PRIVACY POLICY - PERSONAL DATA

We publish this document to clarify why we collect and process personal data in our business operations:

1. What is personal data?

These are all the pieces of information that allow for easy distinction between individuals.
This can refer directly to a person (like name, identification number, or sometimes even email address or online account) and also to characteristics, health status, views, residence, habits, race, or religion.

2. What personal data do we process?

We process data provided by our Clients, Contractors, and Employees in relation to using our services, collaborating with us, or employment.

3. What does data processing mean?

Processing encompasses all activities we can perform with personal data – both actively, like collecting, retrieving, recording, combining, modifying, or sharing, and passively, such as storing, limiting, deleting, or destroying.

4. Who is the Data Controller?

The controller responsible for the processing of personal data is:

Maciej Gerszewski
Chamotte: The Pottery Collective

Eppendorfer Weg 125
20259 Hamburg
Germany

Studio: Hoheluftchaussee 58, 20253 Hamburg
Email: maciej@chamotte.de

5. On what legal basis and for what purpose do we process your data?

Each data processing must be based on a proper legal basis, compliant with applicable laws.
This could be your consent to data processing, sending a form to us, contacting us in another way, concluding a contract with us, or other legal provisions allowing it - contained in the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (known as “GDPR”) or in various national legal acts.

Your data may be processed by us for several different purposes, for example:

  • Contact enquiries

    If you contact us by email, telephone or through a contact form, we process the information you provide in order to respond to your enquiry. Depending on the nature of your request, processing is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR where the communication relates to a contract or pre-contractual measures, or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR where we have a legitimate interest in responding to general enquiries.

  • If you are our Client or interested in using our services, we process your data in connection with the contract concluded with you or in preparation for such a contract (art. 6 par. 1 let. b GDPR). This always happens with your knowledge and will. By expressing the intention to conclude a contract, you know what personal data will be needed to sign it, and after signing it, you know what data you have provided or will provide later.

  • Newsletter and marketing communication

    Where required, we process your contact details for marketing purposes on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You may withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future.

  • We may also process your data in connection with the need to ensure the security of our IT network and information. This will occur when you use our IT infrastructure or connect to it, e.g., by accessing our website or sending messages to us. This is our legally justified interest (art. 6 par. 1 let. f GDPR).

  • If you are interested in working with us, your data is processed in the form of an application or CV sent by you. This is done at your request (art. 6 par. 1 let. b GDPR) and written consent, which you can withdraw at any time. In such a case, your candidacy will not be considered by us, and we will immediately delete all data provided by you. However, from the moment of your employment with us, further data processing rules and the mandatory scope of their transfer and further processing by us are determined by labor law regulations (art. 6 par. 1 let. c GDPR).

6. Who do we share your data with?

In accordance with the law, we may share your data with entities processing it on our behalf, such as postal operators, accounting firms, IT service providers, or other subcontractors specified in our agreement with you. We are also obligated to provide your data upon request
to legally authorized entities based on other legal provisions (for example, courts or law enforcement agencies, tax offices). However, this will only occur if they submit a formal request to us, citing the legal basis that permits such a demand.

We do not plan to transfer your data to third countries or international organizations outside the European Economic Area, excluding the below listed exceptions. Within the European Union, thanks to the GDPR, you are assured the same level of data protection in all member states. The text of the GDPR is available
in the Official Journal of the European Union (link to the external site of the European Commission: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/de/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2016:119:TOC).

List of Non-EU service providers:

  • Squarespace
    hosting, website, forms, shop/booking infrastructure

  • Payment providers
    Stripe / PayPal

  • Google Analytics
    Usage Statistics

  • Google Ads
    Online Marketing

  • Instagram/Meta links or embeds

  • Substack
    Newsletter provider

7. How long will we process your data? 

We take great care to minimize the amount of data we collect and the duration of its processing. To achieve this, we systematically review our paper and electronic documents, removing those that are no longer needed. Remember, the duration of processing your data may be dictated by separate legal regulations independent of us, which may oblige us to store your data regardless of your wishes. Examples include labor law, social security law, or accounting regulations. We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the respective purpose or as required by applicable statutory retention obligations. In particular, invoices and related accounting records may be retained for the periods required under German tax and commercial law. After the applicable retention period expires, the data will be deleted unless further storage is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. Should we intend to use your data for a purpose other than which it was originally collected, you will be informed and have the right to object.

8. What are your rights regarding your data? If we process your personal data, you always have the right to:

  • Access your data – as per art. 15 GDPR,

  • Correct them – as per art. 16 GDPR,

  • Request deletion – as per art. 17 GDPR,

  • Limit processing – as per art. 18 GDPR,

  • Data portability, including obtaining a copy – as per art. 20 GDPR,

  • Object to data processing – as per art. 21 GDPR. All these rights are detailed in art. 15 to 21 GDPR, available in the Official Journal of the European Union (link to the external site
    of the European Commission: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/de/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2016:119:TOC) You can also withdraw your consent to personal data processing,
    in which case we will immediately delete your personal data, unless a legal obligation requires us to continue processing.

  • If you believe that we have violated your rights or not ensured the security of your personal data, you have the right to file a complaint with the supervisory authority, which is:
    Der Hamburgische Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (HmbBfDI)
    Ludwig-Erhard-Str. 22
    20459 Hamburg

9. Automated decision-making and profiling information.

We do not make any decisions based on your data that would be automated, i.e., without human involvement. Nor do we engage in any actions aimed at profiling you.

