Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 12, 2026  ·  Questions? Contact us

Collectif OttersTogether, known commonly as OtterS ("OtterS," "we," "us," or "our"), is a student-led non-profit media collective based in Montreal, Québec, Canada. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit otterstogether.org or use our services. We are committed to complying with Québec's Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector (as amended by Law 25 / Bill 64) and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Section 01

Who Is Responsible for Your Information

Under Québec's Law 25, a person must be designated as responsible for the protection of personal information. At OtterS, that responsibility rests with Orion Poyet, one of our founding members. For all privacy-related requests, questions, or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Orion Poyet - Privacy Officer
Collectif OttersTogether (OtterS)
Montreal, Québec, Canada

Email: otterslegal@gmail.com
Subject line: "Privacy Inquiry"

We will respond to all privacy inquiries within 30 days.

Section 02

Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

  • Quote request forms (videography, photography, marketing): full name, email address, phone number (optional), preferred contact method, organization name and website (optional), details about your cause and event (name, date, location, format, audience size), the deliverables you are looking for, timeline, budget range (optional), creative references, how you heard about us, and anything else you choose to share.
  • Join Application Form: full name, email address, role of interest, school or program (optional), portfolio or social media link (optional), and a message explaining why you want to join OtterS.
  • Donation: first name and email address for confirmation only. All payment processing is handled exclusively by Stripe - we never receive, store, or access your credit card or banking details.
  • Launch notification: if you leave your email address on our "coming soon" page, we keep it for one purpose only - sending you a single announcement when the site goes live.
  • Email list: if you tick the consent box in our footer and press join, we keep your email address, the language you were reading the site in, and the page you signed up from. The last two let us write to you in your language and show that you asked to hear from us. We never add anyone to this list who did not tick that box themselves.
  • Quick message box: the quick message box in our footer simply opens your own email app. Nothing you type there is sent to us or stored anywhere until you choose to send that email yourself.
  • Feedback form: our feedback form is anonymous by design - we never ask for your name or email. You may tell us which project we worked on together, how happy you are with what we made, what you loved most, anything we could do better, whether you would recommend us, whether we may share your words as an anonymous testimonial, and anything else you would like us to know. Please avoid including personal details about yourself or other people in your written answers, since we cannot control what you type there.

Information collected automatically:

  • We store your language preference (English or French) and, while you fill in a quote request, a draft of your answers in your browser's local storage so a long form is never lost. This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to us until you press send.
  • Our hosting provider Vercel may capture standard server log data (IP address, browser type, pages visited) solely for security and diagnostic purposes.
  • Our pages load two decorative fonts from Google Fonts. When your browser fetches a font file, Google receives your IP address and standard request data. Google states that Fonts requests are kept separate from other Google services and are not used for advertising profiles (Google Fonts privacy FAQ).
  • Some portfolio videos are hosted on YouTube or Vimeo. Their players load only if you press play on a video - never on page load. At that moment, YouTube or Vimeo may set their own cookies and collect viewing data under their own policies. We use YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode and Vimeo's "do not track" setting to limit this as much as we can.
  • We do not use advertising cookies, analytics tracking, session recording, or any third-party surveillance technologies on this website.
Section 03

How We Use Your Information

We only use your information for the reason you gave it to us, never anything more. Under Law 25 and PIPEDA, that idea is called purpose limitation:

  • Quote request submissions - to review your project inquiry and respond within 7-10 days.
  • Join application submissions - to evaluate your candidacy and follow up with suitable applicants.
  • Donation information - to process your contribution and send a Stripe receipt to your email.
  • Launch notification email - to send you one email when the site goes live, after which we delete your address from that list.
  • Email list - to send you occasional news about our events, our new films, and ways to help. A few times a year, never more. Every email carries an unsubscribe link, and one click stops them for good.
  • Language preference and form drafts - to display the website in your chosen language and to restore an unfinished quote request on return visits.
  • Feedback submissions - to understand how our work landed, learn as young creatives, and improve future projects. Only where you gave us permission on the form, we may share your words as an anonymous testimonial on our website, social media, or portfolio, and we never attach your name to it.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making, profiling, unsolicited marketing, or any purpose beyond what is listed above.

Section 04

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. Information is shared only with the following service providers, strictly as necessary to deliver our services:

  • Google LLC (Google Apps Script / Google Sheets): Quote request, join, and feedback form submissions are transmitted to and stored in a private Google Sheet via Google Apps Script for internal review. Google's privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.
  • Stripe, Inc.: Donation payments are processed securely by Stripe. OtterS receives only your name and email for confirmation. Stripe's privacy policy: stripe.com/privacy.
  • Vercel, Inc.: Our website is hosted on Vercel's infrastructure, which may process server log data for operational purposes. Vercel's privacy policy: vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy.
  • MailerLite (UAB MailerLite): If you join our email list, your address and language are stored with MailerLite, which is the tool we use to write and send those emails and to handle unsubscribes. MailerLite's privacy policy: mailerlite.com/legal/privacy-policy.
  • Google LLC (Google Fonts): Receives your IP address and standard request data when your browser loads our display fonts, as described above.
  • YouTube (Google LLC) and Vimeo, Inc.: Receive data only if you choose to play an embedded portfolio video. YouTube's privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy. Vimeo's: vimeo.com/privacy.

All third-party providers are bound by their own privacy agreements and are required to handle your data lawfully, securely, and only for specified purposes.

