This Privacy Policy explains how the Federation of WWOOF Organisations (‘FoWO’) and the WWOOF organizations listed here (‘We’) process your Personal Data in relation to your use of the Common WWOOF Platform (‘CWP’) and your WWOOF membership.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide you with a clear understanding of how We collect, use, and protect your Personal Data when you use our Service. We are committed to processing your data in accordance with applicable data protection laws and ensuring its security against unauthorized access.

This Privacy Policy forms an integral part of our General Terms of Use. Any capitalized terms not defined in our Privacy Policy, have the meaning as specified in our General Terms of Use.

We regularly update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. If you are a Member, We will notify you of any significant changes by email. 

1. Definitions

• Personal Data: Any information relating to an identifiable living individual. This includes data that, alone or combined with other information, allows the identification of a person.
• Usage Data: Information collected automatically either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
• Cookies: Small pieces of data stored on a User’s device.
• Data Controller: The natural or legal person who determines the purposes and means of processing Personal Data. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, We act as Data Controllers for your Personal Data in relation to the CWP.
• Data Processors (or Service Providers): The natural or legal person that processes Personal Data on behalf of the Data Controller. We may engage third-party Service Providers (Data Processors) to process Personal Data on our behalf, in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection laws.
• Data Subject: Any living individual whose Personal Data is being processed.
• Secondary WWOOFer: When purchasing a WWOOFer dual membership, the term ‘Secondary WWOOFer’ refers to the person registered alongside the Primary WWOOFer.

2. Information We Collect and Use

We may collect and use the following categories of Personal Data:

2.1 Name, Address and Other Identification Data

Identification Data may include first name, last name, email address, postal address, date of birth, pictures and videos.

This information may be used to:

• Create and manage your account
• Manage your WWOOF memberships
• Ensure that Members and their reviews comply with our General Terms of Use
• Organize webinars
• Send newsletters and information letters
• Manage reports and incidents
• Respond to User support requests and bug reports
• Present testimonials of WWOOF experiences 

2.2 Personal Life Information

Personal Life Information may include any lifestyle or family life information, including your diet and hobbies, that you are willing to share on your profile, messages, or reviews.

Additionally, We may collect personal life information when investigating violations of our General Terms of Use and the applicable Membership Terms.

Only for WWOOF Canada and WWOOF United States of America (USA): We may collect, on a voluntary basis, information about a farm’s operation, such as whether it is run by underrepresented or specific demographic groups (e.g., woman-operated, veteran-operated), to provide mentorship opportunities.

2.3 Information About Your Farming Activity

Information about your farming activity may include information that can identify you, such as farm name, and any other information that you provide on your Host profile, such are your description and the description of the people living with you, your farming activities including what an average day could look like, your hobbies, your meal habits, and your availability.

2.4 Banking Information (Through Stripe)

Banking information includes any details necessary to purchase a WWOOF membership.

We process banking information solely for payment purposes, such as purchasing a WWOOF membership or making a donation, through third-party payment providers like Stripe. We do not store your banking information. 

2.5 Sensitive Data

We may collect sensitive data in the following cases:

• Dietary preferences that may indicate religious or philosophical beliefs
• Smoking habits, health concerns, or any other information that helps adapt your visit at a Host’s location

This information is collected to ensure compatibility between WWOOFers and Hosts.

Only for WWOOF Canada and WWOOF USA: We may collect, on a voluntary basis, information about a farm’s operation, such as whether it is run by underrepresented or specific demographic groups (e.g., LGBTQ+-operated), to provide mentorship opportunities.

2.6 Statistics

The information described above may be aggregated into anonymous or pseudonymous statistics for internal monitoring, Service improvement, and annual reporting.

2.7 Communication Data

When you use our Service to communicate with other Members, We may access the metadata of these communications. Metadata may include information such as the date, time, and recipient of a message but not its content.

However, We may access the content itself only when conducting an investigation into an incident or reviewing a report concerning you.

2.8 Information You Provide to us

In addition to the categories of data described above, you may choose to provide us with additional information when interacting with our Service. This may include:

• Information that you voluntarily share in your profile, including photos and videos.
• Information submitted when contacting support or making inquiries.
• Feedback and reviews regarding your experiences with WWOOF and its Members.
• Voluntary information you share during events, discussions, or community forums.

This information helps us enhance the WWOOF experience, improve our Service, and address concerns.

