Privacy Policy

This website is ado16.info – a digital archive and hub for all things ADO16. It’s run by ado16.info Limited, a company registered in the UK.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, ado16.info Limited is the “data controller” of any personal data collected via this website.

You can get in touch with us directly by sending us an email if you have any questions about this policy or how your data is used.

We collect a limited amount of personal data to help us run ado16.info, manage subscriptions, process orders, and provide you with a smooth and enjoyable experience. We only collect data that is necessary for these purposes and handle it responsibly.

Data we collect

For all users, this may include:

• Title and full name
• Email address
• Billing and/or shipping address
• Account preferences and settings
• Technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, and operating system

This data helps us operate the website, provide account functionality, improve performance, prevent misuse, and respond to enquiries.

For subscribers, we may also collect:

• Title and full name
• Postal address
• Email address
• Contact telephone number
• Optional information you choose to provide about your ADO16 car(s)

Subscriber data is used to manage your subscription, deliver paid content, send relevant updates, administer renewals, and provide subscriber support.

Why we collect this information

We use personal data to:

• Create and manage user accounts and subscriptions
• Process payments and fulfil orders
• Send newsletters, updates, and service communications
• Respond to enquiries and support requests
• Improve the performance, content, and usability of the website
• Maintain site security and prevent fraud or spam
• We do not collect more data than is necessary, and we do not use it for unrelated purposes.

Lawful basis for processing

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful reason for processing your personal data. Depending on how you interact with the site, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Contract – where processing is necessary to provide subscriptions, manage accounts, or fulfil orders you have requested
• Consent – where you have actively opted in, such as subscribing to newsletters or accepting certain cookies
• Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary to operate, maintain, and improve the website, ensure security, and prevent misuse, provided this does not override your rights
• Legal obligation – where we are required to retain certain information for tax, accounting, or regulatory purposes

We only process personal data in ways that are compatible with these lawful bases.

Data minimisation

We aim to keep personal data accurate, up to date, and limited to what is strictly necessary. Optional fields (such as vehicle details) are entirely voluntary and are not required to use the core features of the site.

We use The Newsletter Plugin within WordPress to manage our email newsletters and subscriber communications.

When you sign up to receive newsletters or updates, we collect your name and email address. This information is used solely to send you content, updates, and news relating to ado16.info.

Newsletters are sent on the basis of your consent, which you can withdraw at any time. Every newsletter includes an unsubscribe link, and you can also manage your communication preferences through your account settings or by contacting us directly.

We do not sell, rent, or share newsletter subscriber details with third parties for marketing purposes. Access to newsletter data is restricted to authorised site administrators who manage communications.

Certain essential service emails — such as account confirmations, subscription renewals, or important service updates — may still be sent even if you unsubscribe from marketing communications, as these are necessary to provide the service.

If you leave a comment on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with your IP address and browser user agent string. This information is used to help detect spam and maintain the integrity of the site.

Comment data may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

If you upload images to the website, you should be aware that images may contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the site may be able to download and extract this data from images.

We recommend removing location metadata before uploading images where possible.

When you contact us using a form on the website, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. This information is used solely to respond to your enquiry or provide support.

Contact form submissions are not used for marketing purposes unless you explicitly request this.

We use cookies and similar technologies to ensure the website functions correctly, to remember your preferences, and to help us understand how the site is used.

For full details of the cookies we use, their purpose, and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.

We may use analytics tools (like Google Analytics) to understand how visitors interact with our site. This helps us improve content, speed, and usability.

Analytics data is processed on the basis of consent or legitimate interests, depending on the tool and configuration used.

When you make a purchase through our online shop, we collect personal data necessary to process and fulfil your order.

This may include:

• Your name
• Billing and shipping address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Order details and purchase history
• Account information, if you choose to create an account

This data is processed to fulfil orders, manage refunds, provide customer support, and meet our legal and accounting obligations.

Order and transaction records are retained for up to 7 years in line with tax and accounting requirements.

We accept payments through trusted third-party payment processors, including PayPal and Stripe.

When you make a payment, your billing details and transaction information are shared directly with the relevant payment provider in order to complete the transaction securely. We do not store or process your full payment card details on our servers.

Each payment provider acts as an independent data controller for payment processing activities and handles your data in accordance with their own privacy policies:

• PayPal: See their privacy policy
• Stripe: See their privacy policy

We use a small number of trusted third-party services to help operate and support the website. These services process personal data only where necessary and in accordance with data protection law.

Key services may include:

• Spam prevention services to protect the website and users from misuse
• Payment processors to handle transactions securely
• Email and communication tools to manage newsletters and service messages
• Analytics tools to help us understand how the site is used
• Event management tools where you choose to submit information or RSVP

These providers act either as data processors or independent data controllers and are required to protect your data appropriately. We only share the minimum information necessary for them to perform their function.

Access to personal data is limited to trusted individuals and service providers who need it to operate and support the website.

This includes:

• Site administrators and shop managers, who use the data to manage accounts, process orders, and respond to enquiries
• Trusted third-party service providers (such as hosting, payment, email, analytics, and security services) who process data on our behalf

All third-party providers are required to handle data securely and in line with data protection law. We do not provide access to personal data beyond what is necessary for these purposes.

• Contact form entries: 6 months

• Order data: 7 years

• Newsletter subscriber info: Until you unsubscribe

• Account data: As long as your account is active or for up to 3 months after expiry unless otherwise requested

Where no fixed retention period is stated, we retain data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected.

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”)
• Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Request data portability where applicable
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us by email. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Some of your data may be stored or processed outside the UK or EU by trusted providers (such as PayPal or Stripe).

Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses, to protect your data.

We take the security of your personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure.

These measures include:

• Secure hosting and server controls to help protect the website and its data
• SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS) so information is encrypted when sent between your browser and our site
• Access controls so personal data is only accessible to authorised administrators who need it for site operation, support, or order processing
• Regular updates and monitoring to help protect against known vulnerabilities and suspicious activity
• Data minimisation (we only collect what we need) and retention limits (we don’t keep it longer than necessary)

No website or online service can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, but we work hard to keep ado16.info protected and to continually improve our security.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so we can resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator.

In the unlikely event of a personal data breach, we will take immediate steps to investigate, contain, and mitigate the issue.

Where required by law, we will notify the UK Information Commissioner’s Office and affected individuals without undue delay, in line with our legal obligations.