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Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 20, 2026

Welcome to Ghost Nets ireland. We are dedicated to protecting the marine enviroment around the irish coast by tracking and removing abandoned fishing gear. While fulfilling this mission, we are equally committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors, volunteers and reporters. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and safegaurd your information when you visit our website. This policy has been drafted to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Acts.

1. Who We Are

Ghost Nets Ireland operates the website to facilitate the reporting of ghost gear, manage volunteer efforts and raise environmental awareness. For any privacy related queries or to excercise your data rights, you can contact us at info@ghostnets.ie

2. The Information We Collect

We may collect several types of information from and about users of our website, depending on how you interact with us:

A. Information You Provide To Us Voluntarily

Report a Sighting Form: When you report a ghost net, we ay collect your name, email address, phone number and specific details about the sighting (including coordinates, descriptions and uploaded photographs)

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Contact & Volunteer Forms: If you get in touch with us regarding volunteering or general inquiries, we may collect your name, email address and any message content you provide.

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you navigate through our website, certain details about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns are automatically logged by our website platform (Wix). This includes:

  • IP addresses, browser types and operating systems.

  • Usage details, pages visited and time spent on the website.

  • Cookies and tracking technologies (see Section 7 for more details)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the data we collect for the following specific purposes, based on on the lawful grounds of explicit consent and legitimate interest:

  • To process, verify and map your ghost net reports.

  • To coordinate dive teams, volunteer cleanups and recovery operations.

  • To respond to your inquiries, support requests or volunteer applications.

  • To maintain, optimise, and improve our website performance and user experience.

4. Hosting and Data Storage

Our website infrastructure relies on third party service providers who maintain strict security and compliance standards:

  • Wix: Our website is built and hosted on the Wix platform. Your data may be stored through Wix's data storage, databases and general wix applications behind a secure firewall.

  • Blacknight: Our domain services are supported by Blacknight, an established hosting provider based in Ireland. This ensures that the storage and processing of our direct communications remain compliant with EU data regulations.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We respect your privacy and will never sell, rent or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes. We only share information under the following limited circumstances:

  • Operational Partners: We may share the location coordinates, descriptions and photos of a ghost net with volunteer divers, local port authorities, or marine conservation agencies to facilitate the safe retrieval of the gear. Your personal contact details (name and email) will not be shared with these parties without your explicit permission.

  • Legal Obligations: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (E.g the Data Protection Commision or law enforcement).

6. Data Security and Retention

We utilise the security infrastructure provided by Wix and Blacknight to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss or alteration. We only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, such as managing an ongoing ghost net recovery log or answering an inquiry.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies to enhance performance and analyse traffic. Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function correctly. Analytical or functional cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the site so we can make improvements. You can manage your cookie preferences at anytime using the Cookie Banner displayed on our website or through your we browser settings.

8. Your GDPR Privacy Rights

As a resident of Ireland and the EU, you have the following rights under the GDPR regarding your personal data:

  • The right to access: You can request copies of the personal data we hold about you.

  • The right to reflection: You can request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. 

  • The right to Restrict or Object to Processing: You have the right to object to or limit how we process your data.

  • The right to Data Portability: You can request that we transfer the data we have collected to another organisation, or directly to you.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address in Section 1. If you believe your data has not been handled correctly, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC).

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our operational practices or legal requirements. Any updates will be posted directly to this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.

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