Anonymous testimonials. Where you expressly agreed on our feedback form, we may also publish your feedback publicly as an anonymous testimonial, for example on our website, social media, or portfolio. We never attach your name to it, and you can ask us to take it down at any time by writing to otterslegal@gmail.com.

Section 05

Where Your Information Is Stored

The service providers named above (Google, Stripe, Vercel, MailerLite, YouTube, Vimeo) operate infrastructure in the United States, in the European Union, and in other locations outside Québec. This means the personal information described in this policy may be transferred to, stored, and processed outside Québec and outside Canada.

Before relying on these providers, we considered the sensitivity of the information involved, the purposes for which it is used, and the protection each provider offers. We only work with established providers whose contractual and security commitments are, in our assessment, consistent with the protection required by Québec's Law 25 and PIPEDA. By submitting a form or making a donation, you acknowledge that your information may be processed outside Québec as described here.

Section 06

Data Retention

  • Quote request & join form data: Retained for up to 12 months from the date of submission, or until no longer needed for its original purpose, whichever comes first. You may request earlier deletion at any time.
  • Feedback submissions: Retained for up to 12 months to help us learn and improve. Feedback you allowed us to publish as an anonymous testimonial may be kept for as long as it is in use, and removed on request.
  • Donation records: Retained in accordance with Stripe's data retention policies and applicable accounting and tax record requirements.
  • Launch notification emails: Deleted shortly after the launch announcement is sent, or earlier on request.
  • Email list: Kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you, whichever comes first. Unsubscribing stops every future email immediately. We keep the record of when and where you signed up only for as long as we need it to show that consent was given.
  • Server logs: Typically retained by Vercel for up to 30 days for security and diagnostic purposes.
  • Language preference & form drafts: Stored locally in your browser until you submit the form or clear your browser's local storage. They never reach our servers.
Section 07

Your Rights Under Law 25 & PIPEDA

Under Québec's Law 25 and Canada's PIPEDA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information held by OtterS:

Right of Access

Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and how it is being used.

Right of Correction

Request that we correct or update any inaccurate or incomplete information about you.

Right to Deletion

Request that your personal information be deleted or anonymized, subject to legal retention requirements.

Right to Portability

Request a structured, machine-readable copy of information you provided to us (Law 25, in force since Sept. 2023).

Right to Withdraw Consent

Withdraw your consent to the processing of your information at any time, where consent is the legal basis.

Right to File a Complaint

Lodge a complaint with the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (CAI) at cai.gouv.qc.ca.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at otterslegal@gmail.com with the subject line "Privacy Rights Request." We will respond within 30 days.

Section 08

Cookies & Local Storage

This website does not set any cookies of its own. We use browser local storage for three things only:

  • Your language preference (English or French), so the site opens in your language on return visits.
  • A draft of an in-progress quote request, so a long form is never lost if you close the tab. The draft is removed when you submit the form.
  • A note that you already joined our email list, so the footer thanks you instead of asking again. It is a simple yes, with no address stored in it.

Local storage data stays in your browser and is never sent to our servers. You can clear it at any time through your browser settings.

Third-party cookies from embedded videos: if you choose to play a portfolio video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo, that platform may set its own cookies at that moment, under its own policy. No third-party player loads before you press play, and we use YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode and Vimeo's "do not track" setting.

We do not use advertising cookies, analytics cookies, session tracking, or any third-party tracking scripts on this website. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and seek your consent where required by law.

Section 09

Children & Minors

Our website is meant for organizations, donors, and student creatives. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 14. Under Québec's Law 25, the personal information of a minor under 14 may only be collected with the consent of a parent or guardian. If you are under 18 and want to apply to join OtterS or make a donation, please involve a parent or guardian first.

If you believe a child has provided us personal information without that consent, write to us at otterslegal@gmail.com and we will delete it promptly.

Section 10

Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your personal information, including:

  • All form submissions are transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections.
  • Access to form data stored in Google Sheets is restricted to OtterS team members only.
  • We never store payment card information - all payments are handled exclusively by Stripe's PCI-DSS-compliant infrastructure.

In the event of a privacy incident posing a risk of serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Commission d'accès à l'information (CAI) within the timeframes prescribed by Law 25 (notification required within a reasonable delay, and to the CAI as soon as the organization becomes aware of a confidentiality incident).

Section 11

Visiting From Outside Canada

We are a small Québec collective and this site is written for our Montreal community, but the internet does not stop at borders, so here is where you stand wherever you are.

  • European Economic Area & United Kingdom: where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we process your personal information on the basis of your consent (which you may withdraw at any time) or our legitimate interest in responding to a request you sent us. You have equivalent rights of access, rectification, erasure, portability, restriction, and objection, and you may lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
  • California: we do not sell or share personal information as defined by the CCPA/CPRA, and we do not use it for cross-context behavioural advertising. You may exercise the access, deletion, and correction rights described in this policy, and we will never treat you differently for doing so.
  • Everywhere else: whoever you are, write to us and we will honour the rights described in this policy to the fullest extent we reasonably can.
Section 12

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit, as their data practices may differ significantly from ours.

Section 13

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. For significant changes, we will make reasonable efforts to post a visible notice on our website. Your continued use of the site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Section 14

Contact Us

For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please reach out:

Collectif OttersTogether (OtterS)
Montreal, Québec, Canada

Email: otterslegal@gmail.com

Website: otterstogether.org