Welcome to Art and Materials Lab (“we”, “us”, or “the Website”). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy & Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard personal data when you browse our content, subscribe, contact us, submit work, or collaborate with us.

Scope

This Notice applies to personal data processed through our Website and related services (including reading content, newsletter subscriptions, submissions, collaboration enquiries, forms, and communications).
It does not apply to third-party websites linked from our Website, or to individuals/entities not employed or managed by us. Please review third parties’ own privacy policies.

What we collect

Depending on how you use the Website, we may collect:

A. Data you provide

• Contact details: name, email address, phone number (if provided), social handles (if provided)

• Submission & collaboration data: your work/article, images/files, author/creator bio, attribution and licensing information, project/event collaboration details

• Subscription & preferences: subscription status, language/topic preferences

• Communications: messages sent via forms/email and our replies

B. Data collected automatically

• Technical data: IP address, browser type, OS, device identifiers (where applicable)

• Usage data: time stamps, pages viewed, clicks, referrer URLs, approximate location inferred from IP (city/country level)

• Cookies and similar technologies (see Section 7)

C. Sensitive data
We do not intentionally collect special category data (e.g., health, religion, political opinions). If you choose to share such data, we will handle it only where necessary and with enhanced safeguards.

How we use your data (purposes)

We use personal data to:

• Provide and operate the Website (performance, security, troubleshooting)

• Respond to enquiries and support requests

• Manage submissions and publishing workflows (review, editorial communications, attribution, scheduling, provenance)

• Deliver collaborations and event/publicity support where requested

• Send newsletters/updates where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law (you can unsubscribe anytime)

• Analyse and improve our services (typically aggregated or de-identified)

• Protect legal rights, prevent misuse/fraud, and comply with legal obligations

Legal bases

Where UK/EU GDPR applies, we process personal data based on one or more of:

• Consent (e.g., newsletters, non-essential cookies where applicable)

• Contract / pre-contract steps (e.g., submissions or collaboration requests)

• Legal obligation

• Legitimate interests (e.g., Website security, basic analytics, service improvement), balanced against your rights

Sharing and third parties (we do not sell your data)

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it only when necessary:

• With service providers/processors (hosting, storage, email delivery, forms, analytics, security) under contractual confidentiality and security obligations

• To comply with law or lawful requests

• To protect rights, safety, and prevent fraud or abuse

• With your explicit consent

International transfers

Your data may be processed outside your country/region (e.g., where our providers operate). We take reasonable steps (contractual safeguards and security controls) to ensure appropriate protection.

Cookies and similar technologies

We may use cookies/pixels to:

• Ensure core functionality (strictly necessary cookies)

• Remember preferences (e.g., language)

• Measure and improve performance (analytics cookies, which may require consent depending on your location)

You can manage cookies via your browser settings and, where available, our cookie preference tool. Disabling cookies may affect some features.

Data retention

We retain personal data only as long as needed for the purposes described or as required by law. Typically:

• Enquiries/collaboration records: retained for a reasonable period after closure

• Submission/publishing records: may be retained longer for attribution and provenance

• Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe or we discontinue

Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures (access controls, secure transmission, malware protection, backups, least-privilege access). Only authorised personnel with a business need can access personal data and are bound by confidentiality. No online system can be guaranteed 100% secure; we will respond to incidents in line with applicable law.

Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights to: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability (in some instances), objection (in certain cases), and withdrawal of consent (without affecting prior lawful processing).
Contact us using the details below; we may verify your identity to protect your data.

Children

Our Website is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data. If you believe a child has provided data without appropriate consent, please get in touch with us.

Changes

We may update this Notice to reflect legal, technical, or operational changes. The latest version will be posted on this page with the updated date.

Contact & complaints

For questions, requests, or complaints:

• Email: [privacy@yourdomain.com]

• Contact page: [URL]

• Address (if applicable): [Company address]

If you are in the UK, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue promptly.