Privacy and Cookie Policy

1. Who Is Responsible for Your Personal Data?

Understanding Academy is responsible for the personal data described in this policy.

• KVK number: 80819842
• VAT ID: NL003492064B79
• Email: info@understanding-academy.com
• Telephone: +31 6 878 882 63

2. Personal Data We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Your name and contact details.
• Your organisation, professional role and country.
• Your selected course, preferred dates and location.
• Information needed to prepare an invoice or process payment.
• Course attendance and certificate information.
• Messages and information you send by email, telephone or WhatsApp.
• Your email address and newsletter preferences.
• Accessibility, dietary or other support information that you voluntarily provide.
• Photographs, video or audio recordings when separate permission has been obtained.
• Technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, requested pages and access times.

Please do not provide sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for us to make an appropriate course or accessibility arrangement.

3. How and Why We Use Personal Data

We may process personal data to:

• Respond to enquiries and provide information about our courses.
• Process course registrations and communicate with participants.
• Prepare programmes, attendance records and certificates.
• Provide mobility documentation and course-related support.
• Issue invoices and maintain legally required financial records.
• Process payments and monitor outstanding invoices.
• Send newsletters when a person has subscribed.
• Protect the security and operation of our website.
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

Depending on the situation, our legal basis for processing is:

• Taking requested steps before entering into a contract or performing a contract.
• Compliance with a legal obligation.
• Our legitimate interests in administering courses, responding to enquiries and protecting our services.
• Your consent, particularly for newsletters, optional photographs, marketing content and non-essential website technologies.

Where a participant's organisation makes the booking, we may process participant information on the basis of our legitimate interest in administering the agreed course and mobility arrangements.

4. Course Registration, Expressions of Interest and Participation

Our formal course-registration form and non-binding course-interest form are provided through Google Forms. If you have allowed optional external services, a form can load automatically when you visit the relevant page.

If you have not allowed optional external services, the form remains blocked until you choose to load it. You can also open the form directly in a new browser tab. Both actions cause your browser to connect to Google.

Google may receive technical information such as your IP address, browser details and device information. Information entered into a form is transmitted to Google and made available to Understanding Academy.

Information submitted through the interest form is used to record your non-binding interest, contact you about the selected course and determine whether sufficient interest exists to confirm a session. Submitting the interest form does not create a course booking or payment obligation.

Information submitted through the formal registration form is used to process your registration, communicate with you and administer the selected course.

We may share necessary registration, attendance or certificate information with the participant's sending organisation when this is required for the booking, mobility documentation or course administration.

We do not sell participant information or provide it to unrelated organisations for their own marketing purposes.

5. Newsletter and Educational Updates

Our newsletter subscription service is provided through Brevo. When you subscribe, your email address and subscription information are processed for the purpose of sending course updates, educational resources and related news. We also use Brevo forms to deliver access links for selected free educational resources when a visitor chooses to subscribe.

Newsletter processing is based on your consent. You can withdraw that consent at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in every newsletter or by contacting us.

After unsubscribing, limited information may be retained on a suppression list so that we can respect your request and avoid sending further marketing messages.

6. Photographs, Video and Audio Recordings

We may take photographs or recordings during courses and cultural activities. We will request separate permission before using an identifiable participant's image or recording for promotional purposes, including publication on our website or social media.

Refusing promotional photography will not affect a participant's ability to attend a course.

Consent can be withdrawn by contacting us. Withdrawal does not make earlier lawful processing invalid, but we will consider requests to remove published material wherever reasonably possible.

7. Cookies, Local Storage and External Content

Cookies are small files stored on a visitor's device. Websites may also use similar browser technologies, including local storage, to remember choices or provide requested functionality.

Privacy preference

We use necessary browser storage to remember whether you have allowed optional analytics, advertising and external services. This prevents us from asking for the same privacy choice every time you visit the website.

The preference is stored in your browser's local storage under the name uaPrivacyChoices. We also use a necessary first-party preference cookie with the same name as a fallback when local storage is unavailable or is not retained reliably. They contain the consent version, your analytics, advertising and external-services choices, the date of your choice and its expiry date. They do not directly identify you.

The preference is retained for approximately six months. If the consent version changes or the preference expires, we will ask you to make a new choice.

