The Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) places great importance on protecting the Personal Information entrusted to it.
This Privacy Policy (hereafter referred to as the “Policy”) explains what kinds of personal information are collected and why, how they are used, with whom they may be shared, how long they are kept on record, and the rights of the individuals concerned.
This Policy applies to Personal Information collected in the course of our activities, including through our website (https://gremm.org/), donation platform, events, communications, and our other services, as the case may be.
The person responsible for the protection of Personal Information (i.e. Privacy Officer) is:
Patrice Corbeil, Director
418-235-4701
1. Personal Information that We Collect
“Personal Information” refers to any information concerning a natural person that can be used to identify the said individual, whether directly or indirectly.
Depending on your relationship with GREMM, we may collect any of the following Personal Information:
We only collect whatever Personal Information is necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy.
2. How do we collect your Personal Information?
Most often, we collect your Personal Information directly from you; this occurs anytime you:
We may also collect certain Personal Information automatically by means of cookies.
3. Consent
GREMM collects Personal Information with the consent of the individual concerned. We prioritize explicit consent that is obtained verbally, in writing, or electronically. In certain situations, implied consent can be reasonably inferred from the individual’s actions, for example, when they voluntarily provide their contact information to receive a response, register for an activity, or make a donation.
The type of consent required notably depends on the sensitivity of the information collected, the intended purpose, and the reasonable expectations of the individual concerned.
If we wish to use your Personal Information for a new purpose, we will seek your consent whenever the latter is required by law. Under certain circumstances provided for under the law, GREMM may collect, use, or disclose Personal Information without consent, particularly when such disclosure is required or authorized by legislation.
4. Why do we use your Personal Information?
Personal Information is used to:
5. Information Security
GREMM applies a number of administrative, physical, and technological measures to protect Personal Information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, or alteration.
For online donations, GREMM uses the JeDonneEnLigne platform developed by Logilys. Credit card payments are securely processed by Netbanx, a payment solution offered by Paysafe. Transactions are protected using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption protocol, which encrypts the data exchanged between your browser and the payment platform. The presence of a padlock icon in the address bar and a URL beginning with the letters “https” indicate that the connection is secure.
Netbanx complies with PCI DSS, an international standard designed to regulate the security of payment card data. This standard imposes strict requirements on providers who store, process, or transmit cardholder data to ensure that such data are secure.
It is recalled that it is recommended to clear your browser’s cache after each transaction to enhance the security of your online activities. While we implement recognized measures to ensure the security of Personal Information, no electronic transmission or storage mechanism can offer absolute security.
Third-Party Services and Platforms
On our website, we may include links to third-party sites or services that we do not control, for example, if you use an integrated Google feature or social networks (Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.). These third parties may share certain information about you with us. You may also have the option to share content (e.g. events or articles) on social media platforms. If you click on one of these links, you will be directed to sites that we do not control. Please read the privacy policies of these sites, applications, or platforms that collect or may collect Personal Information to understand their privacy policies and practices regarding the collection of Personal Information.
Children’s Privacy
Our website is only available to and designed for individuals aged 14 and up. If you believe that Personal Information has been collected from children under the age of 14, or if you are a parent or legal guardian and believe that your child under 14 has provided us with Personal Information, you may contact us as indicated in the “Contact Us” section.
6. Disclosure of Personal Information
GREMM does not sell or rent out any Personal Information.
We may disclose certain information only when necessary, e.g.:
When we use external providers, their access is limited to whatever data they need to perform their functions, and we ensure that they implement the appropriate safeguards.
7. Cookies
GREMM uses cookies and other similar technologies (e.g. web beacons, tracking pixels, log files) to improve your browsing experience, ensure our website runs smoothly, and better understand how it is being used.
These technologies may collect certain technical information, including your IP address, browser type and version, pages viewed, date and time of visit, time spent on the site, and other statistical data related to your browsing history. Cookies allow us to recognize your browser during a single session or on subsequent visits, remember certain preferences, and enhance your user experience.
Personal Information collected through these technologies is protected with the same level of confidentiality as any other Personal Information held by GREMM.
You can configure your browser at any time to accept, refuse, or delete cookies. Please note, however, that disabling certain cookies may limit the functionality of some of the features on our website.
Our website may also contain links to other websites operated by third parties. Once you leave GREMM’s website, this Privacy Policy no longer applies. GREMM is not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties and encourages you to consult their policies in this regard.
8. Retention of Personal Information
We retain and use your Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. Once it is no longer needed, we securely destroy or anonymize it.
During the retention period, GREMM takes a number of physical and technical measures to ensure the security of any data that contain Personal Information.
Personal Information is transferred, stored, and processed in Quebec, where we or our partners or service providers operate.
9. Your Rights
Under applicable law, you have various rights, including the right to be forgotten, the right to access or rectify your Personal Information, the right to withdraw your consent (where applicable), the right to de-indexing, and the right to data portability, i.e. the right to receive a copy of all the Personal Information that GREMM holds about you in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. To exercise any of these rights (where available), please contact our Privacy Officer.
10. Changes and Updates to the Policy
The Policy and related documents, if any, will be posted on our website. We may modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The current version will be posted on our website with the date of the most recent update indicated at the bottom of this page. When changes are significant, we will take appropriate steps to notify you in accordance with applicable laws.
11. Contact Us
Should you have any questions about any aspect of this Policy, or should you wish to submit a comment, file a complaint, or exercise any of your rights under applicable law, please contact our Privacy Officer by phone or by email:
Patrice Corbeil, Director — 418-235-4701 —
The Privacy Officer will contact you within thirty (30) days of receiving your email.
Your request may be accepted or denied by GREMM in accordance with applicable laws. We will promptly take corrective action if and when we become aware of any breach of this Policy. GREMM cannot be held liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages related to this Policy. You may file a complaint with the appropriate authority at any time if you believe that GREMM is not processing your Personal Information in accordance with this Policy or applicable laws.
To provide the best experience, we use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access information on devices. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique identifiers on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing your consent may negatively affect certain features and functions.