Privacy Notice

Hong Kong Arts Net UK

Last updated: 8 Oct 2026

 

(If you need this document in an accessible format, please contact us.)

Our approach to your privacy

Hong Kong Arts Net UK, an online platform in the form of a website (“Hub”), exists to connect people, encourage collaboration and support Hong Kong-connected arts and creativity across the UK. It is also intended to operate as a professional and community networking platform, allowing members to discover one another, share relevant industry knowledge and opportunities, and explore potential collaborations.

We respect your privacy. We only collect personal information that we reasonably need to run the Hub, communicate with our community and deliver our activities. We aim to explain clearly what we collect, why we collect it and the choices you have.

This Privacy Notice applies when you:

  • visit or use the Hub;
  • apply to join the Hub;
  • create or appear in a Community profile;
  • submit an activity, opportunity, story or other content;
  • subscribe to our news and updates;
  • register for or take part in an event, workshop or community activity;
  • contact us; or
  • otherwise interact with Hong Kong Arts Net UK.

Hong Kong Arts Net UK is an initiative of Hong Kong Arts UK CIC, a community interest company registered in England and Wales under company number 16216059.

For data protection purposes, Hong Kong Arts UK CIC is normally the organisation responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is used. This is sometimes called the data controller.

You can contact us about privacy or personal information at:

Email: hello@hkartsnetuk.com

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. More than one of the following sections may apply to you.

In this table, Us means Hong Kong Arts UK CIC.

Private information: Account, login and administrative information is not public. Contact details are not public unless you choose to make them public.

Published content: We will obtain appropriate permission through the submission process before publishing personal photographs, recordings, quotations or stories where consent is required.

Other person’s information

You are responsible for ensuring that material you submit does not unlawfully disclose another person’s personal information or information under contractual confidentiality obligations.

Sensitive personal information

Some information is given additional protection under data protection law. It may include information about health, disability, ethnic background, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, sexual orientation or other sensitive personal circumstances.

We do not routinely ask for this information unless it is genuinely needed or necessary for a stated purpose. For example, you may choose to tell us about an access or health requirement so that you can participate safely in an activity.

Artistic work and personal stories may sometimes refer to identity, migration, political experience, discrimination, health or other sensitive subjects. We will handle such information with particular care and will seek appropriate permission where required.

Where we process special category personal data, we will rely on an applicable Article 6 lawful basis and, where required, an additional condition under Article 9 UK GDPR. 

We usually receive personal information directly from you when you complete a form, contact us, create a profile, make a submission or take part in an activity.

We may also receive information:

  • from an organisation or individual submitting an activity or opportunity;
  • from a project partner or event organiser;
  • from another person who recommends or nominates you;
  • from publicly available professional sources, such as an official artist website or event programme; or
  • through photographs, recordings or feedback gathered during our activities.

Where we receive personal information about you from another person or organisation, we will provide you with the information required by applicable data protection law unless an applicable exception applies. This may include information about the source of the information, the purposes and lawful basis for using it, and your relevant rights.

We may use personal information to:

Run membership and Community profiles

This includes:

  • considering applications to join;
  • checking eligibility;
  • creating and managing accounts;
  • reviewing, publishing and updating profiles;
  • helping members discover one another; and
  • responding to profile changes or removal requests.

Our lawful bases are:

  • taking steps at your request and providing the membership service;
  • our legitimate interests in running and developing the Hub; and
  • consent where you choose whether particular information or images are made public.

Publish activities, opportunities and stories

This includes reviewing, editing, publishing and promoting material submitted to the Hub.

Our lawful bases are:

  • taking steps at your request when you submit content;
  • our legitimate interests in providing useful arts information and supporting community participation; and
  • consent where publication involves personal photographs, sensitive personal stories or other material requiring specific permission.

Communicate with you

This includes:

  • responding to enquiries;
  • sending administrative messages about your account, submission or booking;
  • inviting you to relevant activities;
  • sending newsletters or general updates where you have requested them; and
  • asking for feedback.

Our lawful bases are:

  • taking steps at your request or providing a service;
  • our legitimate interests in communicating with participants and maintaining the community; and
  • consent for optional email marketing or newsletters where required.