Technical website operation

Our hosting provider and technical service providers may process technical information such as IP addresses, browser details, requested pages, access times and security information when delivering or protecting the website.

Some website styling, fonts, icons and technical files are delivered by external content-delivery providers. When these files are requested, those providers may receive technical connection information such as your IP address and browser details.

Google Consent Mode v2 is configured to deny analytics storage, advertising storage, advertising user-data processing and advertising personalisation by default. Consent Mode itself does not load a Google tag or send information to Google. It records the consent state locally so that optional measurement can respect the choices made here.

Analytics and advertising choices

The Analytics and measurement choice permits optional audience and website-performance measurement. The Advertising choice permits advertising storage, advertising measurement, advertising-related user-data processing and personalisation. These choices are optional and denied unless you select them. Rejecting them does not affect access to the website.

We use Google Analytics 4, with measurement ID G-QPGMMPB45C, only after Analytics and measurement consent has been granted. We use Basic Consent Mode: before permission, the Analytics library is not requested and no Analytics data or cookieless measurement ping is sent to Google.

After analytics consent is granted, Google Analytics may collect page views, session statistics, approximate location, browser and device information, and selected website interactions. The selected interactions are opening the formal registration form, opening the non-binding waiting-list form and indicating an intention to contact us through the contact page, email, telephone or WhatsApp. These events record interest only; they do not indicate that a registration, enquiry or other conversion was completed.

Google Analytics may set first-party cookies including _ga and a stream-specific _ga_* cookie to distinguish users and retain session information. Withdrawing analytics consent stores the denied choice and reloads the page so that the Analytics library is no longer loaded. Advertising consent remains a separate choice.

We use the Google Ads Google tag destination AW-18374403234 only after Advertising consent has been granted. It supports advertising measurement and may allow Google to use advertising cookies and related technical information according to the selected consent. Granting analytics consent alone does not activate this destination, and granting advertising consent alone does not activate Google Analytics. We have not configured a Google Ads conversion event or conversion label.

Optional external functionality

GTranslate, the SociableKIT Google Reviews widget, embedded Google Forms and embedded YouTube videos are blocked by default. They are loaded automatically only after you select Allow external services.

• GTranslate: provides optional website translation. When activated, your browser connects to GTranslate and services used to provide the translation. These providers may receive your IP address, browser information, device information and information necessary to provide the translated page. They may also use cookies, local storage or similar browser technologies according to their own privacy practices.
• SociableKIT Google Reviews: displays public reviews associated with the Understanding Academy Google Business Profile. The displayed information may include reviewer names, profile pictures, ratings, review text and other information made public by the reviewer. When the widget is activated, SociableKIT may process technical and usage information such as your IP address, browser type, device information and interaction with the widget. It may also use local storage or similar technologies according to its own privacy practices.
• Google Forms: provides our embedded course-registration form. When activated, your browser connects to Google. Google may receive technical information such as your IP address, browser details and device information. Information entered into the form is transmitted to Google and made available to Understanding Academy for course-registration and administration purposes.
• YouTube videos: provide optional video tutorials and educational content. Before permission is given, our website displays a locally hosted placeholder and does not load the YouTube player. When a video is activated, your browser connects to Google and YouTube, which may receive technical information such as your IP address, browser details, device information and interaction with the player. YouTube may also use cookies, local storage or similar technologies according to Google's privacy practices.

Choosing not to allow these services does not prevent you from using the main content, navigation or course information on our website. Translation, the embedded Google review display, automatic loading of forms and embedded video playback will remain unavailable. You can still open forms, reviews and videos directly on the relevant provider's website when a direct link is available.

Google Forms

Our course registration form is provided through Google Forms. It loads automatically only when you have allowed optional external services. Otherwise, it remains blocked until you choose to load it, or you may open it directly in a new browser tab.

Loading or opening the form causes your browser to connect to Google. Google may receive technical information such as your IP address, browser details and device information. Information entered into the form is transmitted to Google and made available to Understanding Academy for course-registration and administration purposes.

YouTube videos

Our embedded YouTube videos use YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode through the youtube-nocookie.com domain. The player does not load until optional external services have been allowed. Privacy-enhanced mode limits the use of an embedded video view for personalising the viewer's YouTube experience, but Google and YouTube may still process technical and interaction information after the player is loaded.