2.9 Information About Others

Information about others may include a payment instrument, contact information belonging to another person, or details about a Secondary WWOOFer. By providing us with personal information about others, you certify that you have obtained their consent to share this information with us for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy and that you have informed them about this Privacy Policy.

2.10 Information Automatically Collected by Us

We may automatically collect certain data through Cookies, tracking technologies, and log files when you interact with our website or mobile applications: your computer’s browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

Crash reports may also be automatically generated in the event of an error. These reports include technical details (such as device type, operating system, and error information) and your User ID, and are sent to a trusted third-party service to help us identify and fix issues.

2.11 Cookies

Cookies are tiny files which may include an anonymous unique identifier with no personally identifying information. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your device. Tracking technologies also used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our Service.

All WWOOF organizations listed here use cookies strictly necessary for the proper functioning of the platform. These essential cookies enable users to navigate the site, log into their accounts, and use core services. However, WWOOF Canada, WWOOF United Kingdom (UK), and WWOOF United States of America (USA) also use additional cookies for advertising and analytics purposes to improve their platforms and marketing campaigns.

For more information about our use of cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy. 

2.12 Location Data

Your Location Data is used only to center the map on your position when you search for WWOOF hosts nearby or define areas of interest for WWOOFing. This data is not stored after use.

 

3. How We Collect Your Personal Data

We may collect the categories of Personal Data mentioned above through various channels:

• We collect Personal Data that you provide directly to us, such as when you sign up for a WWOOF account, purchase your WWOOF membership, add information to your profile, provide reviews of your WWOOF experiences, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a request, report an incident, or register for an event.
• We collect Personal Data that you share with other Members, such as when you use the Service’s inbox.
• We collect information through Cookies and similar technologies when you use our Service.
• We collect location data from your mobile device when you consent to its use.

4. Why We Use Your Personal Data

We use your Personal Data to:

• Suggest relevant WWOOFing opportunities.
• Manage your account, based on the execution of our General Terms of Use.
• Manage your WWOOF membership, in accordance with the execution of the applicable Membership Terms.
• Manage donations based on your consent.
• Ensure that Members’ profiles comply with our General Terms of Use and enhance the WWOOF experience.
• Manage your reviews and ensure they comply with our General Terms of Use.
• Generate statistical reports for internal monitoring based on our legitimate interest in improving our Service.
• Maintain a functional Service based on the execution of our General Terms of Use.
• Manage webinar subscriptions based on your consent.
• Manage subscriptions to our newsletters or promotional content based on your consent.
• Handle reports and incidents based on our General Terms of Use and our legitimate interest in investigating allegations of serious incidents.
• Respond to your support requests based on your consent.
• Create and optimize advertising content, where applicable (only for WWOOF Canada, WWOOF UK, WWOOF USA).

5. Who Can Access Your Personal Data

5.1 Access to Your Personal Data by FoWO and WWOOF Organizations' Employees

Authorized employees of FoWO and of WWOOF organizations using CWP may access Personal Data solely for operational needs, such as Service management, member support, compliance monitoring, and incident resolution. All personnel handling Personal Data are subject to confidentiality obligations and follow strict security protocols to safeguard your information.

5.2 Third-parties

We may transfer or share your Personal Data with third parties for the following purposes:

• Processing purchases and donations via Stripe
• Analyzing Service usage and generating internal reports with Metabase
• Managing reports and incidents through Airtable
• Handling bug reports using Basecamp
• Sending newsletters and informational emails through our mailing providers:

• Managing support requests with Zendesk (only for WWOOF France)
• Organizing webinars with Zoom and Calendly

Additionally, some WWOOF organizations may transfer or share your data with third parties for analytics and marketing purposes:

• WWOOF Canada: Meta Pixel, Google Analytics
• WWOOF United Kingdom: Google Analytics
• WWOOF United States of America: Meta Pixel, Snap Pixel, TikTok Pixel, and Google Analytics

We may transfer or share your data with other third parties to organize events or other punctual activities.

5.3  Public Authorities

In accordance with applicable international and national laws and regulations, We may be legally required to provide your information to public authorities.

6. How Long We store Your Personal Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill its intended purposes. The storage duration depends on the nature of the data and the legal requirements applicable to it.

• Account Data: Your personal data associated with your account is stored for three years after your last interaction with us. This period may be extended if required to comply with legal obligations or statutory limitation periods, particularly if you are a Member or former Member.
• Reviews: Unless you withdraw your consent, your reviews will be retained but pseudonymized once your account is deleted.
• Complaints and Disputes: If a complaint or dispute arises, we may retain relevant data for an extended period, in accordance with the applicable statutory limitation periods.
• Location Data: Your location data is processed in real time and not stored after use.
  
