legal notice

Client: Any natural person with legal capacity under Article 1123 of the French Civil Code, any adult natural person presumed capable under Article 414-1 of the French Civil Code, or any legal entity under Article 1832 of the French Civil Code, who visits the website covered by these general terms and conditions.

Content: All the elements that make up the information present on the Site, including but not limited to text, images, and videos.

Client Information: Hereinafter referred to as “Information”, means all personal data that may be collected by www.theexpatslounge.com for the management of your account, customer relationship management, as well as for analysis, statistics, and service improvement purposes, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Law No. 78-17 of January 6, 1978, as amended.

User: Any person, internal or external, who connects to, consults, or uses the aforementioned website.

Personal Information: “Information which, in any form whatsoever, directly or indirectly identifies the natural persons to whom it applies” (Article 4 of Law No. 78-17 of January 6, 1978, as amended by the GDPR, Regulation No. 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016).

The terms “personal data”, “data subject”, “processor”, and “sensitive data” have the meaning defined in Article 4 of the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR).

In accordance with Article 6 of Law No. 2004-575 of June 21, 2004, on confidence in the digital economy, the identity of the various parties involved in the creation and maintenance of the website www.theexpatslounge.com is hereby specified to its users:

Website owner : Nathalie LAVAUD (sole trader)

SIREN : 942882028

SIRET (head office) : 94288202800015

Registered with the Trade and Companies Register (RCS) since 01/03/2025

Activity : Social support and assistance services

NAF or APE code : 8899B (Social work activities without accommodation)

Field of activity : Social support and assistance

Director : Nathalie LAVAUD

Publication manager : Nathalie LAVAUD– nberkeley.consult@gmail.com – +33 6 72 93 00 00

Webmaster : Peter MOUNIER – contact.petermounier@gmail.com – +33 6 81 71 58 29

Hosting provider : Hostinger – Hostinger International Ltd, 61 Lordou Vironos, 6023 Larnaca, Cyprus – support@hostinger.com – Available via online customer support – www.hostinger.fr

The Website constitutes an intellectual work protected under the provisions of the French Intellectual Property Code and applicable international regulations. Consequently, the Client may not in any way reuse, transfer, or exploit for their own purposes all or part of the elements or works appearing on the Website without prior authorization.

The use of the website www.theexpatslounge.com implies full and complete acceptance of the general terms and conditions of use described below. These conditions may be modified or supplemented at any time. Users of the website www.theexpatslounge.com are therefore invited to consult them regularly.

The website www.theexpatslounge.com is normally accessible at all times. However, an interruption for technical maintenance may be decided by Nathalie LAVAUD, who will endeavor to inform users in advance of the dates and times of the intervention. The website is regularly updated by Nathalie LAVAUD. Likewise, the legal notices may be modified at any time. They remain binding on the user, who is invited to refer to them as often as necessary in order to stay informed.

The website www.theexpatslounge.com is intended to provide information about all the activities of The Expat's Lounge. The Expat's Lounge strives to provide information on the site that is as accurate as possible. However, we cannot be held responsible for any omissions, inaccuracies, or shortcomings in updates, whether caused by us or by third-party partners providing such information.

All the information indicated on the website www.theexpatslounge.com is provided for informational purposes only and is subject to change. Furthermore, the details appearing on the website www.theexpatslounge.com are not exhaustive and may be modified without prior notice. This information is provided subject to changes that may have been made since it was put online.

The website www.theexpatslounge.com uses JavaScript technology for certain interactive and dynamic features, particularly in the sections built with WordPress and Breakdance. We cannot be held responsible for any material damage resulting from the use of the website. The user agrees to access the site using recent equipment, free of viruses, and with an up-to-date browser running the latest available version.

The website www.theexpatslounge.com is hosted by Hostinger, a provider with servers located in Europe, specifically in France, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The goal is to provide a service ensuring optimal website availability. However, the hosting provider reserves the right to temporarily suspend access to the site for maintenance, infrastructure improvements, or in the event of technical failure, or if the Services generate abnormal traffic.

Neither www.theexpatslounge.com nor the hosting provider can be held liable for any malfunction of the Internet network, telephone lines, or computer and telecommunication equipment related in particular to network congestion that prevents access to the server.

www.theexpatslounge.com owns the intellectual property rights and holds the usage rights for all elements accessible on the website, including text, images, graphics, logos, videos, icons, and sounds. Any reproduction, representation, modification, publication, adaptation, or exploitation of all or part of the elements of the website, regardless of the means or process used, is prohibited without prior written authorization from www.theexpatslounge.com.

