Privacy policy

Last modified: 04/05/2022

This Privacy Policy describes how “Help for Ukraine” processes personal information that we obtain or generate through our digital properties that link to this Privacy Policy, including our website, as well as through the provision of our services, social media, our marketing activities and other activities described in this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Service”).  We may provide additional or supplemental privacy policies to individuals for specific services that we offer at the time we collect personal information.

‍Personal information we collect

Personal information is information that can be used to contact or identify you, such as your name, email address, phone number, etc.

Personal information we may collect includes: 

If you are a refugee: we may collect your first and last name, your telegram nickname, your email address, your address and post code, your telephone number, your date of birth, gender, your medical information and if you have sustained any injuries or require immediate medical assistance, information on whether you have dependents and any other information you choose to share with us. 

If you are looking to help: if you are looking to volunteer, host or drive, we may collect your first and last name, your telegram nickname, your email address, your address and post code, your telephone number, your date of birth, gender, your social media or Airbnb profile, the number of people you can assist, and any other information you choose to share with us. 

Additional Information we may collect.  

Any additional information we may collect through the Service or otherwise include:

  • Contact data, such as your first and last name, salutation, email address, physical address, mailing addresses, professional title and company name, and phone number.
  • Demographic data, such as your city, state, country of residence, postal code, gender and age.
  • Profile data, such as the username that you may use to register with the Service, links to your profiles on social networks, and any other information that you may share with us.  
  • Background information, such as professional credentials and skills, travel history, educational and work history, LinkedIn profile page, personal website, authorization to work, immigration status, criminal history and other information
  • Communications data based on our exchanges with you, including when you contact us through the Service, social media, or otherwise. 
  • Marketing data, such as your preferences for receiving our marketing communications and details about your engagement with them.
  • User-generated content data, such as photos, images, music, videos, comments, questions, messages, works of authorship, and other content or information that you generate, transmit, or otherwise make available on the Service, as well as associated metadata
  • Relationship data, such as familial or other relationship to third parties whose personal information you may provide to us.
  • Video and audio, including video and audio we may record in conjunction with our services or for verifying identity.
  • Other data not specifically listed here, which we will use as described in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise disclosed at the time of collection.

Third-party sourced information. We may combine personal information we receive from you with personal information we obtain from other sources, such as:

  • Public sources, such as government agencies, public records, social media platforms, and other publicly available sources.
  • Other not-for-profits or partners, including non-governmental agencies and non-profit organizations, and companies and organizations providing housing, medical aid, transportation, and financial assistance
  • Marketing partners, such as joint marketing partners and online marketing organizations.
  • Third-party services, such as social media services that you may use in conjunction with the Service (e.g. Slack). This data may include your username, profile picture and other information associated with your account on that third-party service that is made available to us based on your account settings on that service.

Automatic collection data.  We, our service providers, and our partners may automatically log information about you, your computer or mobile device, and your interaction over time with the Service, our communications and other online services, such as:

  • Device data, such as your computer or mobile device’s operating system type and version, manufacturer and model, browser type, screen resolution, RAM and disk size, CPU usage, device type (e.g., phone, tablet), IP address, unique identifiers (including identifiers used for advertising purposes), language settings, mobile device carrier, radio/network information (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE, 3G), and general location information such as city, state or geographic area.
  • Online activity data, such as pages or screens you viewed, how long you spent on a page or screen, the website you visited before browsing to the Service, navigation paths between pages or screens, information about your activity on a page or screen, access times and duration of access, and whether you have opened our emails or clicked links within them.

We don’t use cookies.

How we use your personal information

We may use your personal information for the following purposes or as otherwise described at the time of collection:

If you are a refugee. If you are seeking help we will use your personal information to find the right solution for your request, whether this is to seek housing, first aid or transport as well as to facilitate communications with us and those looking to offer help.  

If you are looking to help. If you are looking to help we will use your personal information to provide our Service and connect you with those seeking help as well as to facilitate communications with us and those seeking help.  We will use your personal information to conduct background checks and other security screens permitted by law when you register to be a volunteer, host or driver; 

Service delivery.  We may use your personal information to:

  • provide and operate the Service, including assisting refugees with transportation, lodging and finances;
  • register refugees, volunteers, hosts and drivers to our Service;
  • provide support for the Service and respond to your requests for information, questions and feedback;
  • enable communication with other Service users (including refugees, volunteers, hosts or drivers); and
  • communicate with you about the Service, including by sending Service-related announcements, updates, messages, security alerts and support and administrative messages. 

