Privacy Policy

Privacy

UK Fetish Awards respects the privacy of nominees, applicants, voters, event attendees, ticket purchasers, sponsors, partners, website visitors and members of our community.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we use it, where it may come from, who may process it, how long it may be retained and the rights available to individuals.

1. Who this Privacy Policy applies to

This Privacy Policy may apply to:

(a) applicants;

(b) nominees;

(d) people nominated by third parties;

(e) voters;

(f) event attendees;

(g) ticket purchasers;

(h) photographers, performers and contributors;

(i) sponsors and commercial partners;

(j) suppliers;

(k) website visitors;

(l) people who contact us; and

(m) people who subscribe to communications from UK Fetish Awards.

2. Personal information we may collect

Depending on your interaction with us, we may process information including:

(a) your legal name or stage name;

(b) email address;

(d) date of birth or confirmation that you are over 18;

(e) identification information where age or identity verification is necessary;

(f) social-media usernames and profile information;

(g) photographs and video;

(h) biographies and professional information;

(i) application and nomination information;

(j) award categories;

(k) public voting information;

(l) communications between you and UK Fetish Awards;

(m) ticket and event information;

(n) payment and transaction records;

(o) prize information;

(p) sponsor or business information;

(q) IP addresses;

(r) browser and device information;

(s) security information;

(t) voting timestamps and technical voting records;

(u) cookie and analytics information; and

(v) photographs, video and audio recorded during UK Fetish Awards events.

We do not normally receive or store complete payment-card details where payments are processed by an independent payment provider.

3. Information that may be particularly sensitive

Certain categories of personal information receive additional protection under data-protection law.

Because UK Fetish Awards operates within the fetish and adult-industry community, information a person voluntarily chooses to provide may, in some circumstances, reveal information concerning that person’s sex life, sexual orientation or another protected category of information.

Participation in UK Fetish Awards, attendance at an event, following a social-media page or appearing in general event photography does not automatically establish a person’s sexual orientation, sex life or other sensitive personal characteristic.

We do not intend to infer a person’s sexual orientation, sex life, health, beliefs or other special-category characteristic merely because they participate in or attend UK Fetish Awards.

Where we intentionally process special-category personal information, we will identify an appropriate lawful basis and an applicable special-category condition as required by data-protection law.

Where explicit consent is the appropriate condition, that consent will be requested separately and clearly.

4. Where personal information comes from

We may receive personal information directly from you when you:

(a) submit an application;

(b) accept or participate in a nomination;

(d) cast a vote;

(e) purchase a ticket;

(f) attend an event;

(g) enter a competition;

(h) communicate with us;

(i) subscribe to communications; or

(j) engage with an awards activity.

We may also receive information from:

(a) another person who nominates you;

(b) photographers or content providers authorised to supply material;

(d) sponsors or partners involved in an activity;

(e) fraud-prevention and security services; and

(f) publicly available professional or social-media sources where use of that information is lawful and appropriate.

Where personal information is obtained from somebody other than the individual concerned, we will provide applicable privacy information where required.

5. Why we use personal information

We may process personal information for the following purposes:

(a) administering applications and nominations;

(b) verifying eligibility and age;

(d) creating public nominee and voting profiles;

(e) operating the public voting system;

(f) detecting voting fraud and manipulation;

(g) publishing finalists and winners;

(h) creating and distributing awards promotion;

(i) operating UK Fetish Awards events;

(j) processing ticket purchases;

(k) providing customer support;

(l) administering prizes;

(m) managing sponsors and commercial partners;

(n) managing photographers, performers and suppliers;

(o) protecting our website, voting systems and business;

(p) complying with legal, regulatory, tax and accounting obligations;

(q) maintaining records relating to previous UK Fetish Awards events;

(r) dealing with disputes and complaints; and

(s) sending marketing communications where permitted.

6. Our lawful bases

Different lawful bases may apply depending on why information is being processed.

We may process personal information because it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

This may apply, for example, to ticket purchases and certain aspects of participation in the awards.

We may process personal information where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of another person and those interests are not overridden by your rights.

Our legitimate interests may include:

operating and promoting UK Fetish Awards;

administering applications and nominations;

protecting the integrity of public voting;

detecting fraud and security threats;

responding to enquiries;

maintaining reasonable business records;

protecting legal rights;

and maintaining a historical record of previous awards.

We may process information where you have given consent.

We may process information where necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

Where special-category information is intentionally processed, we will also identify an appropriate additional condition under applicable data-protection law.

7. Public nominee information

Where you apply or accept participation as a nominee, certain information is intended to become public.

This may include:

your stage or public name;

your photograph;

your award category;

your biography or description;

your social-media profile;

your voting page;

your finalist status;

and, where applicable, your status as a winner.

You should therefore avoid providing information for your public nomination profile that you do not want made public.

8. Photographs and promotional material

Photographs submitted for nomination or promotional purposes may be used to create:

(a) voting profiles;

(b) nominee graphics;

(d) winner announcements;

(e) websites;

(f) social-media content;

(g) event promotion;

(h) press and publicity;

(i) email campaigns;

(j) event displays; and

(k) historical awards material.

Submitted photographs may be cropped, resized, compressed, sharpened, retouched, colour corrected, enhanced, upscaled, incorporated into branded artwork or have backgrounds removed or replaced.

More information about the permission granted for these activities appears in our Terms & Conditions.

9. AI-assisted processing

UK Fetish Awards may use artificial-intelligence-assisted and other automated creative tools as part of its production processes.

