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PauseAI Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 17th, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to PauseAI! We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in a safe, transparent, and responsible manner.

This Privacy Policy explains how Stichting PauseAI (“we,” “us,” “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Dutch privacy law.

Stichting PauseAI details:

  • Email: maxime@pauseai.info 
  • Address: Box C5957, Kwikstaartlaan 42, 3704GS Zeist, The Netherlands
  • KVK Number: 92951031

2. Information We Collect

We only collect information that we need to organize our volunteer network and improve our services.

  • Personal Information: When you fill out our join form, we collect your name, email address, country of residence, and any other details or skills you choose to share with us.
  • Usage Information: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. This includes data on the pages you visit and the time spent on them.

3. How and Why We Use Your Information

Under the GDPR, we must have a “legal basis” for using your data. Here is why we use it:

  • To Manage our Volunteer Network: We use your information to organize our community, contact you via Airtable, and coordinate PauseAI events and activities.
    • Legal basis: Legitimate interest (to successfully run our non-profit volunteer organization).
  • To Send our Newsletter: If you choose to subscribe to our newsletter, we will add your email to our Substack list  .
    • Legal basis: Your explicit consent.
  • To Improve our Website: We analyze website traffic to make our site better.
    • Legal basis: Legitimate interest.

4. Who Has Access to Your Data?

We never sell or trade your personal information. However, we do share it in the following necessary circumstances:

  • Authorized PauseAI Volunteers: Your data may be accessed by certain PauseAI volunteers who help manage our operations. Any volunteer granted access to this data is required to sign a strict confidentiality agreement.
  • Your National Chapter: Because PauseAI is a global movement, we may share your contact information with the PauseAI national chapter in your country so they can coordinate local volunteer efforts with you. Please note that these national chapters are sometimes legally separate entities from Stichting PauseAI.
  • Service Providers: We use trusted third-party tools to run our operations, including Airtable (for our database), Substack (for our newsletter), and Google Analytics.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if legally required to do so by public authorities.

5. International Data Transfers

Because we use international service providers (like Airtable and Substack) and work with legally distinct national chapters around the world, your data may be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA). When this happens, we ensure your data remains protected by relying on recognized legal safeguards, such as the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or Standard Contractual Clauses.

6. Data Retention

We only keep your personal data for as long as necessary.

  • Volunteer Data: We keep your information as long as you are an active member, volunteer or follower. If you ask us to delete your data, we will securely remove it from our systems within 30 days.
  • Newsletter Data: We keep your email address on Substack until you click “unsubscribe” at the bottom of our emails.

7. Data Security

We implement strong security measures to keep your data safe. Your personal information is stored on secure networks, protected by passwords and multi-factor authentication where possible, and is only accessible by a limited number of authorized individuals.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correct any mistakes in your data.
  • Delete your data (“right to be forgotten”).
  • Withdraw your consent at any time (e.g., unsubscribing from the newsletter).
  • Restrict or Object to how we process your data.
  • Request Data Portability (receive a copy of your data in a digital format).

If you want to exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you also have the right to file a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens).

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy occasionally as our organization grows. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Effective Date” at the top.