Any unauthorized use of the website or any of its elements will be considered an infringement and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of Articles L.335-2 and following of the French Intellectual Property Code.

Nathalie LAVAUD acts as the website’s publisher. Nathalie LAVAUD is responsible for the quality and accuracy of the content she publishes, including information about the services offered by The Expat's Lounge.

The Expat's Lounge cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect damage, particularly to the user’s computer equipment, resulting from the use of the website, access to it, or from any bugs, incompatibilities, or technical errors related to the use of the site.

The Expat's Lounge cannot be held liable for indirect damages such as loss of business, loss of opportunity, or other unforeseeable damages resulting from the use of the website.

The Expat's Lounge reserves the right to moderate and remove, without prior notice, any content published in an interactive space (such as a contact form or comments that may be implemented on the site in the future) that violates French law, particularly regarding personal data protection, defamation, insult, or content of a hateful, racist, or pornographic nature.

The Expat's Lounge also reserves the right to pursue the civil and/or criminal liability of the user in the event of a clear violation of the terms of use, particularly in the case of the publication of messages of a racist, insulting, defamatory, or pornographic nature, regardless of the medium used (text, image, video, etc.).

The data controller for personal data collected on the website www.theexpatslounge.com is:

Nathalie LAVAUD - Email: nberkeley.consult@gmail.com

As the website publisher, Nathalie LAVAUD determines the purposes and means of processing personal data collected via the website, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).

The data collected on the website www.theexpatslounge.com mainly concerns cookies used to enhance the user experience. This data is used for the following purposes:

Improving website navigation: We use cookies to analyze website traffic, user behavior, and improve the overall browsing experience.

Personalizing the user experience: Cookies allow us to remember your preferences and adjust the website content based on your browsing activity. The contact form collects the following personal data: name, email address, and the content of the message. This data is used solely to respond to user inquiries and is not used for commercial or marketing purposes.

Statistical analysis: To better understand how the website is used, in order to continuously improve it.

No sensitive personal data (such as banking information or health data) is collected by the website.

The legal basis for processing personal data collected via the contact form is the user’s consent, given by voluntarily submitting the form.

In accordance with applicable European regulations, users of the website have the following rights regarding their personal data:

- Right of access and rectification (Articles 15 and 16 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016, GDPR): to obtain a copy of personal data and request that it be updated, amended, or deleted if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

- Right to erasure (Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016, GDPR): to request the deletion of personal data under certain conditions, unless retention is required by law.

- Right to restriction of processing (Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016, GDPR): to restrict the processing of data under certain conditions.

- Right to object to processing (Article 21 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016, GDPR): to object to certain types of data processing.

- Right to data portability (Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016, GDPR): the user may request to receive the personal data they have provided in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and may transmit it to another controller.

- Right to determine the fate of data after death (Article 85 of Law No. 78-17 of 6 January 1978, as amended): ability to set instructions regarding the management of one’s data after death.

To exercise these rights, please contact Nathalie LAVAUD by email at: nberkeley.consult@gmail.com

Please specify which data you wish to rectify, delete, or restrict, and include a copy of an identity document for verification.

The Expat's Lounge undertakes not to transfer, host, or share the personal data collected outside the European Union without first informing the user.

The data collected through cookies is not shared with any third parties for commercial purposes. It is used solely to improve the user experience on the website and to manage the services offered.

The Expat's Lounge ensures that its service providers comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (GDPR) and take appropriate measures to guarantee the security of personal data.

The Expat's Lounge takes all necessary measures to ensure the security of your personal data. Although we do not process any sensitive data other than that collected through cookies, we apply appropriate security measures to protect the data processed on our website, in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

Security measures include, but are not limited to :

- SSL Certificate (Secure Socket Layer) : The website uses an SSL certificate to ensure a secure connection between your browser and the site, encrypting the data exchanged.
- Access protection : Standard security practices are implemented to limit unauthorized access to data, including access controls and password management for authorized users who have access to sensitive information.
- Regular updates : We ensure that the website software, including plugins and other technical components of the WordPress platform (such as extensions and the Breakdance module), is regularly updated to benefit from the latest security patches.
- Backup practices : We perform regular backups of the website and its data to ensure that information can be restored in case of a technical issue.

However, despite our efforts to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We therefore recommend that you take all necessary precautions to secure your own access and devices (for example, by using strong passwords).

