Privacy Notice for Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network
Last updated: October 2026
Who we are
The Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network is a global initiative that aims to catalyse action to conserve, restore and sustainably manage seaweed ecosystems worldwide. The initiative is led by the Natural History Museum (NHM) and partner organisations, including the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), University Malaysia and The United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS).
For the purposes of data protection law, the Natural History Museum is the data controller for the personal information collected through the Seaweed Breakthrough pledge website.
If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how your information is used, please contact:
Email: seaweedprotect@nhm.ac.uk
You may also contact the Natural History Museum’s Data Protection Team at:
Email: dataprotection@nhm.ac.uk
What information we collect
Depending on how you engage with the Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network, we may collect:
Individual Supporters
- Name
- Email address
- Country
- Voluntary information about your pledge or commitment
Organisational Pledges – Expression of Interest
- Organisation name
- Contact name
- Job title
- Email address
For the Organisational Pledges – Endorsement (&/Or) Pledge
- Organisation name
- Contact name
- Job title
- Email address
- Country and region
- Details of pledged actions and commitments from the Conservation menu and through discussions
- Proposed outcomes, timelines and public pledge statements
We also collect any information you choose to provide when corresponding with us.
How we use your information
We use your information to:
- Record and manage your Seaweed Breakthrough support / Expression of Interest / pledge.
- Maintain records of organisations and individuals participating in the GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network.
- Contact you about your pledge and any associated reporting activities.
- Request updates on progress against pledged commitments.
- Produce aggregated reports on participation and progress.
- Support reporting requirements associated with the Seaweed Breakthrough, including reporting to the United Nations’ Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA) platform and related accountability initiatives.
- Respond to enquiries and requests
We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we are required or permitted by law to use it for another compatible purpose.
Our lawful basis for processing
We process your personal information under the following lawful bases:
Legitimate Interests
Our primary lawful basis is legitimate interests. We have a legitimate interest in administering the Seaweed Breakthrough initiative, maintaining records of support / pledges, communicating with participants, monitoring progress against commitments and reporting on the initiative’s impact.
Consent
Where you choose to receive newsletters, project updates or other optional communications, we will rely on your consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
Sharing your information
We do not sell your personal information.
Your information may be shared with authorised members of the Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network delivery team where necessary to administer the initiative, including:
- Relevant staff at the Natural History Museum;
- Relevant staff at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS); and
- Other project partners (University Malaysia and The United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)) where access is necessary for administration, reporting or technical support.
Personal information will not be shared with other members of the GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network.
Where we produce public reports, statistics or updates, information will normally be presented in aggregated or anonymised form unless you have expressly provided content for publication, such as a public pledge statement.
We may also disclose information where required by law or regulatory obligations.
International transfers
As the Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network is an international initiative, limited sharing of information may occur with authorised project partners located outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
How long we keep your information
We will retain personal information only for as long as necessary to administer the Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network and fulfil reporting and governance requirements.
Unless there is a legal reason to retain information for longer, pledge records will generally be retained for the duration of the Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network initiative, plus a period of seven years, and always in accordance with the Natural History Museum’s records management requirements.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- Request access to your personal information.
- Request correction of inaccurate information.
- Request erasure of your information in certain circumstances.
- Request restriction of processing.
- Object to processing carried out under legitimate interests.
- Request transfer of your information where applicable.
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact:
seaweedprotect@nhm.ac.uk or dataprotection@nhm.ac.uk.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled, please contact us first so we can try to resolve your concerns.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk
Optional updates and newsletters
If you choose to sign up for Seaweed Breakthrough GlobalSeaweed-CONNECT network news, updates or event information, we will use your email address to send you these communications.
Receiving these communications is entirely optional. You can unsubscribe or withdraw your consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in emails or by contacting us.
Website Terms of Use
By using our site you accept these terms
By using our site, you confirm that you accept these terms of service and that you agree to comply with them. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use our site. We recommend that you print a copy of these terms for future reference.
Changes, updates and suspension
We amend these terms from time to time. Every time you wish to use our site, please check these terms to ensure you understand the terms that apply at that time.
We may update and change our site from time to time to reflect changes to our project, our users’ needs and our priorities.
We may suspend or withdraw or restrict the availability of all or any part of our site for business and operational reasons. We will try to give you reasonable notice of any suspension or withdrawal.
We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation. We will always tell you in writing if this happens and we will ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under the contract.
You must keep your account details safe
If you choose, or you are provided with, a user identification code, password or any other piece of information as part of our security procedures, you must treat such information as confidential. You must not disclose it to any third party.
We have the right to disable any user identification code or password, whether chosen by you or allocated by us, at any time, if in our reasonable opinion you have failed to comply with any of the provisions of these terms of service.
Material on our site
We or our licensors are the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights in our site, and in the material published on it.
Those works are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved.
You must not use any part of the content on our site for commercial purposes without obtaining a licence to do so from us or our licensors.
No text or data mining, or web scraping
You shall not conduct, facilitate, authorise or permit any text or data mining or web scraping in relation to our site or any services provided via, or in relation to, our site for any purpose, including the development, training, fine-tuning or validation of AI systems or models. This includes using (or permitting, authorising or attempting the use of):
Any “robot”, “bot”, “spider”, “scraper” or other automated device, program, tool, algorithm, code, process or methodology to access, obtain, copy, monitor or republish any portion of our site or any data, content, information or services accessed via the same.
Any automated analytical technique aimed at analysing text and data in digital form to generate information [or develop, train, fine-tune or validate AI systems or models] which includes but is not limited to patterns, trends and correlations.
The provisions in this clause should be treated as an express reservation of our rights in this regard, including for the purposes of Article 4(3) of the Digital Copyright Directive ((EU) 2019/790).
Rules about linking to our site
You may link to our home page, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it. You must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part where none exists. You must not establish a link to our site in any website that is not owned by you. Our site must not be framed on any other site, nor may you create a link to any part of our site other than the home page. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice. If you wish to link to or make any use of content on our site other than that set out above, please contact seaweedprotect@nhm.ac.uk.
Our trade mark
The SEAWEED BREAKTHROUGH insignia shown below is a trade mark. You are not permitted to use it without our separate prior permission.
Do not rely on information on this site
The content on our site is provided for general information only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
We are not responsible for websites we link to
Where our site contains links to other sites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your information only. Such links should not be interpreted as approval by us of those linked websites or information you may obtain from them. We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources.
We are not responsible for viruses
We do not guarantee that our site will be secure or free from bugs or viruses. You are responsible for configuring your information technology, computer programs and platform to access our site. You should use your own virus protection software.
Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you
Whether you are a consumer or a business user:
We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors and for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
If you are a business user:
We exclude all implied conditions, warranties, representations or other terms that may apply to our site or any content on it.
We will not be liable to you for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, even if foreseeable, arising under or in connection with: use of, or inability to use, our site; or use of or reliance on any content displayed on our site. In particular, we will not be liable for: loss of profits, sales, business, or revenue; business interruption; loss of anticipated savings; loss of business opportunity, goodwill or reputation; or any indirect or consequential loss or damage.
If you are a consumer user:
We only provide our site for domestic and private use. You agree not to use our site for any commercial or business purposes, and we have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.
Which country’s laws apply to a dispute
If you are a consumer, please note that these terms of service, their subject matter and their formation, are governed by English law. We both agree that the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction, except that if you are a resident of Northern Ireland you may also bring proceedings in Northern Ireland, and if you are a resident of Scotland, you may also bring proceedings in Scotland.
If you are a business, these terms of service, their subject matter and their formation (and any non-contractual disputes or claims) are governed by English law. We both agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales