or judicial authorities as evidence or if there is justified suspicion of an unlawful act or crime when using our website, social media channels or other communications with us, in the context of your membership or participation in our activities.

3.4 Ghent Guides may process your personal data to protect the legitimate interests of Ghent Guides, in particular to safeguard our evidence in preparation for or during litigation or court proceedings as well as to keep our website, social media channels and activities secure.

3.5 Gentse Gidsen may process personal data of customers who have purchased a tour from us within the past 2 years to keep them informed of new tours in Ghent.

3.6 After a tour, Gentse Gidsen can send an email with an evaluation form to check whether the tour met the expectations and to evaluate and improve our services.

4  LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA

4.1 For the processing of your personal data for the purpose described in article 3.1, you give your express consent when you submit your request for information.

4.2 The processing of your personal data for the purpose described in Article 3.2 is necessary for the performance of the agreement we have with you as a member, guide or participant in our activities.

4.3 The processing of your personal data for the purposes set out in article 3.3 is necessary to enable Ghent Guides to fulfil its legal obligations.

4.4 The processing of your personal data for the purpose referred to in Section 3.4 is necessary for the legitimate interest of Gentse Gidsen, namely to:

  •  enable us to defend ourselves in judicial and extrajudicial proceedings;
  •  safeguard our website, social media channels and activities from abuse and illegal activities.

4.5 The processing of personal data as referred to in 3.5. is based on our legitimate interest, namely to keep our recent customers informed of new tours or activities.

4.6 The processing of personal data as referred to in 3.6. is based on our legitimate interest, namely to determine whether our tours meet customer expectations and to evaluate and improve our services for customers.

5 RECIPIENTS AND TRANSFERS

5.1 Gentse Gidsen in principle only sends your personal data identifiably to yourself and to other participants as far as this is within the scope of reporting past activities. We may also transfer your personal data to the third parties described below and to competent governmental and judicial authorities if they request us to do so.

However, you understand that if you use our social media channels, your personal data will also be processed by social media providers. More information on how these social media providers process your personal data can be found in their respective privacy policies.

5.2 We work with a third-party processor to provide you with the website and to facilitate payments.

6 QUALITY GUARANTEES

6.1 Ghent Guides makes every effort to process only those personal data necessary to achieve the objectives as described above.

6.2 Your personal data will be held only for the purposes described above until such time as you withdraw your consent to its processing. We will de-identify your personal data when it is no longer needed for the purposes as described above unless:

  •  there is an overriding interest of Ghent Guides or another third party to keep your personal data identifiable;
  •  there is a legal or regulatory obligation or a court or administrative order preventing us from de-identifying them.

6.3 We will take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access or theft as well as from accidental loss, falsification or destruction. However, you understand that safety and security are best-efforts commitments and can never be guaranteed.

7  YOUR RIGHTS

7.1 Some rights are complex and not all details are included here. Therefore, please read the relevant provisions and guidelines of supervisory authorities for a full explanation of these rights. You also have the right to request that your personal data be completed if it is incomplete.

7.2 You have the right to request access to all your personal data processed by Gentse Gidsen that relates to you. Gentse Gidsen reserves the right to charge an administrative fee for multiple successive access requests that Gentse Gidsen clearly wishes to inconvenience or harm.

Some rights are complex and not all details are included here. Therefore, please read the relevant provisions and guidelines of supervisory authorities for a full explanation of these rights.

You also have the right to request that your personal data be completed if it is incomplete.

7.3 You have the right to request that any personal data relating to you that is incorrect be corrected free of charge. You also have the right to request that your personal data be completed, should they be incomplete. 

7.4 You have the right to request that personal data relating to you be deleted, 

  •  the personal data are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed;
  •  you withdraw your consent to processing based on consent;
  •  you object to processing under certain rules of applicable data protection law (the AVG);
  •  the processing is used for direct marketing purposes;
  •  the personal data have been processed unlawfully;
  •  the personal data have been collected in the case of a direct offer of services to a child and the processing is thereby done on the basis of consent;
  •  the personal data must be erased in order to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject

However, there are exclusions to the right to erase data. The general exclusions include where processing is necessary:

  •  For the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and information;
  •  For compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject;
  •  For the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims;
  •  For archiving in the public interest, scientific or historical research or statistical purposes;
  •  For reasons of general public health interest.

7.5  Instead of deletion, you may also request that Ghent Guides restrict the processing of your personal data if and when

a) you contest the accuracy of such data, 

b) their processing is unlawful, 

c) you exercise your right to object, or 

d) the data are no longer necessary for the purposes described above, but you need them to defend yourself in court.

7.6  You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation, but only to the extent that the legal basis for the processing is that the processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or pursued by a third party. If you make such an objection, we will cease processing the personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is intended to establish, exercise or defense of legal claims.

In addition, you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes (including profiling for direct marketing purposes). If you object, we will cease processing your personal data for this purpose.

Furthermore, you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes on grounds relating to your particular situation, unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out for reasons of public interest.

7.7 You have the right to receive your personal data from us in a structured commonly used and machine-readable format to the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal data is based on:

a) Consent

b) The processing is necessary for the performance of an agreement of which you are a party, or in order to take steps at your request before you enter into an agreement; or

c) This processing is carried out automatically;

This right does not apply if this would jeopardize the rights and freedoms of others.

7.8  If you wish to make a request to exercise one or more of the above rights, you may send an e-mail to administratie@gentsegidsen.be. Gentse Gidsen will respond to your request within one month of receiving your request. We normally aim at providing a full response within that time. However, in some cases, especially if your request is more complex, more time may be required, up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of the progress.

If you believe that our processing of your personal data infringes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority responsible for data protection. In Belgium, the supervisory authority is the GBA: Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit (Data Protection Authority). 

Persons concerned have the right to lodge a complaint with their own national supervisory authority. For an overview of the contact details of these authorities, click on this link: administratie@gentsegidsen.be

Data Protection Authority (GBA)

Drukpersstraat 35, 1000 Brussels

+32 (0)2 274 48 00

contact@apd-gba.be

https://www.gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit.be

7.9 To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal data is consent, you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time. Revocation will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before the revocation.