Privacy Policy for Lighting Universe
1. Introduction
At Lighting Universe, accessible at lighting-universe.com, we are deeply committed to safeguarding your privacy and protecting your personal data. We understand the importance of maintaining trust, and we uphold robust privacy principles consistent with international data protection standards, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This Privacy Policy outlines the manner in which we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit or interact with our website.
2. Scope of This Policy and Data Controller Role
This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors and users of lighting-universe.com and governs the processing of personal data collected through our site and related services. Lighting Universe is the data controller responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing your personal data under applicable law. Should you have any questions or concerns, you may contact us at [email protected].
3. Categories of Data We Process
We collect and process the following categories of personal data:
– Usage Data: This includes data about how you use our website, IP address, browser type, geolocation data, session information, access times, referring websites, and interacted features. This data helps us optimize site performance and user experience.
– Account Data: Collected during registration or checkout, this includes full name, shipping and billing address, email address, and phone number.
– Profile Data: Encompasses your preferences, order history, browsing habits, saved items, product reviews, and behavior patterns.
– Communication Data: Includes any personal data you voluntarily provide when contacting us, such as emails, support tickets, contact forms, and chat messages.
– Technical Data: Refers to technical attributes of your device, including operating system, device identifiers, browser settings, and security configurations.
– Transaction Data: Contains payment-related information from purchases made through the site, including your order details, payment confirmations, shipping tracking numbers, and delivery records.
– Preference Data: Captures your marketing and communication choices, subscription preferences, content interaction, and indicated product interests.
4. Legal Bases for Processing
We rely on the following legal bases to process personal data in accordance with GDPR and CCPA:
– Consent: Where explicitly provided by you, such as subscribing to newsletters or accepting cookies.
– Contractual Necessity: Where processing is required to fulfill our obligations under a contract with you (e.g., order processing and delivery).
– Legal Obligation: To comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
– Legitimate Interests: To operate, secure, and improve lighting-universe.com, prevent fraud, and better understand user needs, except where such interests are overridden by your fundamental rights.
5. Your Rights
Subject to applicable laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
– Right of Access: You can request a copy of your personal data we hold.
– Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
– Right to Erasure: You may request the deletion of your personal data under qualifying conditions (“right to be forgotten”).
– Right to Restriction: You may request the limitation of our processing when accurate conditions are met.
– Right to Data Portability: Where feasible, you may receive your data in a structured, commonly used format for migration to another service provider.
– Right to Object: You may object to processing activities based on public interest or legitimate interest grounds, including profiling.
– Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.
Residents of California additionally have rights under the CCPA, including the right to opt out of the sale of their personal information and the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising their privacy rights.
To assert any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].
6. Security Measures
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data, including:
– Encryption of data in transit (SSL)
– Granular access control and role-based permissions within our IT systems
– Secure data storage and regular system monitoring
– Periodic vulnerability assessments and intrusion detection
– Staff training in data protection obligations and incident response protocols
7. International Data Transfers
Wherever possible, your data is stored and processed within your region. If data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or similar jurisdictions, we implement robust safeguards, such as executing Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission or relying on certifications recognized under applicable law to ensure adequate levels of protection.
8. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy or as required under applicable law. Specific retention periods include:
– Account Data: Retained as long as your account remains active and for 6 years thereafter to comply with tax and legal requirements.
– Transaction Data: Retained for 7 years for accounting and legal compliance.
– Communication Data: Retained for 3 years after the last interaction.
– Usage and Technical Data: Retained for up to 12 months for analytics purposes.
– Preference Data and Marketing Consents: Retained until consent is revoked or after 2 years of inactivity.
Data no longer required is securely deleted or anonymized.
9. Cookie Policy
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on lighting-universe.com to enhance functionality, personalize content, analyze site traffic, and facilitate marketing efforts. Categories include:
– Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function; they enable core features like secure login and cart management.
– Functional Cookies: Used to remember user preferences, such as site language or display settings.
– Analytical Cookies: Help aggregate user behavior for site optimization and reporting. We rely on tools like Google Analytics.
– Performance Cookies: Measure the performance of newsletters, ads, and marketing outreach on and off-site.
10. Cookie Management and GDPR/CCPA Compliance
Upon your first visit, lighting-universe.com presents a clear cookie consent banner, allowing you to accept or customize your preferences. You may withdraw or modify your cookie choices at any time via our Cookie Settings link in the site footer.
Under GDPR, you may refuse non-essential cookies, and under CCPA, you have the right to opt out of the sale of collected data (note: we do not sell personal data).
Browser settings can also be adjusted to block or remove cookies, though doing so may affect website functionality.
11. Protection of Children’s Personal Data
lighting-universe.com is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or process personal data from individuals under 13. If we become aware that a child’s data has been collected without parental consent, we will take immediate steps to delete such information. If you believe your child has provided personal data without your consent, please contact us at [email protected].
12. Policy Updates and Notifications
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect legal, operational, or technological changes. Any material changes will be communicated with appropriate notice via the website or through direct contact if required. Continued use of lighting-universe.com after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or would like to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us by email at:
We are committed to handling your requests with care, responsiveness, and respect for your privacy rights.
Lighting Universe remains fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable privacy frameworks. We value your trust and invite you to reach out with any concerns regarding your personal data and how it is being handled.