Welcome to the Trade Link website ("this Website") which is operated by Volkswagen Group Ireland Limited (Company registration number 436954) ("we", "our", "us" or "Volkswagen" as applicable). Please see the end of this policy for our legal and contact information.
We use cookies and other similar technologies that access or store information on the device you use to visit this Website. To make this policy easier to read, we refer to all of these technologies using the expression "cookies".
This policy provides you with information about how cookies work and when, how and why we, and the third parties we work with, use them. Almost all cookies work by collecting and storing some form of personal information about you, so this policy also describes the personal information we process or allow others to access when using cookies, as well as your related data protection rights.
Our separate Privacy Statement provides equivalent information relating to our processing of your personal information more broadly in connection with this Website.
We may update this policy from time to time. All changes made to this policy will be published on this Website and in the event of any substantial changes, we will notify you of these using an appropriate communication method.
We set and read some cookies on your device and are the data controller for this Website. A data controller is the person that decides why and how your personal information is processed. Some cookies are set and read only by ourselves and some may be set by third parties such as our suppliers or our commercial partners.
In relation to cookies set by third parties through this Website, those parties may also be a controller of your personal information, which means they will also have a legal responsibility to you in respect of the personal information they receive. Please see the section How we work with third parties and the legal reasons for processing for further details.
Cookies are small files or other information stored on your device or accessed from your device that help us and others to collect data about your activities. The expression ‘cookies’ can refer to browser cookies as well as a number of similar technologies including tracking pixels/web beacons, local shared objects/flash cookies and access to device information (including sensors). Please see the next section for details of the types of ‘cookies’ used by this Website.
Cookies allow us to deliver essential features of this Website. We also use them for purposes which are not essential but very useful to us or to you, including to store your settings and preferences, remember your access information, provide targeted content and marketing communications, help us to understand which part of this Website is the most popular and analyse the functioning of this Website.
As cookies relate to any information stored on or accessed from your device, they take a variety forms. We use the following types of ‘cookies’:
Browser cookies
Cookies may come from us ("first party cookies") or from third parties whose services we use or that we
partner with ("third party cookies") and who we permit to set their cookies by configuring this Website
accordingly. In some cases, we will receive the information collected using a third party cookie whilst in
others, the third party will provide a service to us without sharing that information in the form it was
collected with us.
Cookies may be used for your browsing session only (“session cookies”) or for longer (“persistent cookies”).
Please see the section below for further details regarding each type of cookie that we use.
Analytical scripts
Analytical scripts are small pieces of computer code that can be used to track users and their behaviour on
websites. Analytical scripts can provide the information collected to a third party, which is often the
provider of the script. These scripts also help us with screen fonts and maps of Dealer locations.
Device data
In some cases information is accessed and read from your device without storing or accessing a file on your
device. As this information is usually personal information, details are provided in the section below.
We receive the following types of personal information about you through the cookies we use, which includes information we access directly from your computer, phone, tablet or other device without storing or accessing a file:
We may combine personal information about you or your activities with other information we receive from third parties or publicly available sources where this is permitted by law. Please see our general Privacy Statement for further details of the sources of information we may use.
Cookies are an extremely common technology for remembering certain information about how users interact with websites and use their devices. The vast majority of websites currently make use of cookies and they are commonly used for a wide range of reasons.
We use cookies for the following purposes:
Essential purposes
| Cookie Name | Cookie Purpose |
|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Records the session ID |
| Privacy-accepted | Record if you consented to our cookie banner |
| Privacy-analytics | Record if you consented to analytics cookies |
Useful but non-essential purposes
| Cookie | Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics |
__utma __utmb __utmc __utmt __utmz |
These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where the visitors have come to the site from and the pages they have visited. |
Cookies and associated personal information used for essential purposes
In accordance with data protection laws, we do not request your consent to use these cookies as they are
necessary to ensure this Website works properly.
Cookies and associated personal information used for non-essential purposes
We will only store or read cookies on your device for non-essential cookies and process associated personal
information (or allow our third party services providers and partners to do so) if you have given, and not
withdrawn, your consent. We request this using the cookie tool that appears when you visit any page of this
Website.
How to provide your consent for non-essential cookies and associated personal information
When you visit this Website for the first time, you will be prompted with a request to provide your consent
for non-essential cookies and the personal information we receive as a result of their use. You can consent
to all non-essential cookies by selecting “Accept Recommended Settings” or refuse consent for all
non-essential cookies by selecting “Reject all optional”. Alternatively, you can choose to consent to
cookies by their individual categories of purposes of use by selecting “Manage Settings”.
If you do not provide your consent for these cookies, we will not use them nor process any personal information in connection with them. Consequently, your provision of any personal information associated with the cookie is voluntary and you may withdraw your consent at any time. Any use of the cookie or associated personal information before you withdraw your consent will be valid and lawful. Please see the What are your rights? and How can you exercise your rights? sections below for further information regarding your data protection rights.
The duration for which your consent lasts
Your consent will last for 6 months from the date you last provide it to us using the cookie tool on this
Website. After this period, the cookie tool will automatically treat your consent as withdrawn.
How to withdraw your consent for non-essential cookies and the processing of associated personal information
You may withdraw consent you have previously provided for cookies in one of two ways depending on the type
of cookie:
Please note that any change to your web browser settings will only apply to the particular web browser for which you have adjusted your settings. If you use more than one web browser on a device, you must change the settings separately for each browser and each device. Additional information regarding cookies may be available within the “help” feature of the browser or operating system or the operating manual for your device.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites please visit: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
Cookies and associated personal information stored on your device after you withdraw your consent
After you withdraw your consent for non-essential cookies, this Website will no longer access or read these
cookies. Depending on the cookies, this means that files, scripts, codes and other cookie-related
information may remain stored on your device. You can delete these cookies by clearing your cookies and your
browsing cache using your web browser settings. Please see the links for each of the common browsers above
for further information on how to do so.
