We welcome the visitors and users of our website. We are particularly sensitive to privacy, ethics and confidentiality of the information provided by our users with full compliance with the Law. We intend, with this Privacy Policy, to describe and help our users understand what information do we collect, why we do it and how we handle it. The use of our website www.polensurfboards.com implies acceptance of this Privacy Policy, which can be updated and changed without any notice. Therefore, whether you are a new or longtime user, we suggest you consult this page regularly and take time to know our practices in order to be always updated. If you have questions, contact us at info@polensurf.com.

1. The information we collect

We collect and store all the information that is useful to us to provide the best service to our users, whether it is obtained automatically by the use of our services or provided voluntarily by users, from basics (as language) to complex (as an opinion) data.

Information collected automatically

The information that is collected and stored automatically in our web server and log files is the one users allow us to access by simple communication or by operating certain mechanisms (eg. website search): 

• Device information (hardware model and operating system version); 

• IP address (Internet Protocol); 

• ISP (Internet Service Provider), such as Sapo, Clix or other; 

• Used browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari or other); 

• The registration of information search: date, time, duration and pages.

User-provided information

It is the personal information users voluntarily provide us. Polen Surfboards does not collect, directly or indirectly, any information relating to personal data. By voluntarily providing us with personal data, you are specifically authorizing its treatment and inclusion in our database. Personal information includes, among others, first and last name, address, email address, phone number, credit card number, date of birth, age, sex, country, language and interests. Personal data is provided when you access to our pages and register (creating a user account), execute a purchase, enter a contest, in sales or other promotions, contact us or respond to questionnaires.

2. Why we collect information and what do we do with it

We collect information because we need to know and understand our users’ needs in order to provide a high quality service. In particular, for the following reasons: 

• Personal data is fundamental for requests to be processed correctly; 

• The more we know about the behavior of our users, the better we can analyze trends and draw a profile, which according to our users' interests will enable us to personalize the website and improve our services, products and content; 

• In order to contact our users for market research purposes;

• To advertise new offers and goods/services;

• To develop new services; 

• To protect ourselves and the interests of our users.

We use the information collected to manage our website in the most efficient way possible. The collected data will be stored and used for the sale of our products, marketing actions and market research, sales data analysis and contacts, including informative newsletters about our products, sales, promotions, campaigns and other opportunities our users can benefit from. We will ask for the users' prior consent before using the information for purposes other than those referred in this Privacy Policy.

3. The information that we share

We do not share personal information with other companies, organizations or individuals, except in the following circumstances: 

• With the users' consent;

• With domain administrators if the user's account is managed by a domain administrator; 

• For legal reasons, in particular, in collaboration with the investigation of potential violations of the terms of use and to detect, prevent, or otherwise address technical problems, fraud or security;

• With specific suppliers, who are granted access to any or all information, but always in restricted terms, reduced to what is strictly necessary for the performance of their services, such as delivery companies, which only have access to the customers’ names and given phone numbers and addresses.

4. Cookies and similar technologies

When you visit our website or receive an email from us, we may use cookies and other technologies such as web beacons and pixel tags to collect and store information.

What are Cookies and why we use it

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be stored in the user's device. Once permitted, it is stored in the browser's cookie file on users' hard drives through our web server. In addition to identifying the device, cookies allow us to improve the user experience of our website and offer a personalized service. In one hand, the information that we collect allows us to analyze traffic in our website (source, date and time of access); on the other hand, with the forms users fill in and questionnaires they respond to we know their interests, needs, preferences and tastes. Cookies provide a faster and more efficient navigation, eliminating the need for users to repeatedly enter the same information. On our website we use session cookies and permanent cookies. Permanent cookies can be of our own or from third parties.

Session cookies and permanent cookies

Session cookies are temporary. They are the "small files" that remain in the cookie file of the browser until the user leaves our website and are deleted after he or she ends their session. The session cookie also expires after a certain time duration of inactivity on the website;

Permanent cookies remain in the cookie file of the browser over a much longer period of time, depending on the settings that are selected in the browser configuration. These cookies allow information to be passed to the web server whenever the user visits our website.

Permanent own cookies

Permanent own cookies are created and managed by us to: 

• Integrate security elements, memorize the selected products and the list of search keywords whenever you access your client account; 

• Offer a personalized content according to user preferences (advertising based navigation profile); 

• Analyze the questionnaires carried out so as not to show the cookies for several days.

Cookies (permanent) from third parties

We can use third-party advertising on our website as we may use or hire others to carry out certain tasks, such as advertising and marketing, data analysis, customer support, the accommodation of websites and e-mail coordination. These third parties may use technologies (cookies and/or web beacons and pixel tags) that allow them access to personal information of our users, but only to carry out their tasks. For example, the field of action of the entities that advertise their products on our website may be restricted to a geographical area and targeted to a specific type of user, as well as the entities to whom we come to resort to publicity campaigns and marketing can be summarized to measuring the effectiveness of campaigns and customizing its content. At this point, we suggest you consult the privacy policies of such third parties.