10. How do we protect your data?

To ensure the security of your data, we use legally required organizational and technical measures. Our office has implemented necessary physical security to prevent unauthorized access to personal data. Our employees are authorized and can process data only to the extent necessary to perform their official duties. Electronic information is protected using specialized software and by regularly performing backups.

11. Privacy protection of minors

Our website does not monitor or verify information about the age of users, senders, and recipients of messages, or those interested in receiving notifications about our activities, including newsletters. Contact information from visitors (such as phone numbers and email addresses of users) is used to fulfill orders, send information about our company, and commercial offers. Minors should not send any information, place orders, or subscribe to services provided by our company without the consent of their parents or legal guardians.
We will require such consent whenever we learn that the user is a minor ("child") as per art. 8 GDPR, meaning under 16 years old.

Where our services are booked for or involve minors, personal data relating to minors will be processed only to the extent necessary to provide the service and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements. Where consent is required, including for the use of identifiable photographs or recordings, we will obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian where legally required.

12. Photos, Video and Audio Recordings at Workshops, Events and during regular open studio time (Members)

We may occasionally take photographs or make video recordings during workshops, events or other activities at Chamotte for documentation, communication and promotional purposes, including publication on our website and social media channels.

Where an individual participant is the main subject of a photograph or recording, we will obtain consent where required. Consent is voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future. Refusing consent will not affect your participation in our workshops or services.

Where photographs show an event, group or studio situation rather than focusing on an identifiable individual, processing may, where legally permissible, be based on our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, taking into account the rights and reasonable expectations of the persons concerned.

We take particular care when photographs or recordings involve minors and obtain the necessary consent from their parent or legal guardian where required.

COOKIES POLICY

1. What are cookies and what is their purpose? 

Cookies are text files stored on your device, used by servers to recognize the device upon reconnection. They are downloaded every time you enter and leave a website. Cookies don't identify you personally, just your device - for instance, to adjust the displayed image to the technical capabilities of your hardware (like resolution) or its type (desktop or mobile version).

Cookies are commonly used for counters, surveys, online stores, login-required sites, ads,
and monitoring visitor activity. They enable remembering your interests and tailoring websites to them, including content and ad personalization.

Today, virtually all online services use cookies - search engines, news sites, blogs, online stores, government sites, magazines, newspapers, etc. Our site also uses cookies.

2. What do cookies do? 

Generally, they operate on the following principles:

  • Identify the computer and browser used for web browsing - letting us know if a particular computer has visited the site before,

  • Data obtained from cookies are not combined with users' personal data acquired,
    for example, during site registration,

  • They are not harmful to you or your computers, smartphones - they don't affect their functioning,

  • They don't cause configuration changes in end devices or software installed on these devices,

  • Default cookie parameters allow only the server that created them to read
    the information,

  • Based on your behavior on visited websites, they send information to servers, making
    the displayed page better tailored to individual preferences.

3. What types of cookies are there?

There are several types of cookies:

  • "Session cookies" are temporary files stored in the browser memory until the end of
    the session (i.e., until the browser is closed). They are essential for some apps or functionalities to work correctly. They should be automatically deleted from your device upon closing the browser,

  • "Persistent cookies" facilitate the use of frequently visited sites (e.g., remembering your favorite color scheme or menu layout on your favorite sites). These files are stored
    in a designated folder for an extended period, which you can regulate in your browser settings. Each time you visit the site, data from these cookies are transmitted to the server. These cookies are sometimes called "tracking cookies,"

  • "Third-party cookies" typically come from advertising servers, search servers, etc., cooperating with the site owner. They help tailor displayed information and ads to your interests and habits, often allowing free access to some content. They also count ad clicks, user preferences, and more.

4. Do you need to consent to our use of cookies?

Remember, you have the ability to manage cookies yourself. This is possible, for example, through web browsers you use (usually, the mechanism is enabled by default). In the most popular browsers, you have the option to:

Leaving your browser settings unchanged implies consent to our use of cookies. However, blocking or disabling certain types might prevent you from fully experiencing the site's functionality or disrupt its proper operation.

5. How do we use cookies?

On our website, we utilize both session and persistent cookies for several purposes:

  • Generating statistics to enhance the content, structure, and layout of our pages,

  • Maintaining the user's session on the site.

For accurate page display, we gather the following data: name and version of the internet browser, language settings, date and time of the server request, IP address from which the request was sent, and the requested URL. These data are collected to ensure the proper functioning of the site.

We use the web analytics tool – Google Analytics for creating statistics. This tool collects data and uses its own cookies in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy (external link to Google: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en).

Google accumulates data on its servers from the placement of cookies on devices and uses this information to generate reports and provide other services related to internet traffic and usage. Google may also share this information with third parties if required by law or if these entities process the information on behalf of Google.

Data collected by our site are not disclosed or shared with third parties except for competent law enforcement authorities authorized to conduct criminal proceedings in connection with
a complaint filed by us. This will only happen if you engage in unlawful or harmful activities.tatisticsgle ine

Abstract ceramic form inspired by pottery silhouettes, part of Chamotte’s visual identity. Chamotte is Hamburg's first open pottery studio.
Abstract ceramic form inspired by pottery silhouettes, part of Chamotte’s visual identity. Chamotte is Hamburg's first open pottery studio.