Privacy Policy

Protection of Personal Data
The Grand Lodge of Jerusalem respects the privacy of its visitors and is committed to protecting personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data, as well as your rights in relation to it.

1. Types of Data Collected

We may collect the following types of personal data when you use our website:

  • Personal Data Provided Voluntarily: When you leave a comment, register for an account, or fill out a form on our site, we collect the data you provide, such as your name, email address, and any other information you submit.
  • Personal Data Collected Automatically: We automatically collect certain information when you visit our site, including your IP address, browser type, device information, and pages viewed. This data helps us improve your user experience and is generally collected through technologies such as cookies.
  • Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies (small text files placed on your device) to collect data automatically as you interact with our website. Cookies help us improve functionality, enhance your experience, and analyze site traffic. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

2. Purpose of Data Processing

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To provide and improve our services: We use the data to manage comments, registrations, and other interactions on the site.
  • To respond to your inquiries: Your contact details may be used to reply to your questions or requests.
  • To monitor and improve the website: Data helps us analyze how visitors use the site and optimize user experience.
  • To ensure security: Personal data is used to secure the site against misuse and potential threats.
  • To comply with legal obligations: We may process your data to meet our legal obligations under relevant laws.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

In accordance with the GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

  • Consent: By providing your personal data (e.g., leaving a comment or subscribing to our newsletter), you consent to our processing of that data for the specified purposes.
  • Performance of a contract: We process personal data to fulfill our obligations under the terms of use of the website.
  • Legitimate Interests: We may process your data based on our legitimate interests, such as improving the user experience, ensuring security, and analyzing the use of the website.
  • Compliance with legal obligations: We may process personal data to comply with our legal obligations.

4. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. For example, if you leave a comment, we retain the comment and associated data for as long as the comment remains on the website.

5. Data Sharing and Transfers

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

  • Service providers: We may share your personal data with trusted third parties (e.g., website hosting providers, analytics services) that help us operate the website or provide certain services.
  • Authorities: We may disclose your personal data to regulatory or law enforcement authorities if required by law.

Any third-party service providers we use are bound by contractual obligations to ensure the confidentiality and security of your data.

6. Your Rights under GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights concerning your personal data:

  • Right to access: You have the right to request a copy of your personal data that we process.
  • Right to rectification: You have the right to request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
  • Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): You can request that we delete your personal data when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or if you withdraw your consent (if applicable).
  • Right to restriction of processing: You can request the restriction of processing of your personal data in certain situations.
  • Right to data portability: You can request that we transfer your personal data to another organization, where technically feasible.
  • Right to object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, especially in cases where processing is based on legitimate interests.
  • Right to withdraw consent: If processing is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the contact details provided at the end of this policy.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. While we strive to protect your data, no data transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your personal data.

8. International Data Transfers

In the course of processing your personal data, we may transfer your data to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including to service providers or partners in other regions. Where this occurs, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses, to ensure your data is protected in accordance with the GDPR.

9. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Any updates will be posted on this page, and we encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Copyright Notice

All content on this site is the property of the Grand Lodge of Jerusalem and is made available for the use of Freemasons. Unless explicitly permitted, no part of this site may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form without our prior written consent.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

All rights to the content of the site, including but not limited to text, images, graphics, logos, icons, and software, are the property of the Grand Lodge of Jerusalem or third-party licensors. Use of this material is permitted only for personal, non-commercial purposes.

Cookie Usage

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit our site. We use cookies for the following purposes:

  • Essential cookies: These cookies are necessary for the operation of the website, such as those used to authenticate and maintain user sessions.
  • Analytics cookies: These cookies collect information about how visitors use our site, helping us improve functionality and user experience (e.g., Google Analytics).
  • Third-party cookies: These are used to enable third-party features, such as embedded content (e.g., videos, social media sharing).

You can configure your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent, but some features of the site may not function properly without cookies.

Managing Cookies

You can manage cookies in your browser settings, and you can withdraw your consent to cookie use at any time by adjusting your browser preferences. However, please note that disabling cookies may impact the functionality of the website.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comment form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to exercise any of your rights under the GDPR, please contact us at:

Email: deputysecretaryitaly@grandlodgeofjerusalem.eu
Postal Address: Castello Dei Baroni, St Paul Bay, Malta