Privacy policy.

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 2025
Last Updated: May 2025

Samara Shuter (“we,” “us,” “our,” or “Sam Shuter Studio”) operates the website www.samarashuter.com (the “Site”). We are committed to protecting your privacy under Canada’s federal privacy law (PIPEDA) and Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL).

1. Who We Are & How to Contact Us

Legal Entity: Samara Shuter
Privacy Contact Email: Studio@SamShuter.com

For any privacy-related questions or to exercise your data rights (access, correction, deletion, withdrawal of consent), please write to us at Studio@SamShuter.com.

2. Information We Collect

Directly Provided Information

  • Newsletter Sign-Ups: Name and email address via our FloDesk form.

  • Email Inquiries: Name, email address (and any other info you choose to share) when you email us directly (“mailto:” links).

  • Meeting Scheduler: Name, email address, and any details you provide if you book via our embedded Google Calendar scheduler.

  • Payment Data: When you purchase prints or promotions online, we collect billing and payment information (e.g., name, billing address, email, last four digits of credit card) via our payment processor, Stripe. We do not store full credit-card numbers or CVVs; Stripe handles and secures all sensitive payment credentials.

Automatically Collected Information

  • Analytics & Performance: IP address, browser type/version, device type, pages visited, referral URLs, and similar usage data through Squarespace Metrics (via cookies and server logs).

3. How We Use Your Information

We process personal data only for the following purposes, based on your consent or our legitimate interests:

  • To Provide Services & Respond to Inquiries: Sending newsletters, responding to questions, sharing exhibition news, scheduling meetings, fulfilling print orders, and handling other studio requests.

  • Marketing & Promotions: Emailing you about upcoming exhibitions, new works, and other news—only if you’ve opted in via FloDesk. You may unsubscribe at any time.

  • Website Improvement: Analyzing Site usage patterns with Squarespace Metrics to enhance your browsing experience.

4. Consent & Legal Basis

  • Consent: You give us consent when you sign up for our newsletter, email us directly, book a meeting, or complete a purchase.

  • Withdrawal: You may withdraw consent or unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails or by emailing Studio@SamShuter.com.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses essential cookies (to keep the Site functioning) and performance cookies (to gather anonymous analytics). You can block or delete cookies via your browser settings, though this may affect Site functionality.

6. Third-Party Processors

We share personal data only with:

  • FloDesk: For managing newsletter sign-ups and email campaigns.

  • Squarespace Metrics: For Site analytics as part of your Squarespace hosting plan.

  • Google LLC: For our embedded Google Calendar scheduler (collecting scheduling details).

  • Stripe, Inc.: For processing payments—Stripe securely handles all transaction and credit-card data.

These providers may store data on servers in Canada or the United States.

7. Data Retention

We keep your data only as long as needed for the purposes below, then securely delete or anonymize it:

Data Type Retention Period Inquiry & Contact Form Records 2 years after last contact Newsletter/Marketing Opt-Ins Until you unsubscribe, plus 1 year for audit logs Analytics Logs (Squarespace) 12 months, then anonymized or deleted Meeting Scheduler Records 2 years after the meeting date Payment & Order Records 7 years after transaction (for tax/accounting)

8. Your Rights Under PIPEDA

Under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.

  • Correct any inaccuracies.

  • Withdraw Consent at any time (which may affect our ability to provide certain services).

  • Request Deletion of your personal data, except where retention is required by law.

To exercise any right, email us at Studio@SamShuter.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL)

For all commercial electronic messages (CEMs) you receive from us, we will:

  • Clearly identify ourselves.

  • Include the contact email (Studio@SamShuter.com).

  • Provide an unsubscribe mechanism in every message.

10. Security Safeguards

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures, including:

  • Encryption: SSL/TLS for Site traffic (provided by Squarespace).

  • Account Protection: Strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication on admin, FloDesk, Google, and Stripe accounts.

  • Access Controls: Only authorized personnel may access personal data.

  • Backups: Regular, encrypted backups stored off-site.

  • Incident-Response Plan: A simple, documented procedure and annual privacy-practice review.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date and post the new version here. Significant changes will be communicated via email to your opt-in list.

Thank you for entrusting Sam Shuter Studio with your personal information.
If you have any questions or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at Studio@SamShuter.com.