Curious about how Privacy Verified helps and relieves our participants? Read their story below.
“The Privacy Verified certification offers a clear promise to our customers and keeps the awareness of the organization high.”
D-rt Groep, formed by D-reizen and VakantieXperts, is the largest independent consumer travel organization in the Netherlands. 1600 employees spread over 440 travel agencies, serving around four million customers annually. The many years of experience, knowledge and interested attitude of the employees of D-rt Groep means that the customer always books a holiday that is unique and completely suits him. Holidays are arranged for the customer from A to Z so that he can go on holiday completely carefree.
The organization processes a lot of personal data and has always had to deal with privacy-related requests: from unsubscribing from newsletters to questions about handling payment data. From a customer-friendliness point of view, this was always handled with care and security was high on the agenda.
Around the introduction of the GDPR, questions about privacy and personal data really started to become topical: how strict should we handle personal data, what is allowed and what is not? To what extent should something be done anonymously? Privacy Verified has provided clarity about this and helped to include all branches in the developments and the policy pursued from the head office. The organization is therefore familiar with the correct handling of personal data at all levels.
The certification did not just happen. ICTRecht has been supporting the D-rt Group in the field of privacy for years by checking policy documents and giving advice. A few months prior to certification, Privacy Verified fully tested the organization against the GDPR. This audit revealed a number of small points for improvement, which D-rt Groep implemented in the following months.
A handy checklist was used to put privacy on the map in a structural way within the organization and to get processes in order and to keep them in order. This helped to gain insight into the privacy status within the company.
After implementing the points for improvement, Privacy Verified again performed a full audit. The implemented measures resulting from the points for improvement were assessed, for example by booking a fictitious holiday. Subsequently, the definitive procedures were drawn up on the basis of the extensive audit and shared with all branches. Now D-rt Groep could receive the final certification.
Thanks to the Privacy Verified certification process, the information to those involved and staff is completely clear and in line with the internal processes. For example, personal data is not kept longer than necessary and only used for legitimate purposes. Third parties that process personal data on behalf of D-rt Groep have also concluded a processing agreement.
“Due to the Privacy Verified certification, a clear promise is made to the customers of D-rt Groep. The annual recertification keeps the organization sharp and awareness high.”
Danja Lekkerkerk – Director Marketing & E-commerce
"The Privacy Verified Certification did not only have a positive effect on our organization and procedures but also on our proposition and results which propelled us to roll-out faster to different European countries and especially to the United States."
E-RetailCom helps organizations with fast and accurate enrichment of customer information to use in the retailer loyalty program to get ahead of the competition.It is fast and efficient mobile driven tool, collects customer information, generates digital membership and can communicate with these customers, all in conjunction with the retailers own loyalty program. “Accelerate” can process large amount of data, which retailers such as Rituals use on a daily basis for their customer loyalty programs.
The reliability of a retail brand and their loyalty programs is very important to their loyal customers, and even more important is how the retailer uses and stores this customer data.
“Accelerate” has a “Privacy Verified Certificate” audited label which proves that your data is secured which is becoming more and more important for today’s retailers and their customers.
An added bonus for the retailers is that the trust and the loyalty of the customers is boosted and the result is a higher conversion and a long lasting relationship with your customer.
E-RetailCom CEO Maarten Cloosterman:
“The Privacy Verified Certification did not only have a positive effect on our organization and procedures but also on our proposition and results which propelled us to roll-out faster to different European countries and especially to the United States. This certification was important to improve the quality of our platform and to really set focus to our inner data handling processes and encryption algorithms. We thank ICTRecht for their guidance in this process because of their support we could speed up the certification!”
"The Privacy Verified process has confirmed to us that we have arranged our affairs well in the field of privacy. This offers us peace of mind and our customers security."
Hello's Online is an online registration system for municipalities, care and welfare organizations that work with informal caregivers, volunteers, social workers, social workers, youth and welfare workers.
The system helps organizations improve their processes and it can adapt to the organization instead of the other way around. This allows everyone to work with Hello's, from healthcare professionals to 94-year-old volunteers.
The functionalities are broad because the system can be used for registration and financial reporting as well as for drawing up the support and development plan.
Hello's originated from the workplace, where it happens. Working in the social domain, Michel and Monica noticed that there was no suitable system on the market yet. So they developed a safe, user-friendly and high-quality system with employees of welfare organizations with the aim of making registrations easier, faster and above all more fun and immediately see the effects of your work.
Within Hello's, large amounts of personal data are processed on a daily basis. It is essential for the success of Hello's that users can rely on a secure system. Hello's has been set up for this from the start, but thought it was just as important to have an independent party check whether Hello's indeed properly safeguards the data of its customers.
The Privacy Verified process has ensured that the processes and procedures have been set up even more closely and that knowledge in the field of privacy has been increased even further. In addition, the certification confirmed that Hello's had properly set up the processes in the basics, which provides peace of mind in the organization.
Hello's is the only registration system in the social domain with a Privacy Verified certification, proving that Hello's goes further than its competitors.
Michel Veenstra, Director of Social Being:
“The Privacy Verified process has confirmed to us that we have properly organized our affairs in the field of privacy. This offers us peace of mind and our customers security. The Privacy Verified specialists acted as a substantive source of information during the process and were able to translate a solution to our situation every time.”
“More than 10,000 parents and teachers rely on Walvi's services every day. Privacy Verified proves to our users that we have arranged our privacy matters well. Our thinking has also been sharpened and privacy has become an even more prominent part of our processes.”
Walvi is a parent portal for primary education. Walvi is user-friendly, safe and fun to use. In this way, Walvi brings parents and schools closer together and they work together with the schools and the parents on better parental involvement.
Walvi's customers are school boards and primary education, but the parents are ultimately the largest group of users. Walvi is used daily by more than 10,000 parents and teachers.
Right from the start in 2014, Walvi considered privacy to be of paramount importance, since a lot of personal data is processed via the parent portal. Its foundation took place at a time when privacy within education was often questioned. Walvi has therefore been very transparent in its approach to privacy from the start. For example, she always proactively informed parents about their rights and unnecessary data was not collected either.
Yet Walvi was looking for a way to confirm this in an objective way, both for herself and for the outside world. The wish for this came about partly because parents wanted confirmation that Walvi had no commercial intention with the data they process on behalf of schools.
Privacy Verified has, among other things, tightened up the mandatory privacy documents for Walvi. This includes a privacy statement, the processing agreement with suppliers and the terms of use for parents who use the parent portal. Subsequently, Privacy Verified carried out an audit of the parent portal. The core values from the AVG have been tested, such as the necessity of processing data, privacy by design and – by default and the correct provision of information.
The eventual certification is confirmation for Walvi that she has properly arranged her privacy matters. The certification offers great added value for the organization and provides peace of mind in business operations. The certification process has also resulted in a sharpened way of thinking and knowledge; something that is crucial to see Privacy by Design not as a step in the (starting) process, but as something that must be applied continuously. In this way it becomes part of the awareness.
Walvi has received many positive reactions to the certification from users. Due to trust, fewer questions about privacy are asked and both Walvi and the affiliated primary schools can answer the questions that are asked more easily and more quickly. The fact that the organisation, processes and conditions have been tested by an external party and have been found to be in accordance with the GDPR provides users with objective confirmation of the correct handling of personal data.
Vic D'Elfant, Founder Walvi:
“More than 10,000 parents and teachers rely on Walvi's services every day. Privacy Verified proves to our users that we have properly arranged our privacy matters and the certification offers peace of mind in business operations. Our thinking has also been sharpened and privacy has become an even more prominent part of our processes.”
“Thanks to the Privacy Verified certificate, we can show all our 50,000 Dutch and international students at a glance that we take their privacy seriously and handle their personal data with the utmost care.”
After the Second World War, there was a serious housing shortage among students. In 1949, a few TH professors therefore set up the Foundation for Housing for Students of the TH. In 1949, this foundation in Delft built the first student complex in the Netherlands, which was followed all over the country. In 2020, the DUWO foundation is a household name for both Dutch and foreign students with more than 33,000 homes. This makes DUWO the largest student housing provider in the Netherlands and offers students affordable, safe and sustainable housing and thus contributes to a pleasant student life.