To manage our recruiting volunteers, hosts and drivers and process applications. We will use your personal information if you register to be a volunteer, host or driver to process the applications we receive, such as by evaluating whether you are the right volunteer for the opportunity.

Research and development.  We may use your personal information for research and development purposes, including to analyze and improve our Service. As part of these activities, we may create aggregated, de-identified or anonymous data from personal information we collect. We make personal information into anonymous data by removing data that makes the information personally identifiable to you.  We may use this anonymous data and share it with third parties for our lawful business purposes, including to analyze and improve our Service.

Compliance and protection.  We may use your personal information to:

  • protect our, your or others’ rights, privacy, safety or property (including by making and defending legal claims); 
  • audit our internal processes for compliance with legal and contractual requirements or our internal policies; 
  • maintain appropriate business records;
  • enforce the terms and conditions that govern our Service; and 
  • prevent, identify, investigate and deter fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical or illegal activity, including cyberattacks and identity theft.  

With your consent.  In some cases, we may specifically ask for your consent to collect, use or share your personal information, such as when required by law.  

How we share your personal information

We may share your personal information with the following parties and as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy or at the time of collection.  

If you have been displaced in Ukraine. If you are seeking help we will be sharing your personal information with those looking to offer help (such as our volunteers, hosts and drivers) as well as other not-for-profits, first aid organizations who assist us in providing our Service as well as any governmental agencies and authorities where required.

If you are looking to help. If you are looking to help we will share your personal information with those seeking help, other not-for-profits or first aid organizations and third party organizations assisting in the provision of our Service. 

Government agencies, regulators, authorities and others. Law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties, as we believe in good faith to be necessary or appropriate for the Compliance and protection purposes described above.

Affiliates.  Our parent, subsidiaries, and affiliates.

Service providers.  Third parties that provide services on our behalf or help us operate the Service or our business (such as hosting, identity verification, information technology, customer support, email delivery, marketing, consumer research and website analytics). 

Partners. We may sometimes share your personal information with partners or enable partners to collect information directly via our Service. For example, we may share personal information with corporate partners helping to provide the Service, and others. 

Linked third-party services. If you link your Service account to, a social media or other third-party service, or use social media or communications platform in conjunction with the Service, we may share your personal information with that third-party service and other users of the third party service. The third party’s use of the shared information will be governed by its privacy policy and the settings associated with your account with the third-party service.

Professional advisors.  Professional advisors, such as lawyers, auditors, bankers and insurers, where necessary in the course of the professional services that they render to us.

Do Not Track.  You can enable the mode “Do Not Track” in browser to avoid providing additional information about yourself.

Other sites and services

The Service may contain links to third party websites, mobile applications, and other online services operated by third parties.  In addition, our content may be integrated into web pages or other online services that are not associated with us.  These links and integrations are not an endorsement of, or representation that we are affiliated with, any third party.  We do not control websites, mobile applications or online services operated by third parties, and we are not responsible for their actions. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of the other websites, mobile applications and online services you use.

How long do we keep your personal information

We apply a general rule of keeping personal information only for so long as is required to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected.

Security

We implement a number of technical, organizational and physical safeguards designed to maintain the security of the personal information we collect and our Service in preventing unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, destruction or damage to it though industry standard technologies and internal procedures.

Changes to this Privacy Policy 

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by updating the date of this Privacy Policy and posting it on our Website or other appropriate means.  Any modifications to this Privacy Policy will be effective upon our posting the modified version (or as otherwise indicated at the time of posting). We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy periodically for any updates or changes. 

Our legal bases for processing

In respect of each of the purposes for which we use your personal information, the GDPR requires us to ensure that we have a “legal basis” for that use. 

Our legal bases for processing your personal information described in this Privacy Policy are listed below.

  • Where we need to perform a contract, we are about to enter into or have entered into with you (“Contractual Necessity”).
  • Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (“Legitimate Interests”).
  • Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation (“Compliance with Law”).
  • Where we have your specific consent to carry out the processing for the Purpose in question (“Consent”).  

