Privacy Policy

The full registered address and company registration number will be added after completion of the company registration process.

3. Scope of This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to:

• visitors to photobank.online;
• registered users;
• buyers and licensees of digital content;
• contributors, photographers and content creators;
• business account administrators and authorized team members;
• people who contact customer support;
• people who receive service or marketing communications from us.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites, platforms or services that may be linked to or integrated with PhotoBank.

4. Information You Provide to Us

4.1 Account Information

When you create or manage a PhotoBank Account, we may collect:

• your full name;
• username or display name;
• email address;
• password in encrypted or hashed form;
• profile image;
• country or region;
• preferred language;
• company or organization name;
• account type and user role;
• communication preferences.

4.2 Contributor Information

If you register as a Contributor, we may also collect:

• professional or portfolio name;
• biographical information;
• mailing address;
• telephone number;
• identity verification information;
• tax identification details;
• payment account information;
• model releases;
• property releases;
• copyright ownership documentation;
• submitted Content and associated metadata;
• Contributor payment and royalty history.

4.3 Purchase and Billing Information

When you purchase Content, a license, a subscription or another paid service, we may collect:

• billing name;
• billing address;
• company information;
• tax or VAT identification number;
• transaction amount and currency;
• purchased Content identifiers;
• license type;
• payment status;
• transaction reference;
• invoice and refund information.

Complete payment card information may be collected directly by an independent payment service provider. PhotoBank may receive only limited payment information, such as the card brand, last digits, transaction reference and payment status.

4.4 Communications

When you communicate with us, we may collect:

• your name and contact details;
• the content of your message;
• support requests and ticket history;
• attachments submitted by you;
• complaints and dispute information;
• feedback, reviews and survey responses.

4.5 Legal and Verification Information

We may collect information necessary to:

• verify your identity;
• verify business or Contributor status;
• investigate copyright complaints;
• review model and property releases;
• prevent fraud and abuse;
• respond to legal requests;
• comply with tax, accounting and financial obligations.

5. Information Collected Automatically

When you access or use PhotoBank, we may automatically collect:

• IP address;
• browser type and version;
• device type;
• operating system;
• language and regional settings;
• date and time of access;
• pages viewed;
• actions performed on the Platform;
• referring and exit pages;
• search terms and filters;
• download and purchase activity;
• cookie identifiers;
• session information;
• authentication records;
• security logs;
• error and performance logs;
• approximate location derived from an IP address.

6. Information Received From Third Parties

We may receive personal information from:

• payment processors;
• identity verification providers;
• analytics providers;
• hosting and security providers;
• social login providers, where enabled;
• business account administrators;
• copyright owners and their representatives;
• publicly available sources;
• law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

Information received from third parties may be combined with information already held by PhotoBank.

7. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

• create and administer user Accounts;
• authenticate users;
• secure access to the Platform;
• provide Content search and discovery tools;
• provide licensing and download functionality;
• process purchases, refunds and Contributor payments;
• generate invoices and transaction records;
• review, moderate and publish Contributor Content;
• manage copyright and release documentation;
• respond to customer support requests;
• send service-related communications;
• detect fraud, misuse and security threats;
• enforce our Terms of Service and other policies;
• comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
• improve Platform functionality and performance;
• conduct analytics;
• send marketing communications where permitted;
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

8. Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable privacy law requires a legal basis, we process personal data on one or more of the following grounds.

8.1 Performance of a Contract

Processing may be necessary to:

• create and manage your Account;
• provide access to the Platform;
• process a purchase;
• deliver licensed Content;
• administer Contributor submissions;
• calculate and issue Contributor payments.

8.2 Legitimate Interests

We may process personal information for legitimate business interests, including:

• operating and improving PhotoBank;
• protecting the Platform and its users;
• preventing fraud and abuse;
• handling complaints and disputes;
• understanding how the Platform is used;
• maintaining licensing and transaction records;
• communicating about related services.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact of the processing on your rights and freedoms.

8.3 Legal Obligations

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with:

• tax and accounting requirements;
• court orders;
• regulatory obligations;
• sanctions and financial compliance requirements;
• law enforcement requests;
• other applicable legal obligations.

8.4 Consent

We may rely on your consent for:

• optional marketing communications;
• non-essential cookies;
• certain analytics technologies;
• other processing where consent is legally required.

You may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing completed before consent was withdrawn.

