At Irish Hydrogen Alliance (IHAL), we are committed to driving the transition to a net-zero future with transparency and integrity. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following types of personal data when you interact with our website:
Identity & Contact Data: Name, email address, and organizational affiliation (when provided via contact forms).
Technical Data: IP address, browser type, time zone setting, and operating system (collected automatically for security and analytics).
Usage Data: Information about how you navigate and use our website.
2. Legal Basis for Processing
Under GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis to process your data. We rely on the following:
Consent: When you voluntarily submit a contact form or explicitly accept non-essential cookies.
Legitimate Interests: To ensure network security, prevent fraud, and optimize our website's performance, provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights.
Legal Obligation: If required to comply with a statutory obligation under Irish or EU law.
3. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it. Specifically:
Contact Form Inquiries: Retained for 12 months after the last communication, to ensure we have adequately addressed your request.
Technical & Analytics Data: Retained for a maximum of 14 months before being securely anonymized or deleted.
4. Cookie Policy
To support the technical efficiency of our gateway to the clean energy revolution, we use cookies. These small text files help us:
Essential Cookies: Required for site functionality and secure session management. Cannot be disabled.
Analytical Cookies: Help us measure traffic and improve our strategic infrastructure content (only placed with your consent).
You can manage or disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings at any time.
5. Your Data Protection Rights
Under European and Irish law, you have full control over your digital footprint. Your rights include:
Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request the deletion of your data under certain conditions.
Right to Restrict Processing: Request a temporary halt to data processing.
Right to Data Portability: Request the transfer of your data to another organization.
Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw previously given consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
6. Third-Party Services
We may share your data with trusted third-party processors (such as hosting providers and analytics services) solely to facilitate the operation of this website. All third parties are strictly vetted for GDPR compliance and operate under Data Processing Agreements.
7. Contact Us & Complaints
If you have questions regarding this policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact our data team:
If you feel your data rights have been breached, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC) of Ireland (www.dataprotection.ie).