1. Who are we?
.1 We are Famworld trading as "Famworld". You can contact us at [email protected]. Other contact details are on our website.
2. What is the purpose of this policy?
.1 The purpose of this policy is to outline how we intend to use your personal information. If you are not completely happy please do not use this service.
3. Will this policy change?
.1 Yes it will be updated. Please check the policy whenever you visit our website. We will assume you agree to the new version of the policy if you use the site after its effective date.
4. What information do we collect?
.1 We collect information which you upload to our service or otherwise give us such as your and/or your children's name(s), photo(s), date(s) of birth, contact details, ID/proof of address documents, references, personal information, nationality (information required to complete police vetting) and (optionally) religious beliefs.
.2 Automated information such as the internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your device to the internet, connection information such as browser type and version, information about your device including device type and device identifier, operating system and platform, mobile network data, a unique reference number linked to the data you enter on our system, log in details, the site from which you arrived at our service, details of your activity with date/time stamps including pages you visited and your searches/transactions.
5. What is your reason for collecting the information?
.1 We collect the information because it is necessary to provide our service to you. We may use it for other purposes (such as email marketing) - with your consent. In the case of automated information collected when you browse our site, we use this to manage and improve our service per our "legitimate interests".
6. What about cookies?
.1 We and/or third parties use cookies and other tracking technologies on our website. A cookie is an identifier (a small file of letters and numbers) that is sent to your computer. Our website's functionality will be limited if you configure your browser to reject cookies.
.2 Cookies are widely used to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the website owner or others. Session cookies are temporary cookies that remain in the cookie file of your browser only until your browser is closed. They allow websites to link your actions during a browser session. Persistent cookies stay in the cookie file of your browser for longer (how long will depend on the lifetime of the specific cookie). For further information on cookies, including how to use your browser to block them and how to delete cookies already stored on your device, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
.3 The following kinds of cookies may be used on this website:
a) Session cookies: These enable us to keep track of your movement from page to page and store your selections so you do not get asked repeatedly for the same information. They allow you to proceed through many pages of the site quickly and easily without having to authenticate or reprocess each new area you visit.
b) Log-in cookies: Persistent cookies (up to one month) remember your details and speed up your log-in when you return to our website.
c) Google cookies: Persistent cookies (up to four years) are set in connection with the following Google services on our site and these cookies may involve certain information (such as your IP address and web address of the page you're visiting) being sent to Google. We use the following Google services which employ cookie technology: Google Analytics ("GA") GA Advertising Features Google advertising cookies (AdSense, Doubleclick). For more information see Click here for Google’s privacy policy and here for more information about the kinds of cookies placed by Google. Click here for information about how Google uses data from its partners’ sites or apps as well as different ways to opt out of Google cookies.
d) Social media cookies: We may use various social media and other third-party features on our website including Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. These features may involve the relevant companies using cookies or linking your visit with cookies previously placed by them on your computer for them to collect information relating to your visit to our website or your interaction with their services or otherwise.
e) Hotjar is a tool that aggregates data on how visitors to our site are using it. Hotjar uses cookies to collect non-personal information. Examples of the type of information collected include but are not limited to, pages visited, how pages are used and interacted with, type of device and browser used and the country you are in For more information on Hotjar, how it collects data, what data it collects and how to opt out of it collecting your information please read Hotjar's privacy policy By continuing to use our website, having seen our cookie notice, we assume that you consent to the use of the cookies outlined above.
7. What do we do with your personal information?
.1 We use your personal information to provide our service, e.g. organising student placements with Host Families, organising all aspects of the trips and ensuring key information has been shared.
.2 Send you marketing messages, if you have permitted us. You can withdraw permission at any time by emailing us at the above email address.
.3 Use it to recognise you when you visit or return to our service to track anonymised traffic and usage patterns, prevent or detect fraud or abuses and help us improve our service.
8. How long do we keep your information?
.1 In almost all cases we delete your personal information when you close your account. However, we may keep some limited information for a period of up to six years after your account is closed - to manage any disputes or tax reasons.
.2 Automated information such as the internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your device to the internet, connection information such as browser type and version, information about your device including device type and device identifier, operating system and platform, mobile network data, a unique reference number linked to the data you enter on our system, log in details, the site from which you arrived at our service, details of your activity with date/time stamps including pages you visited and your searches/transactions.
9. To whom do we send or make available your personal information?
.1 To other people who work with us to support our service, e.g. website hosts, content delivery networks and businesses which help us send communications or monitor our website.
.2 To Mailchimp, who we use to send emails. Please see their privacy policy at https://mailchimp.com/legal/ for more information.
.3 To other users of our service as follows:
a) Host Families - The information you provide when becoming a host family is managed securely in our database. No contact information, first names of people in your family or dates of birth are visible on your public hosting profile. Your public profile is searchable by other users of our service. The only exception to this is when you have accepted to host a student. At this point your contact details are available to the parents of the child you are hosting and also to the agent (if applicable). This is required to allow you and the student's parents to be in contact before the trip and also in the event of an emergency during the trip. Access to this contact information is revoked once the trip is complete.
b) Visiting Student's Parents - The information you provide is managed securely in our database. None of your details are visible on the site publicly. When your child is matched with a host family they will be given access to the trip details which includes parent and student details. Once the trip is completed the host family access is automatically removed.
c) The only photos available on your public hosting profile are your feature photos. If you choose to select pictures of your family in the featured family photos section you are doing so in the knowledge that they will be visible on your public profile.
d) We may, at our discretion, post your feedback form on our website.
.4 To the police or other relevant authorities or to complainants, if we think the personal information breaches our terms and conditions, or it is necessary to protect us or others, or that a criminal offence may have been committed, or where required by law or where requested by the police or other appropriate authorities.
.5 To potential buyers so far as reasonably necessary, in the case of an actual or proposed (including negotiations for a) sale or merger or business combination involving all or the relevant part of our business.
10. What happens to your payment details?
.1 If required, these go directly to our payment partners. We do not receive such information except as stated above. To ensure your details are not being used without consent, our payment partners may send your personal information to relevant third parties including credit reference and fraud prevention agencies, who may keep a record of that information.
11. Do we send your information outside the European Union
.1 Your personal information which we collect is stored within the EU and is not transferred to any third countries except for the following.
.2 Your personal data is transferred to the US by Google and Mailchimp, which are certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework. This provides certain safeguards concerning the handling of your personal data. See here for more information.
12. What rights do you have?
.1 If the legal requirements are met: To ask us for access to your personal information, to rectify it if there are mistakes, to delete or restrict or object to its use in certain circumstances or to "data portability".
.2 If you have a complaint about how we are dealing with your personal information, please contact us via the email address above. If you are in any way dissatisfied with how we process your personal information, you have a right to complain with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner. This can be done at https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/complaints/1592.htm