8.5 Protection of Rights and Safety

In limited circumstances, processing may be necessary to protect the vital interests, rights or safety of users or other persons.

9. Public Profiles and Account Visibility

Certain Contributor information may be publicly visible, including:

• display name;
• profile image;
• biography;
• portfolio;
• published Content;
• Content titles and descriptions;
• keywords and public metadata;
• public statistics or badges, where enabled.

Information marked as private will not normally be publicly displayed, except where disclosure is necessary to provide the requested service or comply with applicable law.

10. Content Metadata

Uploaded Content may contain metadata, including:

• camera or device information;
• file creation date;
• location information;
• copyright information;
• author name;
• keywords and descriptions;
• technical file properties.

Contributors are responsible for reviewing metadata before upload and removing information they do not wish to disclose.

PhotoBank may preserve, display, modify or remove metadata where necessary to operate the Platform, manage licenses or protect users.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies, local storage, pixels and similar technologies for:

• authentication;
• session management;
• security and fraud prevention;
• saving user preferences;
• Platform analytics;
• performance monitoring;
• marketing, where permitted.

More information is provided in the PhotoBank Cookie Policy.

12. Analytics

We may use analytics services to understand:

• how visitors reach PhotoBank;
• which pages and Content are viewed;
• how users navigate the Platform;
• which features are used;
• technical errors and performance issues;
• the effectiveness of Platform improvements.

The specific analytics providers used by PhotoBank will be identified after the relevant services have been selected and configured.

13. Marketing Communications

Where permitted by law, we may send:

• newsletters;
• Platform updates;
• feature announcements;
• promotional offers;
• Contributor opportunities;
• Content recommendations.

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link included in the message or by changing your Account preferences.

Even after unsubscribing from marketing, you may continue to receive essential service messages concerning:

• Account security;
• payments;
• licenses;
• legal notices;
• important Platform changes.

14. How We Share Personal Information

We may share personal information with the following categories of recipients.

14.1 Service Providers

We may use service providers that assist with:

• website and cloud hosting;
• payment processing;
• email delivery;
• analytics;
• identity verification;
• fraud prevention;
• customer support;
• data storage and backups;
• security monitoring;
• legal, accounting and tax services.

Service providers are permitted to process personal information only for the services they provide to us and subject to applicable legal and contractual obligations.

14.2 Buyers and Contributors

Limited information may be shared between Buyers and Contributors where necessary to:

• document a license;
• establish Content ownership;
• resolve a copyright complaint;
• administer a transaction;
• handle a legal dispute.

14.3 Business Account Administrators

If your Account is part of a business or team Account, the relevant administrator may access information about:

• your Account membership;
• your assigned role;
• your use of the business Account;
• licenses and downloads associated with the organization.

14.4 Legal and Regulatory Disclosures

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:

• comply with applicable law;
• respond to court orders or lawful government requests;
• enforce our agreements and policies;
• investigate fraud or security incidents;
• protect the rights and safety of PhotoBank or others;
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

14.5 Business Transfers

Personal information may be disclosed or transferred in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, financing, insolvency or sale of all or part of Lumina Stock Media S.R.L. or its assets.

15. Sale and Sharing of Personal Information

PhotoBank does not sell personal information for monetary compensation in the ordinary meaning of the word “sell.”

Some analytics or advertising activities may be classified as a sale, sharing or targeted advertising under certain privacy laws.

This section will be updated after the final analytics and advertising services used by PhotoBank have been selected.

Where required by applicable law, users will be provided with an appropriate opt-out mechanism.

16. Payment Processing

Payments may be processed by independent payment service providers.

A payment provider may process:

• payment card details;
• banking information;
• billing details;
• transaction identifiers;
• fraud and risk information;
• identity verification information;
• regulatory compliance information.

Payment providers process personal information according to their own terms and privacy policies.

17. International Data Transfers

PhotoBank may operate internationally and may use service providers located outside the Republic of Moldova.

Personal information may therefore be transferred to and processed in countries with data protection laws that differ from those applicable in your country.

Where required, we will use appropriate safeguards, which may include:

• adequacy decisions;
• standard contractual clauses;
• data processing agreements;
• contractual confidentiality obligations;
• other lawful transfer mechanisms.

18. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Retention periods may depend on:

• whether your Account remains active;
• the duration of our contractual relationship;
• tax and accounting obligations;
• licensing and copyright record requirements;
• fraud prevention requirements;
• applicable limitation periods;
• pending disputes or investigations;
• backup and disaster recovery schedules.

Some records may be retained after Account closure where necessary to:

• confirm the validity of previously granted licenses;
• comply with legal obligations;
• prevent fraud;
• resolve disputes;
• protect intellectual property rights.

19. Data Security

We use administrative, technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information.

These measures may include:

• encrypted data transmission;
• password hashing;
• Account access controls;
• authentication safeguards;
• security logging and monitoring;
• regular backups;
• software and security updates;
• restricted administrative access;
• fraud detection controls.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

20. Personal Data Breaches

If we identify a personal data breach, we may:

• investigate and contain the incident;
• take steps to reduce potential harm;
• secure affected systems;
• notify affected users where required;
• notify regulators or public authorities where required;
• preserve relevant evidence;
• improve our security controls.

21. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• request access to your personal information;
• request correction of inaccurate information;
• request deletion of personal information;
• request restriction of processing;
• object to certain processing;
• withdraw consent;
• receive certain information in a portable format;
• opt out of direct marketing;
• opt out of sale, sharing or targeted advertising where applicable;
• appeal a decision concerning a privacy request where applicable;
• submit a complaint to a data protection authority.

Privacy rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.

22. Exercising Your Privacy Rights

To submit a privacy request, contact:

Email: office@luminastockmedia.md

Your request should include:

• your full name;
• the email address associated with your Account;
• the privacy right you wish to exercise;
• sufficient information to identify the relevant data;
• any supporting details required to process the request.

We may request additional information to verify your identity and protect your Account from unauthorized access.

Authorized representatives may submit requests where permitted by law, subject to appropriate verification of their authority.

23. Right to Object

24. Complaints

We encourage you to contact us first so that we can attempt to resolve your concern.

You may also have the right to submit a complaint to the competent data protection authority in your country.

For matters governed by the laws of the Republic of Moldova, the relevant national data protection authority may be contacted where applicable.

25. Privacy Rights of California Residents

Where California privacy law applies to PhotoBank and to your personal information, California residents may have rights including:

• the right to know what personal information is collected;
• the right to request access to specific information;
• the right to request deletion;
• the right to request correction;
• the right to opt out of sale or sharing;
• the right to limit certain uses of sensitive personal information;
• the right not to receive discriminatory treatment.

The applicability of these rights depends on applicable legal requirements and the nature and scale of PhotoBank’s operations.

26. European Economic Area and United Kingdom

Users located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom may have rights under applicable data protection laws, including:

• access;
• rectification;
• erasure;
• restriction;
• objection;
• data portability;
• withdrawal of consent.

Where legally required, Lumina Stock Media S.R.L. will identify:

• its European or United Kingdom representative;
• its data protection officer;
• applicable international transfer safeguards;
• the competent supervisory authority.

27. Children’s Privacy

PhotoBank is not intended for children.

Users must be at least eighteen years old or have reached the age of legal majority applicable in their jurisdiction.

We do not knowingly permit children to create Accounts or knowingly collect personal information from children through Account registration.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to PhotoBank, please contact us so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.

28. Automated Decision-Making

PhotoBank may use automated systems to:

• detect fraud and suspicious activity;
• identify spam and prohibited Content;
• rank search results;
• recommend Content;
• support moderation;
• identify possible security risks.

Where required by law, users will be informed if an automated system makes a decision producing legal or similarly significant effects without meaningful human involvement.

29. Do Not Track and Opt-Out Signals

Some browsers provide “Do Not Track” signals. There is currently no universally accepted standard for responding to every such signal.

Where applicable law requires recognition of a legally valid browser opt-out preference signal, PhotoBank will implement an appropriate response.

30. Third-Party Links

PhotoBank may contain links to third-party websites, applications or services.

Lumina Stock Media S.R.L. is not responsible for the privacy, security or data processing practices of independent third parties.

You should review the privacy policy of every third-party service you use.

31. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect:

• changes to the PhotoBank Platform;
• new features or services;
• new payment, analytics or hosting providers;
• changes in data processing practices;
• legal and regulatory developments;
• security and operational improvements.

We will publish the updated Privacy Policy and revise the “Last updated” date.

Where required by law, we may provide additional notice or request your consent.

32. Contact Us

Questions, privacy requests and complaints may be sent to: