Privacy Policy

1. General

In order to be able to provide a good service, we, as the Province of Limburg, process personal data. By means of this privacy statement, we want to give you more information about the way we handle the personal data we obtain.

By using our website and/or services, you acknowledge that you have carefully read this privacy statement and that you agree to it without reservation.

2. Definitions

Personal data includes any information that allows a person to be directly or indirectly identified, such as name, first name, address, telephone number, IP address, ...

All information that can directly or by combination lead to the identification of a person falls under the heading of "personal data".

Processing includes, in practice, any use of personal data, such as their collection, storage, modification, consultation, dissemination or erasure.

The controller determines which personal data are processed, the means used to do so and the purposes for which this is done.

Processors are parties that process personal data on behalf of the controller. We enter into a processor agreement with each processor as a framework of agreements.

3. Protection of personal data

We consider it important to handle your personal data with care. Therefore, we do this in accordance with European privacy legislation (the General Data Protection Regulation, abbreviated as GDPR) and the relevant federal and Flemish legislation.

We only process personal data that are necessary for the purposes pursued. In doing so, we guard the completeness and correctness of your personal data.

In principle, we do not keep your personal data longer than necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. However, as a governing body, we are often legally obliged to keep your personal data for a longer time, for example, on grounds of archiving legislation. It is also possible that your personal data may be further processed for scientific and historical research or statistical purposes. In doing so, we always take the necessary measures to protect your personal data. If identification is not required for the intended purposes, your personal data will be given pseudonyms or made anonymous.

We also take the necessary security measures to adequately secure the personal data we process. Your personal data can only be accessed by those who need it to perform their tasks. Everyone involved in the processing of your personal data, both our own employees and external parties, is also legally or contractually obliged to treat it confidentially.

When we engage processors, we establish the agreement framework on this processing in a processing agreement. When we exchange personal data (electronically) with other bodies governed by public law, we establish the agreement framework on this processing in a protocol. This agreement framework concerns, among other things, the purposes and lawfulness of the processing and the security of the personal data.

4. Who processes your personal data?

The Province of Limburg, Provinciaal Natuurcentrum, 86 Craenevenne, 3600 Genk, with company number 0207.725.203 processes your personal data.

If you have general questions about how we process your personal data, you can contact the Data Protection Staff Member or the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of the controller via email (dpo@limburg.be).

5. When do we process and collect personal data?

Your personal data can be received in different ways. We may, for example, request data directly from you by means of an (online) contact or input form or in documents to be attached to your form. Alternatively, we may request your personal data from government agencies that hold it. We have received authorisations for this. An overview of these permissions can be found on the website of the Province of Limburg.

6. What do we process your personal data for?

We collect and use your personal data only if we have established a clear and legitimate purpose for it. We process the personal data you provide via this website on the basis of the following processing grounds:

• when you have given your consent
• for sending newsletters if you have subscribed to this via the form
• for publishing targeted visual material if you have given your consent
• for the performance of an agreement with you, e.g. when you register for one of our activities via the registration form or book an educational program

7. Do we share your personal data with others?

We do not share your data with third parties, except in the following cases:

• it is necessary to achieve the above-mentioned objectives (see "why do we process your personal data")
• you have given us your consent
• we are legally obliged to do so
• they are requested as part of a legal investigation.

As a local authority, we sometimes pass on your personal data to other authorities when we are obliged to do so. Conversely, we also request your personal data from other public authorities, in particular when using authentic data sources. This exchange of data is regulated by law or we may do so on authorisations or protocols grounds. You can consult our authorisations and protocols on the website of the Flemish Supervisory Committee.

If we use an external company (e.g. a software company or specialised consultancy agency) to carry out a task or prepare a file, they may only process your personal data within the framework agreed with them and after complying with the provisions of the GDPR. To this end, we have concluded the necessary processing agreements with these external companies.

8. What are your rights?

In accordance with the General Data Processing Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to request access to your own personal data. You can request the personal data, view them and, if necessary, have them corrected. In certain cases, and if there are good reasons for doing so, you can ask for your personal data to be deleted.

You also have the right to object to processing and the right to data portability.

You can exercise these rights via:

• mail to griffie@limburg.be
• by letter to Registry, Province of Limburg, 1 Universiteitslaan, B-3500 Hasselt

In both cases, we ask you to enclose a copy of the front of your identity card.

Finally, you have the right to lodge a complaint against or about the processing of your personal data with the Data Protection Authority. For more information, please contact the Flemish Supervisory Committee or the Data Protection Authority.

9. Changes

The Province of Limburg reserves the right to make changes to its privacy policy at any time. By using this website, you accept all the terms of the privacy policy as determined at the time of use. Each time you access the website of the Province of Limburg after the privacy policy has been amended, you are deemed to have taken note of the changes and accept them.

10. Special processing operations

Below, we explain some specific processing operations more in detail. You can obviously exercise your rights, as described above, in relation to these processing operations.

10.1 Newsletters

Our website allows you to subscribe to a newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive a particular type of newsletter, you can unsubscribe by

- clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter.

- unsubscribe via our website "Manage newsletters".

10.2 Visual material (if applicable)

When we organise activities, we often take photos and videos. We use this visual material to promote the provincial government and its activities, including in our newsletter, on our website and on our social media channels. We respect your right to image and commit to informing you clearly at each activity about the visual material taken on site.

Our photographer limits himself as much as possible to overview photos and atmospheric images. These types of images are not personal data and we therefore assume your implicit consent, both for their creation and publication.

Sometimes our photographer will also take photos or videos in which individuals are identifiable. Both for taking and publishing this type of photo or video, we will always ask your explicit consent. This also applies to children younger than the age of 16. Where possible, we will do this in advance and in writing. In other cases, our photographer will approach you. You can withdraw separate consents at any time.

10.3 Social media

The Province of Limburg uses various communication channels to engage with its residents. In doing so, the Provinciaal Natuurcentrum is also active on social media platforms, namely Facebook and Instagram.

If you contact us through these channels in a private message (e.g. to ask a question or report a problem), your personal data will be processed. We only use this data to help you further or to respond to your request. After we have dealt with your request, we will delete these messages immediately.

If you respond to, share or like our public posts, this data will be visible to others. This public data is stored and is visible as long as you do not delete it yourself.

As a user of social media, your personal data are also processed by the relevant social media platform. The Province of Limburg itself has no control over the further processing of your personal data by these platforms. The privacy declarations of the social media platforms apply to such processing.

10.4 Cookies and tracking

We use cookies and related techniques on our website and for our newsletter. You can find all the information about this in our cookie statement. In the cookie settings, for each type of cookie, you can give your consent or refuse them.

10.5 Overview of permissions and protocols

An up-to-date overview of the authorisations is published on the website of the Flemish Supervisory Committee and on the website of the Province of Limburg.