PRIVACY POLICY — MEDICI BOOKS

This Privacy Policy explains how Medici Books collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website or make a purchase. We are committed to ensuring full compliance with all applicable global data protection laws, including the UK Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for customers in Ireland and Europe, the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Australian Privacy Principles (Privacy Act 1988), and applicable United States state-level privacy frameworks (such as the CCPA/CPRA).


1. WHO WE ARE

• DATA CONTROLLER: Medici Books operates as an independent online bookstore based in the United Kingdom and acts as the official Data Controller for all personal information gathered through this storefront.
• OFFICIAL CONTACT: For all privacy-related inquiries, data access requests, or policy questions, please contact our team directly at: medicibooks.mail@gmail.com


2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect and process specific personal data necessary to run our store and fulfill your transactions securely:
• CUSTOMER IDENTIFIERS: Full name, billing address, and physical shipping address.
• CONTACT DETAILS: Email address and primary telephone number (provided at checkout).
• TRANSACTION HISTORY: Detailed log of purchased books, order values, and specific transactional data.
• DIGITAL footprint: Device parameters, IP address, browsing behavior, and site interaction metrics tracked via cookies.
• PAYMENT DATA: All payment transactions are securely handled via end-to-end encryption through Shopify Payments, PayPal, or Stripe. Medici Books does not store, host, or view your full credit/debit card numbers.


3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

Your personal data is strictly utilized to maintain store operations, ensure transaction security, and provide customer support:
• TRANSACTION FULFILLMENT: To process your payments, pack your books, and arrange delivery to your designated international address.
• ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT: To issue automated order confirmation notices, tracking numbers, and provide customer care.
• FRAUD MITIGATION: To cross-check orders against risk markers to protect our store from unauthorized transactions or chargebacks.
• LEGAL OBLIGATIONS: To maintain accurate business accounting records, tax filings, and custom logs required by international regulators.


4. LAWFUL BASIS FOR PROCESSING DATA

In compliance with UK and EU GDPR requirements, we only process personal information under valid legal bases:
• CONTRACTUAL NECESSITY: Processing is mandatory to fulfill the sale and ship books to your location.
• LEGAL COMPLIANCE: Processing is required to adhere to UK tax, VAT reporting, and customs laws.
• LEGITIMATE INTERESTS: Processing allows us to secure our platform against fraud and optimize our web layout for users.
• EXPLICIT CONSENT: Used exclusively for sending opt-in newsletter marketing communications and activating non-essential tracking cookies.


5. COOKIES POLICY

• ESSENTIAL COOKIES: These are system-critical cookies required to operate core features, including the shopping cart function, user authentication, and secure checkout sequences. These cannot be disabled.
• NON-ESSENTIAL COOKIES: Analytics and marketing tracking pixels (such as Google Analytics or Meta Pixels) are used to study storefront performance. These are blocked by default and will only activate if you click "Accept" on our explicit storefront cookie banner. You can change your preferences or opt out at any time.


6. SHARING YOUR INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES

We never sell, rent, or lease your private data to third-party brokers. We disclose your information only to trusted service partners strictly required to process and ship your order:
• CORE PLATFORM: Shopify Inc. (hosts our online store database).
• LOGISTICS CARRIERS: Royal Mail and regional network partners (USPS, An Post, Canada Post, Australia Post, NZ Post, DHL) to generate postage labels and deliver packages.
• PAYMENT PROCESSORS: Shopify Payments, Stripe, and PayPal to safely process transactions.


7. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS & DATA SECURITY

• CROSS-BORDER TRANSFERS: Because we operate globally out of the UK and utilize Shopify infrastructure, your personal information may be transferred, stored, and processed outside your home jurisdiction (including processing hubs in Canada and the United States).
• SAFEGUARDS: We ensure all international transfers are fully protected by robust contract frameworks and recognized legal safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) to maintain data integrity.
• TECHNICAL PROTECTION: Our entire Shopify platform is secured using SSL/TLS encryption to shield your data from unauthorized digital access or data breaches.


8. YOUR GLOBAL PRIVACY RIGHTS

Depending on your geographic location (UK, EU, US, Canada, Australia, NZ), you hold distinct statutory legal rights regarding your private data:
• RIGHT TO ACCESS: You can request a clear copy of all personal information we hold about you.
• RIGHT TO RECTIFICATION: You can demand immediate corrections to any inaccurate or out-of-date personal data.
• RIGHT TO ERASURE: You can request that we delete your entire customer profile from our records (excluding historical accounting data required by law).
• RIGHT TO RESTRICT & OPT-OUT: You have the right to revoke consent for promotional emails or request that your digital footprint data be removed from tracking tools.
• EXERCISING RIGHTS: To submit a formal data deletion or access request, email us at: medicibooks.mail@gmail.com


9. DATA RETENTION

• TIMELINES: We store your personal information only for as long as legally necessary to fulfill shipments, manage active customer accounts, or resolve technical transactional disputes.
• FINANCIAL RECORDS: Standard billing data, purchase histories, and international tax invoices will be archived securely for up to 6 years to satisfy mandatory UK HMRC business auditing laws.


10. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

• AMENDMENTS: We reserve the right to modify or adjust this privacy statement at any time to reflect changing global regulations or storefront updates. Any revisions will be published immediately on this page.


11. CONTACT US

For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding your personal data and privacy settings, please contact our team directly:

• BUSINESS NAME: Medici Books
• EMAIL: medicibooks.mail@gmail.com
• TELEPHONE: 07575343053 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM GMT)