  

7. For EU Residents: Transfer of Personal Data Outside EU

To provide you with a global WWOOF experience, We transfer your Personal Data among FoWO and the various WWOOF organizations, some of which are located outside the EU.

Additionally, We may transfer your Personal Data to third parties outside the EU, based on adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

8. Your Rights

8.1  For European Union Residents

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights regarding your Personal Data:

• Right of access: You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether We process your Personal Data and, if so, to access this data and receive additional information about its processing.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data.
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): You can request the deletion of your Personal Data under certain conditions, such as when the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.
• Right to restriction of processing: You may request that We limit the processing of your data under certain circumstances (e.g., if you contest the accuracy of the data or object to its processing).
• Right to object: You have the right to object to the processing of your Personal Data when it is based on our legitimate interests or used for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where We process your Personal Data based on consent, you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

8.2 For US Residents in Applicable States

For residents of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, or Washington, or individuals otherwise protected by privacy or consumer health data laws in these jurisdictions, you have the following rights under applicable law:

• Right to Access: You have the right to submit a verifiable consumer request to access the personal information We have collected about you.
• Right to Delete: You may submit a verifiable consumer request to delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions as permitted by applicable law.
• Right to Correct: If you believe that any of the personal information We hold about you is inaccurate, you have the right to submit a verifiable consumer request to correct such inaccuracies.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights. However, certain functionalities and features of our Service may be impacted or become unavailable depending on the nature of your request. Any differences in Service are solely related to the information provided and the applicable legal requirements.
• Right to Appeal a Consumer Rights Request: If We deny your request, you have the right to appeal our decision. Instructions for filing an appeal will be included in our response to your request.

8.3 For Residents in Brazil

In accordance with the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD), you have the following rights regarding your Personal Data:

• Right to Confirmation of Data Processing: You have the right to receive confirmation as to whether we process your Personal Data.
• Right to Access Your Data: You have the right to request copies of your Personal Data held by us. In some cases, you can also request a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable copy of the Personal Data you have provided.
• Right to Correct Inaccurate or Outdated Data: You have the right to request the correction of any inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated Personal Data that you cannot update yourself.
• Right to Anonymization, Blocking, or Erasure of Data: You have the right to request the anonymization, blocking, or deletion of Personal Data that is unnecessary, excessive, or processed in violation of applicable laws, subject to certain limitations.
• Right to Request Deletion of Data Processed with Your Consent: If your Personal Data is processed based on consent, you have the right to request its deletion. However, exceptions apply where data retention is required by law.
• Right to Data Portability: Where technically feasible, you have the right to request the transfer of your Personal Data to a third party, provided it does not compromise our trade secrets.
• Right to Information on Data Sharing: You have the right to request information on how and with whom your Personal Data is shared.
• Right to Refuse Consent and Be Informed of Consequences: You have the right to be informed about the option to refuse consent for data processing and any potential consequences, such as restricted access to certain features of the Service.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: If we process your data based on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time via your account settings or by contacting us. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing. This request will be processed free of charge.
• Right to Request Review of Automated Decisions: If a decision affecting you was made solely through automated processing, you have the right to request a review of that decision by a human.

8.4 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise your rights, you can contact us by sending a request to:

• Email: privacy@wwoof.net 

To ensure a smooth processing of your request, We kindly ask you to provide sufficient identification details (surname, first name, and the email address used for your account or WWOOF membership).

Requests are processed as quickly as possible and in accordance with applicable laws. You may also contact us for any questions, comments, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy.

9. Security of Your Personal Data

Ensuring the security and confidentiality of the Personal Data you share with us is our priority. We deeply value the trust you place in WWOOF, and We are committed to protecting your information. That’s why We implement all appropriate technical and organizational measures, in accordance with applicable legal provisions (particularly Article 32 of the GDPR), taking into account the nature of the Personal Data you provide and the risks associated with its processing. These measures are designed to safeguard its security and, in particular, to prevent any accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, disclosure, intrusion, or unauthorized access.

10. How to Contact Us

If you have any further questions about this policy or the way We process your data, please contact our data protection department at privacy@wwoof.net.

This version is applicable as from April 1st, 2025. It replaces the version of June 13th, 2022.

We reserve the right to change this Policy from time to time. All changes are published on our website. We invite you to read it regularly, especially when you use our Service.