An identifiable photograph or other Submitted Content may therefore be transmitted to and processed by a technology provider used to perform functions such as:

(a) image enhancement;

(b) upscaling;

(d) lighting or colour correction;

(e) background isolation;

(f) background replacement;

(g) layout creation; or

(h) other creative production.

Our purpose in using such tools is to produce or improve awards-related content and promotional material.

We do not treat the use of an AI tool as transferring ownership of a nominee’s original photograph to UK Fetish Awards.

AI and technology providers may have their own data-processing arrangements. We consider relevant privacy, security and data-processing terms when selecting services used to process personal information.

Our use of an image in an AI-assisted production process is not, by itself, intended to authorise unrelated exploitation of that person’s image.

Where an AI provider would use identifiable personal information for a materially different purpose of its own, we will consider whether additional transparency, safeguards or another lawful basis is required before using that service for the relevant material.

Individuals may contact us regarding concerns about AI-assisted processing of their photographs.

10. Voting security

We may process information such as:

IP addresses;

device information;

timestamps;

account information;

email information;

voting activity;

and voting patterns

for the purpose of protecting the integrity of public voting.

Automated tools may be used to identify and flag potentially suspicious voting behaviour.

Where appropriate, suspicious activity may be reviewed before votes are invalidated.

We do not use voting-security data for the purpose of inferring unrelated sensitive characteristics about voters.

11. Service providers and other recipients

We may share or allow processing of personal information with organisations providing services including:

(a) website hosting;

(b) cloud storage;

(d) ticketing;

(e) payment processing;

(f) analytics;

(g) voting technology;

(h) cybersecurity and fraud prevention;

(i) social-media services;

(j) graphic-design and creative tools;

(k) AI-assisted technology;

(l) photographers and videographers;

(m) event-production services;

(n) professional advisers; and

(o) other suppliers reasonably required to operate UK Fetish Awards.

Where a supplier processes personal information on our behalf, appropriate contractual and organisational arrangements will be used where required.

We may also disclose information where required by law or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

We do not sell personal information.

12. International processing

Some suppliers and technology providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where applicable data-protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we will use an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism, adequacy arrangement or other recognised safeguard.

Information about relevant safeguards may be requested by contacting us.

13. Event photography and filming

UK Fetish Awards events may be photographed and filmed.

This may include red-carpet photographs, stage footage, performances, award presentations, interviews and general crowd footage.

Such content may be used for event coverage, reporting, websites, social media, publicity, future promotion and historical archives.

Where reasonably practicable, event notices will inform attendees that filming or photography is taking place.

People with particular privacy or personal-safety concerns should contact us or speak to the event team.

14. Direct marketing

Service communications relating to an application, nomination, vote, ticket, event, transaction or enquiry are not necessarily marketing communications.

Where we send direct marketing to individuals by email, text or similar electronic communication, we will do so where an appropriate legal basis and applicable electronic-marketing rules allow it.

Where consent is required, we will request it through an appropriate affirmative action.

Where applicable law permits marketing to an existing customer without separate consent, we may rely on the applicable customer-marketing provisions.

Every electronic marketing message sent directly by us will provide an appropriate way to unsubscribe or opt out.

We may retain limited information about somebody who has opted out so that we can continue to respect that preference.

15. Cookies and similar technologies

Our websites may use cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies may be necessary for the website, voting system, security or essential functionality.

Where consent is required for analytics, advertising or other non-essential cookies or similar technologies, they will not be activated until the required consent has been obtained.

Users should be given an appropriate way to manage non-essential cookie preferences.

Additional information may be provided through a separate Cookie Policy or cookie-management interface.

16. How long we keep personal information

We do not retain every type of personal information for the same length of time.

Retention is based on factors including:

the reason the information was collected;

whether the awards cycle remains active;

whether the information forms part of a legitimate historical record;

legal and accounting requirements;

security and fraud-prevention needs;

whether a complaint or dispute remains unresolved;

and whether information is still reasonably required to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

Nomination, finalist, winner and event records may be retained as part of the historical record of UK Fetish Awards.

Published photographs, videos and promotional material may also remain within historical event coverage and archives where there is a continuing lawful basis.

Voting-security records will not be retained longer than reasonably required for vote verification, fraud prevention, dispute resolution or legitimate security purposes.

Financial records may be retained for the period required by applicable accounting, tax and legal obligations.

Marketing suppression information may be retained where necessary to ensure that somebody who has opted out is not inadvertently contacted again.

We periodically review information and delete or anonymise information that is no longer reasonably required.

17. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Measures may include restricted access, passwords, account controls, supplier controls, security monitoring and other safeguards appropriate to the information involved.

No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

18. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis involved, you may have rights including:

the right to request access to personal information held about you;

the right to request correction of inaccurate information;

the right to request erasure in certain circumstances;

the right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;

the right to object to certain processing;

the right to data portability in circumstances where that right applies;

and the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute and exceptions may apply.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Requests should be sent to [email protected].

We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.

19. Your right to object

Where we rely on legitimate interests to process personal information, you may have the right to object to that processing.

Where you object, we will consider your circumstances and the reason for the processing and will stop the processing where data-protection law requires us to do so.

You have the right to object to processing of your personal information for direct-marketing purposes at any time.

20. Automated decision-making

We may use automated systems to assist with security, fraud detection and identification of suspicious voting behaviour.

We do not intend to make solely automated decisions about individuals that produce legal or similarly significant effects without providing the information, safeguards and rights required by applicable data-protection law.

21. Children

UK Fetish Awards is an adult event and awards organisation intended for people aged 18 and over.

We do not knowingly invite applications, nominations or participation from children.

If we become aware that personal information relating to a child has been provided in circumstances where it should not have been collected, we will take appropriate action.