Visitors who do not allow optional external services can use the direct YouTube link instead. Following that link takes the visitor to YouTube, where Google's own privacy and cookie practices apply.

External links

Our website contains links to services including Google Maps, reviewer profiles, Padlet, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Amazon. These services are not loaded merely because a link appears on our website. Your browser connects to the relevant provider when you choose to follow the link.

Managing or withdrawing your choice

You can change or withdraw your analytics, advertising or external-services choices at any time by selecting Privacy settings in the website footer. Withdrawing analytics permission reloads the page and prevents Google Analytics from loading again. Withdrawing external-services permission prevents GTranslate, SociableKIT, embedded Google Forms and embedded YouTube videos from being loaded automatically again.

You can also use your browser settings to inspect or delete cookies, local storage and other website data. Deleting the stored privacy preference means that we will ask you to make a new choice when you next visit the website.

We will update this policy before activating a new advertising or other non-essential technology.

8. External Service Providers

We use selected service providers to operate our website and educational services. The providers involved depend on how you use the website and which optional features you activate.

• home.pl provides website hosting, delivery, security and technical logging. Read home.pl's privacy information .
• Google provides Google Analytics 4 after analytics consent is granted, the Google Ads tag destination after advertising consent is granted, as well as optional forms and YouTube video embeds, externally hosted fonts and links to services such as Google Maps. Google Business Profile is also the original source of the public reviews displayed through SociableKIT. Read Google's Privacy Policy .
• SociableKIT provides the optional Google Reviews widget. The widget is loaded only after external services have been allowed. SociableKIT retrieves and displays public review content and may process technical and usage information when the widget is loaded. Read SociableKIT's Privacy Policy .
• GTranslate provides optional website translation and is loaded only after external services have been allowed. Read GTranslate's Privacy Policy .
• Brevo provides newsletter subscriptions and newsletter delivery. Read Brevo's Privacy Policy .
• SumUp and our bank provide payment processing and financial administration.
• Padlet provides access to our private Partnership Network when a visitor follows the relevant external link.
• Content-delivery providers deliver Bootstrap, jQuery, Font Awesome, website fonts and other technical website assets.

Padlet, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Google Maps and Amazon are external websites. When you choose to visit one of these services, that provider processes information according to its own privacy policy.

We may also share necessary personal information with trainers, accountants, professional advisers, public authorities or a participant's sending organisation when required for course delivery, administration, legal compliance or the establishment or defence of legal claims.

9. International Data Transfers

Some service providers may process information outside the European Economic Area. Where required, international transfers are protected through an adequacy decision, contractual safeguards or another transfer mechanism recognised under applicable data-protection law.

10. How Long We Retain Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the relevant purpose or an applicable legal obligation.

• General enquiries that do not lead to a booking are normally retained for no longer than 24 months after the last contact.
• Course-registration and participation records are retained for as long as reasonably necessary for administration, documentation, certificate verification and possible claims.
• Invoices and relevant financial records are generally retained for seven years in accordance with Dutch record-keeping requirements.
• Newsletter information is retained until you unsubscribe or the newsletter service is discontinued.
• Photographs and recordings are reviewed periodically and retained while they remain relevant and the applicable permission remains valid.
• Technical logs are retained according to the security and retention settings of our hosting and service providers.
• The website privacy preference stored under uaPrivacyChoices is retained in local storage and, where needed, a necessary first-party preference cookie for approximately six months, unless you delete it earlier through your browser settings.
• Information processed by external providers is retained according to the relevant provider's own retention rules and privacy policy.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Subject to the conditions established by the GDPR, you may have the right to:

• Receive information about how your personal data is used.
• Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of information when there is no lawful reason to retain it.
• Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Object to direct marketing at any time.
• Withdraw consent at any time.
• Receive certain information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format where data portability applies.

These rights are not absolute. For example, we may need to retain information where Dutch law requires us to keep financial records.

We do not use personal data to make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

12. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure. Access is limited to people and providers who require the information for an authorised purpose.

No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Please contact us if you believe that personal information has been compromised.

13. Requests, Questions and Complaints

To exercise a privacy right or ask a question about this policy, contact:

info@understanding-academy.com

We may request additional information when reasonably necessary to verify your identity. We will normally respond without undue delay and within one month.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority: Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens .

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy when our services, providers or legal obligations change. The most recent version will be published on this page together with its updated date.