Your rights

General. European data protection laws give you certain rights regarding your personal information.  If you are located in Europe, you may ask us to take the following actions in relation to your personal information that we hold:

  • Access.  To obtain information about how and on what basis your personal information is processed and obtain a copy.
  • Correct.  To update or correct inaccuracies in your personal information.
  • Delete. To erase your personal information in limited circumstances where: (i) you believe that it is no longer necessary for us to hold your personal information; (ii) we are processing your personal information on the basis of a legitimate interest and you object to such processing, and we cannot demonstrate an overriding legitimate ground for processing; (iii) where you have provided your personal information to us with your consent and you wish to withdraw your consent and there is no other ground under which we can process your personal information; and (iv) where you believe the personal information we hold about you is being unlawfully processed by us. 
  • Transfer. Where you have provided your personal information to us with your consent, to ask us for a copy of this information in a structured, machine-readable format and to ask us to share (port) this information to another data controller. 
  • Restrict. To restrict processing of your personal information
  • Object. You may have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of your personal information by us and we may be required to no longer process your personal information. Moreover, if your personal information is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal information concerning you for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. In this case your personal information will no longer be processed for such purposes by us.

Safeguards. to obtain a copy of or access to safeguards under which your personal information is transferred outside of Europe.

  • Withdraw Consent. When we use your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.  

Your Right to Lodge a Complaint with your Supervisory Authority. While we invite you to contact us first, you may, if you are not satisfied with our response to a request you make, or how we process your personal information,  make a complaint to the data protection regulator in your habitual place of residence. 

Data Processing outside Europe

We are a U.S.-based organization and many of our service providers, advisers, partners or other recipients of data are also based in the U.S. This means that, if you use the Service, your personal information will necessarily be accessed and processed in the U.S. It may also be provided to recipients in other countries outside Europe.  

Where we share your personal information with third parties who are based outside Europe, we try to ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by making sure one of the following mechanisms is implemented: 

  • Transfers to territories with an adequacy decision. We may transfer your personal information to countries or territories whose laws have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal information by the European Commission or UK Government.
  • Transfers to territories without an adequacy decision. 
  • We may transfer your personal information to countries or territories whose laws have not been deemed to provide such an adequate level of protection (e.g. the U.S., see above).  

Where we receive requests for information from law enforcement or regulators, we will carefully validate these requests before personal information is disclosed.  You may contact us if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal information out of Europe.

Your choices

Your options for controlling what information cookies and similar technologies collect about you include:

  • Blocking cookies in your browser.  Most browsers let you remove or reject cookies.  To do this, follow the instructions in your browser settings.  Many browsers accept cookies by default until you change your settings.  Please note that if you set your browser to disable cookies, the Sites may not work properly.  For more information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your device and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.  If you do not accept our cookies, you may experience some inconvenience in your use of our Sites. For example, we may not be able to recognize your computer or mobile device and you may need to log in every time you visit our Sites.
  • Third-party opt-out option.  You can opt-out of interest-based advertising through some of the third parties listed in the chart above by using the corresponding third-party opt-out tool provided in the chart. 
  • Industry association opt-outs.   You may opt out of receiving interest-based advertising on websites through members of the Network Advertising Initiative by clicking here or the Digital Advertising Alliance by clicking here. You may opt out of receiving targeted advertising in mobile apps through participating members of the Digital Advertising Alliance by installing the AppChoices mobile app, available here, and selecting the user’s choices. Please note that we also may work with companies that offer their own opt-out mechanisms and may not participate in the opt-out mechanisms linked above.
  • Blocking advertising ID use in your mobile settings.  Your mobile device settings may provide functionality to limit use of the advertising ID associated with your mobile device for interest-based advertising purposes.

For more information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your computer or mobile device and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.  If you do not accept our cookies, you may experience some inconvenience in your use of our Sites. For example, we may not be able to recognize your computer or mobile device and you may need to log in every time you visit our Sites.

If you choose to opt-out of targeted advertisements, you will still see advertisements online, but they may not be relevant to you. Even if you do choose to opt out, not all companies that serve online behavioral advertising are included in this list, and so you may still receive some cookies and tailored advertisements from companies that are not listed.

For more information about how we collect, use and share your information, see our Privacy Policy.

Questions

If you have any questions about this Cookie Notice, please contact us by email at [email protected]