Privacy Policy for ExpatEnergy NL

1. Introduction

ExpatEnergy NL ("we," "our," "us") operates a website dedicated to helping expats in the Netherlands compare energy prices and switch providers. We are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Dutch privacy laws.

2. Who We Are

ExpatEnergy NL is a comparison service based in the Netherlands.

Contact Information:

• Email: info@expatenergy.nl
• Telephone: +31 20 123 4567
• Address: [Your Company Address Here - e.g., Amsterdam, Netherlands]
• KVK (Chamber of Commerce) Number: [Your KVK Number Here]
• VAT (BTW) Number: [Your VAT Number Here]

3. Data We Collect

We collect various types of information in connection with the services we provide, which may include personal data. Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.

3.1. Information You Voluntarily Provide

When you use our comparison tool or contact us, you may provide:

• Contact Details: Your name, email address, telephone number (if provided for direct contact).
• Energy Usage Information: Your postcode, house number, estimated electricity and gas consumption, household size, preferred contract type. This information is used to provide accurate comparisons.
• Communication Data: Content of your messages, emails, or calls if you contact our customer support.

3.2. Information We Collect Automatically (Cookies & Analytics)

When you visit our website, we may collect certain information automatically through cookies and similar technologies, only with your explicit consent where required by law. This includes:

• IP Address: To identify your general location and for security purposes.
• Browser Type and Operating System: For compatibility and optimization.
• Referring URLs: The website you visited before ours.
• Website Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, clicks, search queries. This helps us understand how our site is used and how to improve it.
• Cookie Consent Preferences: We store your cookie consent choices to respect your privacy.

We use tools like Google Analytics (if consented) to help us analyze website traffic and user behavior. For more information on how Google uses data, visit Google's Partner Sites policy.

3.3. Information from Third Parties (Daisycon)

When you use our comparison tool, data you enter (such as postcode and energy usage) is sent to our partner, Daisycon. Daisycon then retrieves energy offers from various suppliers based on this data. We do not directly store this detailed usage data, but it is processed by Daisycon to facilitate the comparison.

4. How We Use Your Data (Purposes and Legal Basis)

We use the collected information for the following purposes, based on specific legal grounds:

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following situations:

• With Daisycon: Data required for the energy comparison (postcode, consumption) is shared with Daisycon, our affiliate marketing partner, to retrieve personalized energy offers. Daisycon acts as a data processor in this context.
• With Energy Suppliers: If you choose to proceed with a specific energy offer through our site, your contact and usage details will be transferred to the chosen energy supplier to finalize your contract. This transfer occurs only with your explicit action.
• With Service Providers: We may engage third-party service providers (e.g., website hosting, analytics providers like Google Analytics) who assist us in operating our website or services. These providers are bound by strict data processing agreements and are only allowed to process data for specified purposes.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your data if required by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.
• Business Transfers: In case of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred to the new entity.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

6. Data Retention Periods

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

• Comparison Data: Data entered into the comparison tool is processed in real-time and generally not stored by us beyond the session needed to provide the comparison. If you initiate a switch, your data is then subject to the retention policies of the energy supplier.
• Communication Data: Retained for as long as necessary to resolve your inquiry and for a reasonable period thereafter for record-keeping and service improvement (typically 6-12 months).
• Analytics Data: Retained according to the policies of Google Analytics (e.g., 26 months for user-level and event-level data, if not anonymized).
• Cookie Consent: Your consent preferences are stored for 12 months (365 days) or until you revoke them.

7. Your GDPR Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights concerning your personal data:

• Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can request that we delete your personal data under certain conditions.
• Right to Restriction of Processing: You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
• Right to Object to Processing: You can object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
• Right to Data Portability: You can request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we process your personal data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@expatenergy.nl. We will respond to your request within one month.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens - AP) if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

8. Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include using SSL encryption for data in transit, regular security audits, and access controls to systems where personal data is stored.

9. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., energy suppliers). This Privacy Policy does not apply to these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: info@expatenergy.nl

Telephone: +31 20 123 4567