What are the consequences of refusing/withdrawing your consent to cookies and the processing of associated personal information?
If you refuse or withdraw consent to the use of any non-essential-cookies or associated personal information,
then the corresponding functionality or features of this Website may not work properly, or at all. Your use
of the core functions and features of this Website will not be affected.
If you disable essential cookies (or all cookies) using your web browser settings, one or more core functions and features of this Website, including those intended to ensure your visit is safe and secure, will not work properly, or at all.
We will set and read certain cookies on this Website and receive personal information about you through their use. Third parties may also be involved in setting, reading or using personal information obtained from cookies.
The roles and responsibilities that these third parties have in relation to your personal information will depend on the specific circumstances, as follows:
We do not process or retain personal information in an identifiable format for longer than is necessary.
We process and retain your personal information for the following durations:
The only exceptions to the periods mentioned above are where:
We disclose your personal information to third parties or permit them to access that information in connection with the purposes mentioned above.
Our third party service providers, agents and subcontractors (“suppliers”), commercial partners, group companies and other third parties may receive cookie-related personal information either directly from you, us or from one of our suppliers.
Our suppliers can be categorised as follows:
The majority of suppliers we use are processors with whom we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it other than in accordance with our specific instructions. We only disclose to them or allow them to access personal information that is necessary for them to provide their services.
In relation to the cookies used on this Website, we use the following key suppliers in particular:
Google
This Website uses Google Analytics provided by Google, Inc. ("Google"), which uses cookies to analyse how
users use this Website. The Website uses the following modules:
Information generated by a cookie about the use of this Website (including your IP address) may be transmitted and stored on Google’s servers in the United States.
Google will use this information to evaluate the use of this Website by visitors, create reports about such use and to provide other services relating to activities on this Website and the use of the internet in general. Google may also provide this information to third parties if it is required by the law or if such third parties process this information for Google. You may disable the use cookies on this Website as described above or by changing appropriate settings in your browser, but if you do so for all types of cookies, you will not be able to make full use of all the features of this Website.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites please visit: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
For detailed information about the modules listed above and Google’s handling of personal information, please see www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners and http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy/privacy-policy.html.
Other parties
We may disclose your personal information to other third parties as follows:
Personal information received by other controllers
When we disclose or allow access to your personal information to third parties that are also controllers of
that information (e.g. certain suppliers, group companies or our commercial partners), they may disclose or
transfer it to other organisations in accordance with their data protection policies. This does not affect
any of your data subject rights as detailed below. Where you ask us to rectify, erase or restrict the
processing of your information, we take reasonable steps to pass this request on to any such third parties
with whom we have shared your personal information.
All personal information obtained via cookies on this Website is obtained directly from you. We may receive this information from a third party if we are not the party setting the cookie on your device.
Your cookie-related personal information may be transferred outside of Ireland and European Economic Area (“EEA”), if you grant us your explicit consent to do so or if we ensure adequate safeguards for the data protection of the transferred data.
In connection with Google Analytics and/or the use of analytical, marketing and social media cookies and other web technologies described above, once you consent to the data transfer your personal information will be transferred to USA-based companies and stored on servers located in the United States of America (“USA”). Please be aware that such transmission may pose a risk to your data processing due to the absence of an adequacy decision and appropriate safeguards. In particular, data transmission and data processing by our partners in the USA may be subject to surveillance programmes by US public authorities and your data may be then accessed by US intelligence agencies or federal investigators. Furthermore, non-United States persons have not got the same possibilities to counter surveillance performed by the National Security Agency or the Director of National Intelligence. Lastly, the USA does not provide a single authority responsible for supervisory activities. Particular states in the USA have different points of contact regarding supervisory powers related to data protection with a special court, which deals with Foreign Intelligence Surveillance issues.
If we transfer your information to other countries outside Ireland and EEA, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate security measures are taken with the aim of ensuring that your privacy rights continue to be protected as outlined in this policy. These steps include:
Please contact us using the details at the end of this policy for more information about the protections that we put in place and to obtain a copy of the relevant documents.
If you use this Website whilst you are outside Ireland and EEA, your information will be transferred outside those territories in order to allow you to use this Website.
We do not envisage that any processing to make decisions that have a legal or significant effect on you will be carried out using purely automated means, however we will update this policy and inform you if this position changes.
In order to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure alteration or destruction, we have taken appropriate organisational and technical measures including physical, electronic and management procedures to protect and secure the information gathered through this Website.
You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information under data protection law. In relation to most rights, we will ask you for information to confirm your identity and, where applicable, to help us search for your personal information. Except in rare cases, we will respond to you within 1 month of receipt of any request (including any identification documents requested).
You have the following rights under data protection laws:
If you have any enquiries relating to this policy, our handing of your personal information generally or in relation your data protection rights, you can contact us using the following information:
In connection with the exercise of your rights, we may charge a reasonable fee taking into account the administrative costs for processing requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive.
For questions regarding this policy or the protection of your personal information generally, you can contact the Privacy Team at Volkswagen Group Ireland.
If you disagree with the way Volkswagen Group Ireland Limited processes or handles your personal information you have the right to lodge a complaint with us or a supervisory authority.