You can unsubscribe from optional newsletters and marketing communications at any time. We may still send essential service or administrative messages relating to your account, booking, agreement, submission or other service you have requested. Where applicable law requires consent for electronic marketing, we will seek that consent before sending the relevant marketing communications.

Deliver events and activities

This includes:

  • processing registrations;
  • managing attendance and access requirements;
  • communicating practical information;
  • taking photographs or recordings where appropriate;
  • managing health, safety and safeguarding; and
  • evaluating activities.

Our lawful bases are:

  • providing the activity you requested;
  • our legitimate interests in planning and delivering programmes;
  • compliance with legal obligations;
  • protecting someone’s vital interests in an emergency; and
  • explicit consent or another appropriate legal condition where sensitive personal information is involved.

Keep the Hub safe, accurate and welcoming

This includes:

  • reviewing and moderating submitted content;
  • investigating complaints or reports;
  • preventing spam, fraud, misuse or security incidents;
  • enforcing our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines;
  • correcting inaccurate information; and
  • protecting the rights, safety and wellbeing of our users and community.

Our lawful bases are:

  • our legitimate interests in operating a safe, trustworthy and useful community platform;
  • compliance with legal obligations; and
  • protecting vital interests where someone may be at immediate risk.

Improve and understand our work

This includes using feedback, website statistics and participation information to:

  • understand who the Hub is reaching;
  • improve the website and activities;
  • report to funders and stakeholders;
  • evaluate community benefit; and
  • plan future programmes.

Information used in reports will be combined or anonymised so that individuals are not identified. Where we wish to identify an individual in a report, we will seek their permission before doing so. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interest in evaluating and improving our work.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests may include:

  • running and improving Hong Kong Arts Net UK;
  • connecting artists, creative practitioners, organisations and audiences;
  • maintaining accurate and useful community information;
  • communicating with members and participants;
  • promoting Hong Kong-connected creative work;
  • evaluating community reach and impact;
  • preventing misuse and protecting website security; and
  • managing Hong Kong Arts UK CIC responsibly.

We will consider whether our use of information is necessary and whether your rights and interests outweigh our organisational interests.

We do not currently intend to make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will update this Privacy Notice and provide any information required by applicable data protection law.

You will be told which information is intended to be public before it is published.

Depending on the options you select, public information may include your:

  • preferred name;
  • photograph;
  • city or region;
  • discipline or professional role;
  • biography;
  • projects, interests and collaborations;
  • website or social media links; and
  • submitted activities, opportunities or stories, comments or replies.

We will not normally publish your private email address, telephone number, home postcode or account details.

Please remember that information published online may be viewed, copied or shared by other people beyond our control. You should only submit personal information that you are comfortable making public.

You may ask us to update, hide or remove your public profile or other personal content by contacting hello@hkartsnetuk.com. We will respond as soon as reasonably possible, subject to any legal, contractual or legitimate archival reason for retaining limited information.

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share necessary information with trusted people or organisations that help us run the Hub and our activities, including:

  • website developers, hosts and technical support providers;
  • cloud storage, email, form and database providers;
  • event venues, facilitators and delivery partners;
  • professional advisers, including legal advisers, accountants and insurers;
  • evaluators, funders or public bodies receiving appropriately limited or anonymised reporting;
  • photographers, videographers or communications suppliers where relevant; and
  • regulators, courts, law enforcement or other authorities where disclosure is legally required or necessary to protect someone.

We will only share information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. Where another organisation processes information on our behalf, we will seek appropriate contractual and security arrangements.

Where an event or activity is delivered jointly with another organisation, that organisation may have its own privacy notice and may be independently responsible for some of your information. We will explain this where relevant.

Some of the technology providers we use may store or process information outside the UK.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate legal transfer mechanism and safeguards are in place. These may include:

  • transfer to a country recognised by the UK as providing adequate protection;
  • approved contractual protections; or
  • another lawful safeguard permitted by UK data protection law.

You can contact us for more information about the safeguards we use for international transfers.

We take proportionate steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include:

  • limiting access to people who need the information for their work;
  • using password-protected accounts and appropriate access controls;
  • using reputable hosting and cloud service providers;
  • keeping website software and security tools updated;
  • using secure methods when sharing sensitive information;
  • maintaining backups where appropriate;
  • training or guiding team members who handle personal information; and
  • reviewing and deleting information that is no longer required.