DUWO is also part of Kences, the student housing knowledge center established in 1999 and a partnership of student housing providers. Together with Kences, she plays a pioneering role in lobbying for student housing in the political circuit.
DUWO has traditionally had to deal with issues surrounding personal data. For example, questions from customers or issues about the provision of supporting documents by tenants, ID documents may not even be kept at all) and the clearing of evidence that was not allowed to be kept.
DUWO takes privacy seriously and wants to comply with the law. She also wants to be able to demonstrate this to the tenants.
As early as 2017, DUWO, in collaboration with ICTRecht, started drawing up a PIA (Privacy Impact Assessment). ICTRecht advised DUWO on this and contributed ideas in the process. Training was also given to the privacy coordinators of DUWO. In addition, a privacy awareness session was held for all employees in 2017, and finally another session just before the GDPR came into effect. These sessions were mainly led by ICTRecht. In addition, they prepared the templates for the data processing agreements and helped to assess the data processing agreements and covenants of other parties.
As a result of the Privacy Verified process, only the personal data that is actually necessary are requested and only exchanged with parties with whom a processing agreement has been concluded. And data is not kept longer than required. The direct contact person at Privacy Verified is an enormous help to be able to test and consult in the meantime
Because DUWO is Privacy Verified certified, it can immediately show its tenants that all necessary processes have been completed and that privacy is guaranteed.
“Thanks to the Privacy Verified certificate, we can show all our 50,000 Dutch and international students at a glance that we take their privacy seriously and handle their personal data with the utmost care.”
Jolieke Peters – IT Project Leader
Piwik PRO is a Europe-based analytics vendor that offers privacy-friendly analytics software. For Piwik PRO, compliance with privacy laws is not just a matter of abiding by the rules. The solution the company offers is entirely dependent on how well Piwik PRO handles its own privacy obligations.
Since privacy compliance is part of its solution, Piwik PRO solicited the expertise of Privacy Verified to become certified. With privacy-proof evidence from an independent third party, the Polish company hopes to bolster its reputation. “We help organizations collect data and analyze full customer journeys across websites and apps while staying in line with privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA, or sectoral and internal regulations. The way we act in the area of privacy greatly affects our product’s USP”, says Maciej Zawadziński, CEO of Piwik PRO.
How do you tell the world that you are a better Google than Google when it comes to using analytics and protecting private data? Among the things Piwik PRO does better than Google are full GDPR compliance and Europe-based storage. To solidify Piwik PRO’s reputation and brand, Privacy Verified helped the company to demonstrate its compliance with the highest privacy standards. Piwik PRO already held the ISO 27001 certificate since 2018. But after receiving the Privacy Verified certification, Piwik PRO also became SOC 2 type II-certified. While the certification number may not be immediately clear to the reader, it comes down to Piwik PRO being able to demonstrate its solid commitment to data security.
“We were on the lookout for a certification that would primarily underline our commitment to privacy and compliance, and Privacy Verified’s scope was just what we needed. We also appreciated its close collaboration with ICTRecht, a recognized and influential institution in the data processing sector. And since it’s based on ICTRecht’s audit, Privacy Verified’s certification becomes all the more valuable.”
The certification will make it easier for Piwik PRO to give proof of its privacy-friendly approach and its compliance with the rules. Particularly, with confirmation from a well- known and respected third party such as Privacy Verified, Piwik PRO can demonstrate that it means business when it comes to privacy.
Piwik PRO is based on privacy by design, and it shows!
Every organization is different. Just like the legal requirements differ for organizations. With three certification programs, Privacy Verified offers a suitable solution for every organization.
Basic
Our privacy experts check your website or webshop. After making any adjustments based on the AVG, your website is AVG tested and you will receive the certificate.
Extended
Do you want to have a specific process or product tested in addition to generating the legal privacy documentation? Then Privacy Verified Extended is the best solution for you.
Enterprise
