Privacy and Cookie Policy
Effective date: 5 August 2026
Last updated: 5 August 2026
This Privacy and Cookie Policy explains how personal data is processed when you visit www.de-grave.be or submit a message through the contact form.
1. Data Controller
The controller responsible for the processing of personal data through this website is:
Michael De Grave
Website: www.de-grave.be
Email: privacy@de-grave.be
2. Personal Data Collected
Information submitted through the contact form
When you use the contact form, the website collects your name, your email address, the content of your message, and any other information that you voluntarily include in your message.
Please do not submit sensitive personal information through the contact form unless it is strictly necessary for your request.
Technical information
When you visit the website, limited technical information may be processed automatically by the website’s hosting, security, or contact-form systems.
This information may include your IP address, browser type and version, device and operating-system information, the date and time of access, requested pages, security information, error information, and information used to identify or prevent spam, abuse, or malicious activity.
This technical information is used only to operate, protect, secure, and maintain the website.
3. Purposes and Legal Bases
Responding to messages
Your name, email address, and message are processed to receive and read your question, respond to you, and conduct any necessary follow-up communication.
The legal basis for this processing is the legitimate interest in receiving and responding to communications submitted through the website.
Where your message concerns a possible agreement, service, or other arrangement, the information may also be processed to take steps at your request before entering into an agreement.
Website security and spam prevention
Technical information may be processed to secure the website, detect and prevent spam, fraud, abuse, and cyberattacks, troubleshoot technical problems, and maintain the availability and proper functioning of the website.
The legal basis for this processing is the legitimate interest in operating and protecting the website.
Legal obligations and legal claims
Personal data may be processed or retained where this is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, respond to a lawful request from a competent authority, or establish, exercise, or defend a legal claim.
4. No Marketing or Automated Profiling
Information submitted through the contact form will not be used to send newsletters, promotional communications, or marketing messages unless you separately and expressly request such communication.
The website does not use personal data for behavioural advertising, personalised advertising, commercial profiling, cross-site tracking, or automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
Personal data is not sold or rented.
5. Recipients and Service Providers
Personal data may be processed by service providers that are necessary for the operation of the website.
These may include the website-hosting provider, email-hosting or email-delivery providers, website-security and anti-spam providers, contact-form providers, and technical support providers where assistance is required.
These service providers may process personal data only to the extent necessary to provide their services, deliver messages, operate the website, or protect it against abuse.
Personal data may also be disclosed where this is required by law, a court order, or a lawful request from a competent public authority.
6. International Data Transfers
Whenever reasonably possible, personal data is processed within the European Economic Area.
Some hosting, security, email, or technical service providers may process information in countries outside the European Economic Area.
Where an international transfer takes place, appropriate safeguards will be used as required by applicable data-protection law. These may include an adequacy decision adopted by the European Commission, approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or another legally recognised transfer mechanism.
7. Retention Periods
Contact-form messages and correspondence
Contact-form messages and related correspondence will normally be deleted no later than 12 months after the last meaningful communication.
Information may be retained for a longer period where this is reasonably necessary for an ongoing request, an existing relationship, compliance with a legal obligation, or the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.
Technical and security logs
Technical and security logs will normally be retained for no longer than 30 days.
Information may be retained for a longer period where this is necessary to investigate a security incident, attempted fraud, abuse, malicious activity, or a technical problem.
Cookie preferences
Where a cookie-preference record is used, it may be stored for up to six months. After this period, you may be shown the cookie notice again.
8. Security
Reasonable technical and organisational measures are used to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, unlawful disclosure, alteration, misuse, and destruction.
Access to contact messages and related personal data is restricted to persons and service providers that require access for the purposes described in this policy.
However, no method of transmission or storage through the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
9. Your Data-Protection Rights
Subject to the conditions and limitations established by applicable law, you may have the right to request access to your personal data, request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information, request deletion of your personal data, request restriction of processing, or object to processing based on legitimate interests.
You may also have the right to receive certain personal data in a portable format where the right to data portability applies, withdraw consent where a particular processing activity is based on consent, and lodge a complaint with a competent data-protection supervisory authority.
Not every right applies in every situation.
To exercise a data-protection right, contact privacy@de-grave.be.
Sufficient information may be requested to verify your identity and locate the relevant personal data. Requests will normally be handled within one month, as required under applicable data-protection law.
You may also lodge a complaint with the data-protection authority in the European Economic Area country where you live, where you work, or where you believe that an infringement has occurred.
10. Children
This website is not specifically directed at children.
Children should not submit personal information through the contact form without the knowledge and assistance of a parent or legal guardian.
If personal information submitted by a child is identified and is not necessary for a legitimate purpose, it will be deleted.
11. Third-Party Links
This website may occasionally contain a link to another website.
This Privacy and Cookie Policy applies only to www.de-grave.be. External websites are responsible for their own privacy, security, and cookie practices.
12. Changes to This Policy
This policy may be updated when the website’s functionality changes, a new service provider is introduced, the contact form or security system changes, or legal and regulatory requirements change.
The latest version will always be published on this page together with its effective date.
13. Contact
Questions about this policy or the processing of personal data may be sent to:
Michael De Grave
Email: privacy@de-grave.be
Website: www.de-grave.be
Cookie Policy
1. What Cookies Are
Cookies are small text files or similar technologies that may be stored on or accessed from your device when you visit a website.
Cookies may be used to provide website functionality, remember preferences, protect a website against abuse, collect statistics, or provide advertising.
2. Cookies Used by This Website
This website does not intentionally use cookies for advertising, analytics, marketing, social-media tracking, cross-site tracking, behavioural profiling, or the personalisation of advertisements or content.
The website may use a limited number of strictly necessary cookies or similar technologies required to operate and protect the website, process the contact form, prevent spam, and remember that you have seen or closed the cookie notice.
Necessary security cookies
The website’s hosting or security provider may use temporary cookies or similar technologies to distinguish legitimate visitors from automated traffic, prevent malicious requests, protect the website against spam and cyberattacks, complete browser-verification checks, and maintain the secure operation of the website.
Typical duration: These cookies normally remain active only during the browser session or for a limited period determined by the security provider.
Contact-form technologies
The contact form may use temporary session information to process a submitted message, prevent duplicate submissions, validate the security question, and block automated spam.
Typical duration: These technologies are normally deleted when the browser session ends.
Cookie-preference record
A necessary cookie may be used to remember that you have seen or closed the website’s cookie notice.
Typical duration: Up to six months.
3. Necessary Cookies and Consent
Strictly necessary cookies are used only where they are required for the delivery, operation, or security of the website and the contact form.
These cookies do not require consent where they are necessary to provide the website service requested by the visitor.
Because necessary cookies are required for the website to function securely, they cannot always be disabled through the website itself.
No non-essential cookies will be placed before any legally required consent has been obtained.
4. Managing Cookies
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings.
Most browsers allow you to view stored cookies, delete individual cookies, delete all cookies, block cookies, block third-party cookies, or delete cookies automatically when the browser is closed.
The precise steps depend on the browser and device you use.
Blocking strictly necessary cookies may interfere with website security, browser verification, or submission of the contact form.
5. Changes to Cookie Use
If analytics, embedded media, social-media tools, advertising, or other non-essential technologies are added in the future, this policy and the website’s consent mechanism will be updated before those technologies are activated.
6. Cookie Questions
Questions about cookies or similar technologies used by the website may be sent to privacy@de-grave.be.