This privacy policy sets out how Bhaktivedanta Library Services asbl (BLS asbl) uses and protects any information that you give us when you use our website. Bhaktivedanta Library Services asbl is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. Bhaktivedanta Library Services asbl may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
This Policy sets out the following:
- What personal data we collect and process about you in connection with your relationship with us as a customer and through your use of our website, mobile applications and online services;
- Where we obtain the data from;
- What we do with that data;
- How we store the data;
- Who we transfer/disclose that data to;
- How we deal with your data protection rights;
- And how we comply with the data protection rules.
- All personal data is collected and processed in accordance with Belgian and EU data protection laws.
Bhaktivedanta Library Services is the “data controller” of all personal information that is collected and used about our customers. BLS asbl is a non-profit organization registered in Belgium with our main office and a shop based on Petite Somme 2, 6940 Durbuy, Belgium.
What personal data we collect
Personal data means any information relating to you which allows us to identify you, such as your name, contact details, order reference number, payment details and information about your access to our website.
We may collect personal data from you when you place an order with us, create an account, use our website and/or App and other websites accessible through our website and/or App, participate in a survey or competition, or when you contact us.
Specifically, we may collect the following categories of information:
a. Full Name & Surname, home address, e-mail address, telephone number;
b. Information you provide about your other delivery addresses , which you state in your account;
c. Information about your purchases of products and services;
d. Information about your use of our website and/or App;
e. The communications you exchange with us or direct to us via letters, emails, chat service, calls, and social media.
f. Location, including real-time geographic location of your computer or device through GPS, Bluetooth, and your IP Address, along with crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower locations, if you use location-based features and turn on the Location Services settings on your device and computer.
Personal details about your physical or mental health, alleged commission or conviction of criminal offences are considered “sensitive” personal data under applicable data protection laws. We will process any such data only if you have given your explicit consent, or it is necessary (for instance if you request special assistance), or you have deliberately made it public.
What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular your data may be used for the following purposes:
a. Providing products and services you request: we use the information you give us to perform the services you have asked for in relation to your order, including requested changes;
b. Contacting you back with payment options, suggestions and in the event of missing items in your order or cancellation: we send you communications about the services you have asked for and any changes to such services. These communications are not made for marketing purposes and cannot be opted-out of;
c. Payment verification/screening: We use various payment options, for which we always direct you precisely of how to do it. We don’t collect your personal card details, nor do we store them, unless it is specifically requested by you in written/email form. We then use your payment information for accounting, billing and audit purposes and to detect and/or prevent any fraudulent activities;
d. Administrative or legal purposes: we use your data for internal accounting record keeping, statistical and marketing analysis, systems testing, customer surveys, maintenance and development, or in order to deal with a dispute or claim. Note that we may perform data profiling based on the data we collect from you for statistical and marketing analysis purposes. Any profiling activity will be carried out with your prior consent only and by making best endeavours to ensure that all data it is based on is accurate. By providing any personal data you explicitly agree that we may use it to perform profiling activities in accordance with this Privacy Policy;
e. Customs export office, or their delegated offices: we may be obliged to provide your information to customs agencies, if the packages are being sent to countries outside of EU or EU countries which are outside of the EU mainland;
f. Security, administrative, crime prevention/detection: we may pass your information to government authorities or enforcement bodies for compliance with legal requirements;
g. Customer Services communications: we use your data to manage our relationship with you as our customer and to improve our services and enhance your experience with us;
h. Provide tailored services: we use your data to provide information we believe is of interest to you, prior to, during, and after your order and to personalise the services we offer to you, such as special offers for new items, promotional codes, or time limited offers on books, and other items.
i. Marketing: from time to time we will contact you with information regarding book promotions and ancillary products via e-communications. You will have the choice to opt in or opt out of receiving such communications by indicating your choice at the ordering stage. You will also be given the opportunity on every e-communication that we send you to indicate that you no longer wish to receive our direct marketing material.
