Urban Houndz ("we", "us", "our") is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. We are a UK-based custom print-on-demand business, operating at urbanhoundz.co.uk. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, how it's used, how long we keep it, and your rights under UK GDPR.
Urban Houndz is a trading name of Marc Atkinson, operating as a sole trader. Marc Atkinson is not currently VAT registered. Business address: 9 Patterdale Close, Belmont, Durham, DH1 2UF, United Kingdom. This address is provided here in line with UK e-commerce regulations and is not otherwise published publicly on this site.
What data we collect
We collect the following categories of personal data when you use our site or place an order:
- Contact details: name, email address, and telephone number if provided.
- Order and delivery information: billing address, delivery address, product/size/colour selections, and order history.
- Uploaded content: photographs, artwork, and logos you upload for printing.
- AI processing data: any text prompts you enter to edit or transform an image, and the AI-generated or AI-enhanced images produced from them.
- Payment information: handled entirely by Stripe (see "Who we share data with" below) — we do not see or store your full card details.
- Technical data: IP address, browser and device information, collected automatically as part of normal website operation.
- Analytics data: anonymised/aggregated usage data via Google Analytics, but only if you consent to analytics cookies.
- Marketing preference: whether you've opted in to receive marketing emails, recorded at the point of checkout.
Why we collect it, and our lawful basis
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Processing and fulfilling your order (including printing your uploaded design) | Performance of a contract with you |
| Processing payment via Stripe | Performance of a contract with you |
| Customer service and order queries | Performance of a contract with you / legitimate interest |
| Sending marketing emails | Consent (only if you opt in — unticked by default at checkout) |
| Analytics (Google Analytics) | Consent (only after you accept cookies) |
| Preventing fraud and abuse of our upload/checkout systems | Legitimate interest |
| Complying with our legal and tax obligations | Legal obligation |
Uploaded images and AI processing
When you upload a photo, artwork, or logo, it is sent to our storage provider (Supabase) and, if you use our AI editing tools, to our AI processing partners so that background removal, style transformation, or image enhancement can be carried out.
Important — current storage arrangement: uploaded images are currently stored in a way that generates a direct, unauthenticated web link to the file. Anyone who has that exact link could view the image, even without an account. We do not publish these links anywhere ourselves, and links are not indexed for search, but we want to be transparent that this is how the system currently works rather than describe stricter protection than actually exists.
Retention: we do not currently operate an automatic deletion schedule for uploaded images. [Configuration note: a specific retention period has not yet been decided by the business — see recommendation in the site audit. Until a retention period is set, images should be treated as retained indefinitely unless deletion is requested.] You can request deletion of your uploaded images at any time using the contact details below.
Who we share your data with
We share personal data with the following processors, only as needed to run our service:
- Stripe — payment processing. Stripe may process data outside the UK/EEA under its own compliance frameworks (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses).
- Supabase — hosting of uploaded images and order data. Our Supabase project is hosted in the EU.
- fal.ai — AI image editing (background removal, style transformation). This provider may process images outside the UK/EEA.
- Replicate — AI image upscaling. This provider may process images outside the UK/EEA.
- Resend — sending order confirmation and notification emails.
- Google Analytics — website usage analytics, only after you consent to analytics cookies.
- Royal Mail — delivery of your order; your name and delivery address are shared for this purpose.
- Vercel — our website hosting provider.
Where any of these providers process data outside the UK or EEA, they do so under recognised safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or an equivalent adequacy framework, as required by UK GDPR.
We do not sell your personal data to anyone.
How long we keep your data
- Order records: kept as required for accounting, tax, and warranty purposes.
- Uploaded images: no automatic deletion schedule currently exists — see note above.
- Marketing consent: kept until you withdraw consent or unsubscribe.
- Analytics data: subject to Google Analytics' own standard retention settings.
Your rights under UK GDPR
You have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure — ask us to delete your personal data, including uploaded images, where there's no legal reason for us to keep it.
- Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
- Object — object to processing based on legitimate interest, including direct marketing at any time.
- Data portability — request your data in a portable format, where technically feasible.
- Withdraw marketing consent — unsubscribe at any time via the link in any marketing email, or by contacting us directly.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@urbanhoundz.co.uk.
You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), if you believe we haven't handled your data properly.
Cookies
We use cookies for essential site functionality and, only with your consent, for analytics. See our full Cookie Policy for details on exactly what's used.
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including secure payment processing via Stripe (we never see your full card details) and access-restricted order records. As noted above, uploaded image files are currently accessible via direct link rather than requiring authentication — we're transparent about this so you can make an informed choice about what you upload.
Contact us
For any privacy questions or to exercise your rights, email info@urbanhoundz.co.uk.