Privacy Policy

Last updated: [2025-09-14]

Welcome to The Vagina Institute. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy will inform you about how we look after your personal data when you visit our website (regardless of where you visit it from), and tell you about your privacy rights.

Data We Collect About You

When you visit our website, we may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you as follows:

Identity Data: Including your first name, last name, username or similar identifier when you communicate directly with us.
Contact Data: Including your email address and telephone numbers when using our contact forms.
Technical Data: Including your internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.

How We Collect Your Data

We use different methods to collect data from and about you:

Direct interactions: You may give us your Identity and Contact data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by phone, email, or through chat. This includes personal data you provide when you complete our contact form.
Automated technologies or interactions: As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs, and other similar technologies.
Surveys: We may ask you to take part in our anonymous surveys which you can participate in voluntarily.

Cookies

A cookie is a small file placed on your device's hard drive. It enables our website to identify your device as you view different pages. Cookies allow websites and applications to store your preferences to present content, options or functions that are specific to you. Like most websites, we use cookies to help us improve your experience.

You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly.

Legal Basis for Processing

Under data protection laws (such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation), we must identify the legal grounds on which we process your personal data. We rely on the following:

Consent: When you voluntarily provide your information (e.g., filling out forms, subscribing to communications, or participating in surveys). You may withdraw consent at any time.
Legitimate Interests: To operate our website, improve services, conduct surveys, and carry out research, provided that these activities do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.
Contractual Necessity: When processing is required to respond to your requests or provide services you have asked us to deliver.
Legal Obligations: Where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws or regulatory requirements.

For surveys conducted on behalf of third-party organizations, we rely on consent (when you choose to participate) and legitimate interests (to carry out research in a way that protects anonymity).

Data Retention & Storage

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements.

General Inquiries: Identity and Contact Data collected via forms or communications will typically be retained for up to 12 months, unless a longer retention period is necessary to resolve an inquiry or comply with legal obligations.
Technical Data: Information collected via cookies and automated technologies is retained in line with our cookie policy and will not be kept longer than 24 months.
Survey Data:
- Responses to surveys (whether internal or third-party) are stored only in anonymized or aggregated form.
- Any raw data that could potentially identify participants is removed or anonymized within 90 days of collection.
- Aggregated survey data may be retained indefinitely for research and reporting purposes, provided individuals cannot be identified.

When retention periods expire, data will either be securely deleted or anonymized so that it can no longer be linked to you.

How We Use Your Data

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

To provide and improve our services.
To respond to your inquiries and fulfill your requests.
To send you relevant notices and marketing communications.
To conduct research for analytical purposes.
To conduct and manage surveys (including those conducted on behalf of third parties).

Third-Party Surveys and Data Sharing

In addition to our own research activities, The Vagina Institute may conduct surveys on behalf of third-party organizations or companies. These surveys are subject to the following conditions:

Anonymity: All surveys are designed to keep participants anonymous. Personally identifiable information will not be shared with third parties without your explicit consent.
Protocols: Third-party surveys follow the same standards and protocols as our own surveys to ensure participant confidentiality and ethical handling of responses.
Compensation: We may receive financial compensation for conducting surveys and providing aggregated, anonymized data to requesting parties.
Transparency: Any third-party survey opportunities will be clearly identified as such when offered to participants.

By participating in such surveys, you consent to the use of your anonymized responses for the purposes outlined.

How We Share Your Data

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information unless we provide you with advance notice. This does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential.

We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others' rights, property, or safety.

Your Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data, including the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data; object to or limit the use of your personal data; and request portability of your personal data.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact us using the details set out below.

Children’s Privacy

The Vagina Institute does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from individuals under the age of 18. Our website, services, and surveys are intended for adults only.

If you are under 18, please do not provide any personal data through our website or participate in surveys.
If we discover that we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, we will delete such information promptly.
Parents or guardians who believe their child may have provided personal information to us may contact us at the details provided below to request its removal.