Privacy Policy

How we collect, use and protect your personal information.

Introduction

Web Hosting Ireland (a trading name of Irish Web Services, Dublin, Ireland) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal data when you use our website and hosting services.

As an Irish company, we are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Acts. We take our obligations under these regulations seriously and have implemented appropriate measures to protect your data.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

When you sign up for a hosting account or contact us, we may collect the following personal information:

  • Your name and business name
  • Email address
  • Postal address
  • Telephone number
  • Domain name(s) associated with your account
  • Payment information necessary to process your hosting fees
  • Any other information you provide in correspondence with us

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, our web server may automatically record certain information, including:

  • Your IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Pages visited and time spent on our site
  • Referring website address
  • Date and time of your visit

This information is collected through standard web server logs and is used for system administration, security monitoring and to improve our website.

How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Providing hosting services: To set up, manage and maintain your hosting account, including provisioning server resources, creating cPanel accounts and configuring email.
  • Communication: To respond to your enquiries, provide technical support, send important account notifications and inform you of changes to our services.
  • Billing: To process payments for hosting services and maintain accurate financial records as required by Irish law.
  • Security: To protect our servers, your data and our network from unauthorised access, abuse and security threats.
  • Improvement: To analyse usage patterns and improve our website, services and customer experience.
  • Legal compliance: To comply with applicable Irish and EU law, including tax and accounting obligations.

Legal Basis for Processing

Under the GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

  • Contract: Processing is necessary for the performance of our hosting services contract with you.
  • Legitimate interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests in running our business, improving our services and ensuring security, provided these interests do not override your rights.
  • Legal obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject, such as tax and accounting requirements.
  • Consent: Where applicable, you have given your consent to the processing of your personal data for specific purposes.

Data Storage and Security

Your personal data is stored on our servers located in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These measures include:

  • Secure server environments with firewalls and intrusion detection
  • Restricted access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
  • Regular security reviews and updates
  • Secure backup procedures

Where data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with GDPR requirements.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting or reporting requirements. When your hosting account is closed, we will retain certain information for a reasonable period to comply with our legal obligations and resolve any disputes.

Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
  • Right to erasure: You can request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
  • Right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to data portability: You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: You can object to the processing of your data based on legitimate interests.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your data in the following limited circumstances:

  • Service providers: We may share data with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our hosting infrastructure, provided they agree to keep your information confidential and secure.
  • Legal requirements: We may disclose your data if required to do so by law, court order or government regulation.
  • Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of the transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Cookies

Our website may use cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your browsing experience. These cookies are used for essential website functionality and do not track you across other websites. You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

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. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, wish to exercise your data protection rights, or have a complaint about how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

Web Hosting Ireland (Irish Web Services)
Dublin, Ireland
Email: [email protected]

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission of Ireland if you are not satisfied with our response.