Privacy Policy - Homestead Hug

1. Introduction

Homesteadhug.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to safeguarding your personal data and upholding your privacy rights in compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We recognize the importance of transparency, accountability, and your trust when it comes to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and secure information about our users and the legal rights afforded to them. We encourage you to read this notice carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data.

2. Scope of Policy and Data Controller Role

This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors, users, and others who interact with or access services through homesteadhug.com. For purposes of applicable data protection legislation, Homesteadhug.com is the “data controller” responsible for determining the purposes and means of the processing of your personal data.

If you have any questions about this notice or our data practices, please contact us at: [email protected].

3. Categories of Data Processed

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data, depending on your interaction with homesteadhug.com:

a. Usage Data
Includes data about your interaction with our website, such as IP address, browser type and version, pages viewed, referring URLs, device identifiers, time zone settings, and session durations.

b. Account Data
Includes personal identifiers you provide during account registration or checkout, such as your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number.

c. Profile Data
Covers preferences, purchase history, browsing behavior, saved items, and user settings maintained in your user profile.

d. Communication Data
Includes messages you send to us, customer service requests, email communications, chat interactions, or information shared via contact forms.

e. Technical Data
Comprises data collected automatically from your device, such as device type, operating system, hardware identifiers, browser plugins, screen resolution, and internet service provider information.

f. Transaction Data
Includes payment details (processed via secure third-party platforms), contact information for shipping, billing addresses, and purchase confirmations.

g. Preference Data
Includes your marketing and subscription preferences, interests in specific product categories, and user-selected communication consents.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

We process personal data under the following legal grounds as provided under GDPR and permissible under CCPA:

– Consent: When you provide consent for us to process your personal information for a specific purpose (e.g., subscribing to a newsletter).
– Contractual Necessity: Where processing is necessary to fulfill a contract, such as delivering products, managing payments, or providing customer support.
– Legitimate Interests: For purposes such as improving our services, preventing fraud, ensuring network and information security, and enhancing user experience—provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights.
– Legal Obligation: Where processing is required to comply with laws, regulatory obligations, or lawful requests by public authorities.

5. Your Rights

Subject to applicable laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

– Right of Access: You have the right to request a copy of your personal data we hold.
– Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
– Right to Erasure: You may request the deletion of your personal data, subject to legal or operational retention requirements.
– Right to Restriction: You may ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
– Right to Data Portability: You have the right to request transfer of your data to you or another provider in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
– Right to Object: You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
– Right Not to Be Discriminated Against (CCPA): California residents have a right to equal service and price regardless of exercising privacy rights.

You may exercise these rights at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

6. Security Measures

We apply industry-standard security practices to protect your personal data, including:

– Data encryption at rest and in transit
– Multi-layered access controls to internal systems
– Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
– Secure development practices for our website and platforms
– Staff privacy training and data protection awareness programs
– Regular data backups and disaster recovery protocols

While no system can guarantee complete protection, we take all reasonable precautions to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, loss, or disclosure.

7. International Transfers

Because homesteadhug.com may engage service providers and partners outside your country of residence, personal data may be transferred to jurisdictions that do not offer the same level of data protection. In such cases, we implement appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs), or similar mechanisms to ensure your data remains protected.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, reporting, or compliance obligations. Our retention policy applies as follows:

– Account and Profile Data: For the duration of your account and up to 90 days after closure
– Transaction Data: For up to 7 years for tax and accounting compliance
– Communication Data: For up to 2 years from the last contact
– Marketing Preferences: Until withdrawal of consent or up to 2 years of inactivity
– Usage and Technical Data: Retained up to 12 months, aggregated or anonymized thereafter

9. Cookie Policy

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on homesteadhug.com for several purposes:

– Essential Cookies: Necessary for basic functionality and navigation
– Functional Cookies: Enhance website personalization and user preferences
– Analytics Cookies: Collect aggregated data on site usage to improve performance
– Performance Cookies: Help us measure the effectiveness of content and pages

Where required by law, we request your consent before deploying non-essential cookies.

10. Cookie Management and Compliance with GDPR & CCPA

You can manage or withdraw cookie consents at any time via our Cookie Settings tool available on the website footer. Additionally, most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies through their settings. If you are a California resident, you may also opt out of the “sale” of your personal information, if applicable, through our website’s “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link.

We ensure compliance with GDPR cookie consent guidelines by requiring affirmative opt-ins for non-essential cookies and provide functionality to update preferences with ease.

11. Special Protections for Children Under 13

Homesteadhug.com does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided personal information to us in violation of this policy, we will take immediate steps to delete such data. Parents or guardians who believe their child has submitted data may contact us at [email protected] to request its removal.

12. Policy Updates & User Notifications

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, technology, or our data practices. Any updates will be posted to this page, and where legally required, we will notify you via email or site notifications so you may review and understand the changes. Continued use of the site after changes constitute your acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or wish to exercise any of your rights under this Privacy Policy, please reach out to us using the following contact details:

Email: [email protected]
Website: homesteadhug.com

We are committed to maintaining transparency and accountability in our privacy practices. We welcome any inquiries regarding how your personal information is handled and will respond promptly and lawfully as required.

Homesteadhug.com affirms its commitment to protecting users’ privacy and upholding all relevant data protection regulations. For any concerns about your personal data or this policy, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].