Effective Date: 28 August 2025

At House of Levant Association in Canada (HLAC), we are committed to protecting your personal information and ensuring transparency in how we collect, use, and safeguard your data. This policy applies to all visitors, donors, volunteers, and contributors who interact with our website https://houseoflevant.org.

1. Who We Are

House of Levant Association in Canada (HLAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Levantine culture, supporting communities in need, and connecting the diaspora. Our official website is https://houseoflevant.org.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of data when you interact with our website:

Personal information: Name, email, phone number, mailing address (when making donations, signing up, or volunteering).
Donation/payment details: Processed securely through trusted third-party providers (we do not store credit card details).
Comments: Data shown in the comment form, your IP address, and browser information to help with spam detection.
Media: If you upload images, avoid including location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors may be able to download and extract this data.
Cookies: To improve your experience (see Section 5).
Technical data: IP address, browser type, and interaction with our site (e.g., pages visited, time spent).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Process and acknowledge donations.
Provide receipts for tax and reporting purposes (where applicable).
Communicate updates, newsletters, and program information (only if you opt in).
Manage volunteer participation.
Improve website functionality and user experience.
Detect and prevent fraud, spam, or misuse.

4. Cookies

If you leave a comment, you may choose to save your name, email, and website in cookies for convenience.
When logging in, temporary cookies are used to test if your browser accepts them. Login cookies last two days; display preference cookies last one year.
Publishing or editing articles sets a cookie with the post ID, which expires in one day.
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features may not function properly.

5. Embedded Content

Articles may include embedded content (videos, images, articles, etc.) from other websites. These external sites may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction. Their privacy policies apply when you interact with such content.

6. Who We Share Data With

Donation/payment data is shared securely with our payment processors (e.g., PayPal, Stripe) for transaction purposes.
Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection services.
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

7. How Long We Retain Your Data

Comments and their metadata are stored indefinitely to enable automatic recognition of follow-ups.
Registered users (if applicable) can view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except usernames).
Donor and transaction records are retained for as long as necessary to fulfill legal, financial, or reporting obligations.

8. Your Rights

You may request:

A copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Deletion of your data (except when retention is required by law or for legitimate organizational purposes).
To opt out of communications at any time.

9. Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments may be filtered through spam detection services.
Donations are processed through secure third-party gateways, and information may be stored in secure servers outside your home country, depending on the provider.

10. Data Security

We utilize industry-standard encryption and security measures to safeguard your personal and financial information. Access is limited to authorized HoL team members only.

11. Policy Updates

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with the new effective date.

12. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us:

📧 Email: info@houseoflevant.org