Privacy policy

This microsite has been developed by a coalition of charities (the “Coalition”) collaborating on a global campaign to end commercial whaling. The purpose of the microsite is to collect signatures for a petition (“the Petition”) that will be delivered to global decision-makers.

This Privacy Policy explains how IFAW, Inc., a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation located at 290 Summer Street, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675 (“IFAW”), acting on behalf of the Coalition, collects and processes your personal data when you use the microsite.


1. Who we are

The Coalition is made up of the following charities and non-profit organisations:

  • International Fund for Animal Welfare, Inc., a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation located at 290 Summer Street, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675 (“IFAW”)
  • Whale and Dolphin Conservation gGmbH, registered charity at Implerstraße 55, 81371 Munich (“WDC”)
  • Environmental Investigation Agency UK, a UK registered charity in England and Wales located at 62-63 Upper Street, London, N1 0NY (“EIA”)
  • Pro Wildlife e.V., located at Engelhardstr. 10, 81369 Munich, Germany (“ProWildlife”)

The Coalition members act as joint controllers, meaning they jointly determine the purpose of the petition campaign – to end commercial whaling – and make key decisions about what personal data is collected and how it is used.

EIA administers the microsite and IFAW processes the personal data on behalf of the Coalition.


2. Personal Data Collected

When you sign the Petition, we collect the following information:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Country
  • Your preferences, including whether you have consented to receive updates from the Coalition regarding the petition


3. How We Use Your Personal Information

Personal data collected through the microsite will be used for the following purposes:

a) Delivering the Petition

Your information will be included with the Petition and delivered to the intended recipients:

  • Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan
  • Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland
  • Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway

b) Sending You Updates (Optional)

If you choose to opt in, the Coalition will send you email updates about the campaign. You may withdraw your consent at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in any email we send or by contacting us using the details below.

We will not use your data for unrelated purposes without your explicit consent.


4. Legal Bases

Under UK and EU data protection laws, the Coalition relies on:


Legitimate Interests
To process petition signer information and deliver the Petition to the intended recipients. Where legitimate interests are used, we have balanced these interests against your rights and freedoms.


Consent
To send you email updates where you have opted in.


In some jurisdictions outside the UK and EU, consent may be the required legal basis for sending email communications, and the Coalition will comply with those local requirements where applicable.


5. Sharing

Your personal data may be shared with:

  • Petition recipients (listed above)
  • Third party suppliers, including IFAW’s digital campaigning platform, Engaging Networks
  • IFAW staff, including those based in the United States, for campaign administration

IFAW administers this microsite on behalf of the Coalition, and your data may be processed by trusted third parties engaged to support campaign activities.


We do not sell or rent your personal data to anyone.

 

6. International Transfers

As a global organisation, IFAW, acting on behalf of the Coalition may store or process personal data outside the UK and the EU, including in the United States.


Where the Coalition transfers personal data out of the UK or European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include:

  • Transfers to countries recognised as providing an adequate level of protection by the European Commission or UK Government (for example, the petition addressee in Japan)
  • Transfers within the EEA where the EU GDPR applies (for example, the petition addresses in Iceland and Norway)
  • Transfers to recipients in the United States that have registered and certified with the standards of the UK extension to the Data Privacy Framework – “UK-US Data Bridge”
  • Use of EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or UK International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs), where needed

These measures help ensure that your personal data receives an equivalent level of protection to that required under UK and EU data protection laws.

 

7. Cookies

The microsite only uses essential cookies, i.e. session cookies required for site functionality, security cookies and cookies required for form submission.


Non-essential or tracking cookies are not used on this microsite.

 

8. Retention

The Coalition will retain the petition data for 18 months after the petition has been delivered, after which it will be securely deleted.

If you have consented to receive updates on the petition and campaign, we will retain your contact information and contact you for up to 36 months unless you unsubscribe when your data will be securely deleted.

 

9. Your Rights

If you are based in the UK or EU, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Request correction or deletion
  • Request restriction of processing
  • Object to processing
  • Request data portability
  • Withdraw consent at any time
  • Complain to your national supervisory authority

If you reside outside the UK or EU, you may have similar rights under your local data protection laws. Where such rights apply, the Coalition will comply with the relevant legal obligations in your jurisdiction.

 

10. Security

The Coalition takes data protection seriously and as such, both IFAW, acting on behalf of the Coalition, and their contracted service provider, Engaging Networks, have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information from unauthorised access, unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction and damage.

While no system is completely secure, we take all reasonable steps to ensure your information is safeguarded.

 

11. Children

This petition is not intended for individuals under the age of 16. The Coalition does not purposefully or knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we discover we have unintentionally collected such data, we will delete it promptly.

 

12. Contact

If you wish to contact the Coalition to exercise your rights, to complain or ask questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact the representative of the Coalition:

Sharon Livermore
c/o Whaling Coalition
IFAW
5th Floor, 81 Southwark Street
London, SE1 0HX

Email: info-uk@ifaw.org
Telephone: 020 7587 6700

 

13. Changes to this policy

This Privacy Policy was last updated on 15 May 2026.

We may update this Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this microsite and will apply from the date of publication.

Help end commercial whaling

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