Privacy Policy
Last updated: 28 May 2026
Introduction
Athar ("we", "us", or "our") is a digital cultural archive and community memory project commissioned by Shubbak Festival. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website and submit content to the Athar archive.
Athar is operated by NMO Digital on behalf of Shubbak Festival. We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
What information we collect
Community submissions (Live Diary)
When you submit a trace to the Athar archive, we may collect:
Text content — written memories, phrases, or reflections you choose to share
Audio recordings — voice notes recorded through your browser
Images — photographs you upload
Optional pseudonym — a name or word you choose to identify your submission (not your real name unless you choose to share it)
Area or borough — a general location you choose to associate with your submission
Language preference — whether you submitted in English or Arabic
Automatically collected information
When you visit our website, we may collect:
Analytics data — page views, time on site, and general usage patterns (only with your consent via our cookie banner)
Technical data — browser type, device type, and IP address (anonymised)
We do not collect your real name, email address, phone number, or any other personally identifying information through the submission form.
How we use your information
We use the information we collect to:
Review and moderate community submissions before they appear in the public archive
Display approved submissions as part of the Athar digital archive and exhibition
Understand how visitors interact with the website (analytics, with consent only)
Improve the website and user experience
Legal basis for processing
We process your personal data on the following legal bases:
Consent — you provide explicit consent when submitting content via the Live Diary form. You can choose not to submit at any time.
Legitimate interests — we have a legitimate interest in operating and improving the Athar archive as a cultural and community project.
How we store and protect your data
Your data is stored securely using the following infrastructure:
Database — hosted on a secure server in the EU
Media files — audio recordings and images are stored on encrypted object storage (Hetzner, Nuremberg, Germany)
Website hosting — served from a secure European data centre
All data transfers use HTTPS encryption. Access to the database and storage is restricted to authorised administrators only.
Data retention
Submissions to the Athar archive are retained for the duration of the project and any associated exhibitions. If you would like your submission removed, please contact us using the details below.
Analytics data is retained for a maximum of 26 months, in line with Google Analytics defaults.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you
Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data
Erasure — ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
Restriction — ask us to restrict how we process your data
Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
Withdraw consent — withdraw your consent at any time
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the address below.
Cookies
We use cookies to enhance your experience and analyse site traffic. For full details, please see our Cookie Policy.
Third-party services
We may use the following third-party services:
Google Analytics — for anonymised website analytics (only with your consent)
We do not sell, share, or transfer your personal data to any other third parties for marketing purposes.
Children's privacy
Athar is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information, please contact us so we can remove it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact:
NMO Digital
London, United Kingdom
Email: hello@nmodigital.co.uk