Third parties permanent cookies that will be installed in the browser's cookie file, when you visit our website, may be the following: 

• Analytical Cookies: those that are used for activity measurement on the website, in particular on its operation, how the users found it and how they use it;

• Technical Cookies: allow the users to identify themselves and access restricted access areas;

• Customization Cookies: allow third parties to have an approximate knowledge of the location of our users;

• Advertising Cookies: allow to provide information on the ads displayed. The purpose of this tool is to improve and manage such presentations, avoiding the repeated publication of advertisement.

Locking and unlocking cookies

Overall, cookies help to provide a better and more personalized navigation experience. A cookie in no way gives us access to the users' computers or allows us to collect personal information. We only have access to personal data that you voluntarily provide to us. Most browsers are set to accept cookies, but if you prefer you can change your settings to block or unblock some or all cookies. The "Help" toolbar in most navigation software will tell us how to prevent our browser from accepting cookies, how to have our browser notifying us when we receive new cookies or how to disable all or some cookies. If users decide to block cookies they will have to take into account that some of the features and functions in our website may not work properly, namely: 

• Users cannot access their account; 

• In the next visit, they will not have access to the history of their preferences; 

• We cannot offer them personalized content.

5. Access and update of user personal information

Not all users see privacy the same way. We want to be fully transparent about the information we collect so that you have access to your personal information and can consciously choose, without any restriction, how the information is used. In this sense, at any time, users have the right to change their personal data, oppose to or decide on its treatment, withdraw their consent and exercise any other rights provided by Law, by addressing your wish to info@polensurf.com.

However, for our control, we can: 

• ask users to confirm their identity; 

• Decline too repetitive applications that require disproportionate technical effort that could harm the privacy of others or would be extremely difficult to achieve; 

• Do not immediately delete residual copies from our active servers or remove information from our backup systems in order to prevent the information from being destroyed accidentally or maliciously.

If users withdraw their consent, this does not compromise the legality of the treatment processed to that date, nor does it prevent us from preserving the information in our database for legal reasons.

6. Information Security

Access to our website is possible without providing personal information. Personal data such as name, address or email address are voluntarily provided. It is noteworthy that data transmission over the Internet – a public network – can have security holes. So it is not possible to prevent, to one hundred percent, access by unauthorized third parties. Our website is equipped with the most advanced security and data protection technologies. The security of user information is a priority in our Privacy Policy. All information is encrypted, from personal to payment data. We review periodically our practices for the collection, processing and storage of information, including physical security measures to protect against unauthorized access or intrusion by unauthorized third parties. We restrict access to personal information to employees, contractors and agents who are subject to strict rules of confidentiality. At first users accounts do not run the risk of being invaded, except for their own negligence. Therefore, we cannot be held responsible for unauthorized access to information by "hackers" or others who have obtained such access through illegal methods.

7. Links to Third Party Websites

In our website users can find access links to external websites, which in our view may contain information/useful tools for our visitors. So we included them. Without impairment of including third parties websites that can guarantee at least the same level of protection and accuracy in personal data collection that we ensure, we alert to the fact that we do not have any control over such websites and that they are not covered by this Privacy Policy. Please, refer to the privacy policies of those websites before providing them with any data. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content contained in those websites, even if they have been accessed through our website. However we promise our users that we will be aware of possible violations of Law, and that we will cease these links if we receive any substantiated and concrete infringement notification.

8. Compliance and cooperation with regulatory authorities

We review regularly the contents of this Privacy Policy. Whenever we receive formal written complaints, we will immediately contact the complainant to initiate the respective process. We commit ourselves to working with the relevant regulatory authorities, including local data protection authorities, to resolve any personal data transfer complaints we cannot resolve directly with our users.

9. Changes

This Privacy Policy can be changed. The rights it ensures will not be reduced without the express consent users. Any changes to the Privacy Policy will be posted on this page. If the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice.

10. Remarks

It is forbidden to use our website for illegal purposes or any other purposes that may be considered harmful to the image and name of Polen Surfboards and brands advertised on our website. The user who disregard the ethical rules of use and good education will be deleted. Cases of fraud, counterfeiting, the use of counterfeit or usurped content, illegitimate identification and unfair competition will be reported to the authorities and the perpetrators will be punished by Law. Users agree and undertake to defend, indemnify and hold harmless (if prosecuting) to Polen Surfboards and its collaborators (external and internal) of liabilities from and against any claim or demand by third parties and all obligations, damages, costs and expenses.

11. Responsible for Treatment/Subcontractor

BHV - Actividades Desportivas, Lda (Rua do Casal Queimado, 21, 2750-492 Cascais, Portugal; NIF 513477330), which has the license for the website www.polensurfboards.com in order to provide its users with the necessary information on its activities, services, products and offerings, will assume control and responsibility for the personal information provided by users, and it is responsible for the collection, storage, processing, treatment and privacy of such personal information, all in accordance with this Privacy Policy, the Law and the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), effective as of May 25, 2018.