No online service can guarantee complete security. Please contact us promptly if you believe your account or personal information may have been compromised.

We will keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, safeguarding and reporting requirements.

Our retention approach is:

  • Unsuccessful or incomplete membership applications: normally up to 12 months after the decision or last activity.
  • Member account and profile records: while membership remains active, followed by up to two years for administration and resolution of queries.
  • Public profiles and submitted content: while the information remains relevant to the Hub and, for active members, while the profile remains active. When a profile is withdrawn or a member leaves, we will normally remove or anonymise unnecessary personal information, subject to any legitimate archival, legal, contractual or evidential reason for retaining limited material.
  • Event registration and attendance records: normally up to two years after the activity.
  • Access and dietary information: deleted as soon as reasonably possible after the activity unless needed in connection with an incident or legal requirement.
  • Newsletter records: until you unsubscribe, followed by a limited suppression record so that we can respect your choice.
  • Consent and image-permission records: for as long as the relevant material is used, plus an appropriate period afterwards.
  • Complaints, safeguarding or serious incident records: according to the nature of the matter and any legal, insurance or safeguarding requirement.
  • Routine enquiries and correspondence: normally up to two years after the matter is closed.
  • Website security records and backups: for a limited period determined by the relevant technical provider and security need.

Some public stories, event records and organisational materials may be retained as part of the cultural and historical record of Hong Kong Arts Net UK. Where possible, unnecessary personal contact information will be removed from archived material.

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis we rely on, you may have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
  • ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • ask us to delete your information;
  • ask us to restrict how we use your information;
  • object to certain uses of your information;
  • receive certain information in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent where we rely on consent; and
  • complain about how your information has been handled.

These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every situation.

Your right to object

You have the right to object where we use your personal information on the basis of legitimate interests. You also have an absolute right to object to the use of your information for direct marketing.

To exercise a right, contact hello@hkartsnetuk.com. We may need to ask for enough information to confirm your identity and understand your request.

Withdrawing consent will not affect uses of your information that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Cookies are small files stored on a computer, phone or other device when someone visits a website.

The Hub may use:

Essential cookies

These support functions such as:

  • website security;
  • account login;
  • form operation;
  • accessibility or language preferences; and
  • remembering your cookie choices.

These cookies may be used without consent where they are strictly necessary to provide the service you requested.

Optional analytics or media cookies

With your permission, we may use cookies or similar technology to:

  • understand how people use the Hub;
  • measure visits and engagement;
  • improve pages and navigation; or
  • display content embedded from services such as video or social media platforms.

Optional cookies should not be activated until you have made a choice through the cookie banner or settings tool.

You should be able to accept or reject optional cookies and change your preference later.

The Hub is currently intended primarily for adults working or participating in the arts and cultural sector.

Membership and independent account registration are intended to be limited to people aged 18 or over. Young people may participate in specific activities where appropriate, subject to suitable safeguarding arrangements and privacy information.

Where children or young people take part in a specific activity, we will provide suitable information and seek consent or involvement from a parent, guardian or responsible organisation where required.

We will not knowingly publish a child’s personal information, photograph or story without appropriate consent and safeguarding consideration.

The Hub may link to websites, booking systems, social media services and resources operated by other organisations.

Those organisations are responsible for their own use of personal information. We encourage you to read their privacy information before providing personal details.

We may update this Privacy Notice when:

  • the Hub or activities change;
  • we introduce a new service or technology;
  • our use of personal information changes; or
  • data protection requirements or guidance change.

We will publish the current version on the Hub and show the date of the latest update. Where a change significantly affects how we use existing personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected people. 

Please contact us first if you have a question, concern or complaint about how we use your information:

Email: hello@hkartsnetuk.com

We will acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days, investigate it without undue delay, keep you informed where appropriate and tell you the outcome. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled.

Information about making a complaint is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

01 尚存的猶豫 (Hesitations Kept) oil on canvas, 160x122cm, 2026

尚存的猶豫 Hesitations Kept (Oil on Canvas)   by Lau Siu Chung