In the event of a security breach affecting personal data, The Expat's Lounge undertakes to notify the affected users as soon as possible and to take the necessary corrective measures, in accordance with the legal obligations set out in the GDPR.

www.theexpatslounge.com collects personal data only through its contact form and through cookies used to improve the user experience. In the absence of account creation or collection of personal data, the website’s security primarily relies on protecting access to the website itself.

Although we do not process any sensitive personal data, we apply appropriate security measures to protect the data processed on our website, and we encourage you to:

- Use strong passwords for any administration interface (if applicable).
- Ensure that your browser and operating system are always up to date to avoid potential vulnerabilities.

We take the necessary precautions to ensure the security of your experience on our website, but you are also responsible for maintaining the security of your own devices and Internet access.

Cookies may be used on the website www.theexpatslounge.com to enhance the user experience, analyze visitor behavior, and personalize the services offered. Cookies are small files stored on the user’s device (computer, smartphone, etc.) that collect information about browsing activity.

The types of cookies used on the website are as follows :

- Functional cookies : These allow the website to operate properly and provide smooth navigation. They may be used to remember language or display preferences.
- Analytical cookies : These cookies are used to collect information about how the website is used (pages visited, duration of visits, etc.) in order to improve user experience and site performance. This data is anonymized and used solely for statistical purposes.
- Advertising cookies : If applicable, cookies may be used to personalize advertisements shown to users on the website or while browsing other sites, based on their browsing history.

In accordance with current legislation, you are informed of the use of cookies by a visible banner during your first visit to the website. You may accept or refuse their use. If you do not wish to receive cookies, you can configure your browser to disable them, although this may affect certain website features.

To manage your cookie preferences, you can :

1. Modify your browser settings : Most browsers allow you to manage the acceptance or refusal of cookies. Please refer to your browser’s help section for more information on cookie management.

2. Use a cookie management tool : Some third-party tools allow you to manage cookies in a more centralized way.

Acceptance of cookies is given either by continuing to browse the site or by explicitly accepting them via an acceptance button. You can withdraw your consent at any time by changing your browser settings or using third-party tools.

Social media cookies: By clicking on social media sharing icons (for example, Facebook, Instagram) on the website, you authorize these platforms to place their own cookies on your device. You can manage these cookies through the privacy settings of the respective social networks.

Although we take measures to secure the website, it is important to note that no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely invulnerable. In the event of a security breach, we are committed to informing the affected users as soon as possible so that they can take the necessary steps to protect their personal data. We also implement incident notification procedures in accordance with our legal obligations, both at the national and European levels.

The website www.theexpatslounge.com may contain a number of hyperlinks to other websites. These links are provided for informational purposes and with the authorization of The Expat's Lounge. However, The Expat's Lounge is not able to systematically verify the content of the websites to which these links lead and cannot be held responsible for the content of such websites or for any use that may be made of them.

A “cookie” is a small data file stored on the user’s device (computer, tablet, smartphone) when visiting a website. The cookies used by www.theexpatslounge.com are intended to enhance the browsing experience and collect information related to the use of the website, such as pages visited, duration of the visit, and browsing preferences. This information is used to improve the website’s services, personalize the user experience, and perform statistical analysis.

Cookies do not in any way damage your device. You can manage cookies through your browser settings, allowing you to refuse or accept them. If you disable certain cookies, some features of the website may not be available.

Types of cookies used :

1. Essential cookies : Necessary for the proper functioning of the website (for example, to maintain an active session or remember display preferences).

2. Analytical cookies : Used to collect information about visits (pages viewed, number of visitors) in order to improve website performance.

3. Social media cookies : When you share content on social networks (such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), these platforms may place their own cookies on your device.

By continuing to browse the website or by accepting the cookie information banner, you consent to their use. You can change your preferences at any time via your browser settings or through the tools provided on the website.

www.theexpatslounge.com may occasionally use internet tags (also known as “tags”, “pixels”, or “action tags”), which are commonly used in online advertising or traffic analysis. These tags make it possible to collect anonymous information about how visitors interact with the website, such as the number of pages visited or actions taken (clicks, product views, etc.).

The information collected through these tags may be used to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns or to gather data on visitor behavior. These tags may be linked to cookies.

External service providers, particularly those managing traffic analysis or advertising tools, may also collect information through these tags, including your IP address. This information is processed in accordance with their respective privacy policies.

This website www.theexpatslounge.com and its terms of use are governed by French law. In the event of a dispute, the competent courts shall be those within the jurisdiction of LYON, unless otherwise required by mandatory legal provisions. However, users may refer to other competent jurisdictions depending on their situation, if permitted by law.