We will only process your personal data where we have a legal basis to do so. The legal basis will depend on the reasons we have collected and need to use your personal data for.
In most cases we will need to process your personal data so we can enter into our contract of service with you.
We may also process your personal data for one or more of the following:
- To comply with a legal obligation (e.g. customs requirements);
- You have consented to us using your personal data (e.g. for marketing related uses);
- It is in our legitimate interests in operating as a non-profit organization (e.g. for administrative purposes).
Only children aged 16 or over can provide their own consent. For children under this age, consent of the children’s’ parents or legal guardians is required.
We will not retain your data for longer than is necessary to fulfil the purpose it is being processed for. To determine the appropriate retention period, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the purposes for which we process it and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means.
We must also consider periods for which we might need to retain personal data in order to meet our legal obligations or to deal with complaints, queries and to protect our legal rights in the event of a claim being made. For retention of information on your account, please see the below section about my account.
When we no longer need your personal data, we will securely delete or destroy it. We will also consider if and how we can minimise over time the personal data that we use, and if we can anonymise your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you or identify you, in which case we may use that information without further notice to you.
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
- whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
- if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us at [email protected]
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 2018. A small fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to BLS, Petite Somme 2, 6940 Durbuy, Belgium.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
Security of your personal data
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
We follow strict security procedures in the storage and disclosure of your personal data, and to protect it against accidental loss, destruction or damage. The data you provide to us is protected using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology. SSL is the industry standard method of encrypting personal information and credit card details so that they can be securely transferred over the Internet.
We may disclose your information to trusted third parties for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We require all third parties to have appropriate technical and operational security measures in place to protect your personal data, in line with Belgian and EU law on data protection rules.
BLS operates business only from Belgium but is in contact with customers from all over the world, some of which are not located in the European Economic Area (EEA), such as Israel, Morocco, Jordan and USA. We utilise standard means under EU law to legitimise data transfers outside the EEA.
To protect against unauthorised access to your account and information, we implement session-management, login expiration mechanisms. As an additional safety measure, be sure to sign off when you finish using your account and your computer.
Although we take all these measures to maintain the safety and security of your personal information, please note that no transmission over the Internet can ever be guaranteed to be secure. Consequently, please note that we cannot fully guarantee the security of any personal information that you transfer over the Internet to us.
Sharing your personal data
We may share your personal data with the following third parties for the purpose described in this Privacy Policy :
a. Government authorities, law enforcement bodies and regulators for compliance with legal requirements;
b. Shipping companies and their Partners in order to deliver the services you have asked for, such as DHL, Hermes, Bpost, Deutsche post, TNT POst nl, DPD, and others;
c. Trusted service providers we are using to run our business such as website platform, server storage, call centres providing assistance to our customers, cloud service and e-mail marketing service providers assisting our marketing team with running customer surveys and providing targeted marketing campaigns;
d. Credit and debit card companies which facilitate your payments to us, and anti-fraud screening, which may need information about your method of payment and to be able to process payment or ensure the security of your payment transaction;
e. Legal and other professional advisers, law courts and law enforcement bodies in all countries we operate in in order to enforce our legal rights in relation to our contract with you;
f. Social media: You may be able to access third party websites and social media services through our website or App or before coming to our website or App. When you are registered with your social service account, we will obtain the personal information you choose to share with us through these social media services pursuant to their privacy settings in order to improve and personalize your use of our website or App. We may also use social media plugins on our website or App. As a result your information will be shared with your social media provider and possibly presented on your social media profile to be shared with others in your network. Please refer to the privacy policy of these third-party social media providers to find out more about these practices.
g. With Your Consent – with your explicit consent or at your direction we may share and disclose information you have authorized us to, with third parties. We will not, however, sell, rent, share or otherwise disclose personally identifiable information for commercial purposes in any way that is contrary to the commitments made in this Privacy Policy. We will take all reasonable steps to notify you when and what information might go to third parties and you will be able to choose whether to share it or not.
My Account section
All data collected upon registration in the my Account section will be processed in line with this Privacy Policy.
We understand the importance of taking extra precautions to protect the privacy and safety of children.
You will have the option to stay signed-in into your account by checking the “keep me logged in” box. This option will only apply to the computer/device and the browser that you’re using when you select the box. If you do not wish to stay signed on a particular browser, simply sign out of your account on that browser.
When our use of your personal data is based on your consent, you have the option to withdraw your consent to our processing and delete your personal data at any time by clicking on the “delete” buttons provided in your account.
We will delete any information collected without your consent, as soon as we become aware of it.
We keep your personal information contained in your account for as long as you hold the account. You may delete your account by clicking on the “delete” button provided in the Settings of your account. Please note that general retention periods apply to any personal data we collected to enter into a contract with you or to perform that contract or because we have a legal obligation to process it. Alternatively, you can always contact us directly on [email protected], if you wish to delete your account.
How we use cookies
This site uses cookies to enable us to improve our service to you and to provide certain features that you may find useful (click here for BLS’s Cookie Policy). This may include cookies of media and advertising partners that are being placed on your machine when visiting our website. Please visit our partners’ websites for information on their privacy and cookie policy.
Cookies are small text files that are transferred to your computer’s hard drive through your web browser to enable us to recognise your browser and help us to track visitors to our site; thus enabling us to understand better the products and services that will be most suitable to you. A cookie contains your contact information and information to allow us to identify your computer when you travel around our site for the purpose of helping you accomplish your purchase. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but, if you wish, you can change these browser settings by accepting, rejecting and deleting cookies. The “help” portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether. If you choose to change these settings, you may find that certain functions and features will not work as intended. The cookies we use do not detect any information stored on your computers.
For more information about cookies and how to stop cookies being installed visit the following website: http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not.
Retention Periods
Information collected on our website will only be retained for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected. Since we offer a service for customers worldwide and we need to comply with regulations across the globe in regard to retention of personal information related to provision of services, financial, billing, invoicing operations and tax calculations, a versioned copy of your contact, payment and billing personal data associated with your past invoices is stored for a period of 10 years after deactivating an account.
Your data protection rights
Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:
- Request information about whether we hold personal information about you, and, if so, what that information is and why we are holding/using it.
- Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
- Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
- Request erasure of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below).
- Object to processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
- Object to automated decision-making including profiling, that is not to be subject of any automated decision-making by us using your personal information or profiling of you.
- Request the restriction of processing of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
- Request transfer of your personal information in an electronic and structured form to you or to another party (commonly known as a right to “data portability”). This enables you to take your data from us in an electronically useable format and to be able to transfer your data to another party in an electronically useable format.
- Withdraw consent. In the limited circumstances where you may have provided your consent to the collection, processing and transfer of your personal information for a specific purpose, you have the right to withdraw your consent for that specific processing at any time. Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your information for the purpose or purposes you originally agreed to, unless we have another legitimate basis for doing so in law.
If you want to exercise any of these rights, then please submit an email stating the reasons you wish to withdraw your personal information on the following email: [email protected]
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.
Changes to Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we decide to change our Privacy Policy,we will post the updates to this Privacy Policy here and on any other place we deem appropriate, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.
If we make material changes to this Policy, we will notify you here, by email, or by means of a notice via our Site, at least ten (10) calendar days before the changes take effect.
Data Protection Authority
In the EEA, you have the right to direct questions or lodge a complaint about our treatment of your personal information with our supervisory body for data protection – ‘L’Autorité de protection des données in Belgium.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Further Questions and Contacts
If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, if you wish to exercise any of your rights in relation to your personal information, or if you want to object to the collection or processing of your data by BLS asbl, whether entirely or partially, please contact us at [email protected]