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Christie's considers the privacy and protection of its clients' personal data to be of utmost importance. To ensure that you feel confident about providing us with your personal information when communicating with us and using our services, we outline below our practices in relation to the collection and use of personal data.

Christie's will collect, record, store and use your personal data world-wide but only to enable you to consign or purchase property or services and, unless you object, to advise you of forthcoming sales, events and services.

We will not share your Personal Data with anyone outside the Christie's International Plc group of companies.

We may from time to time however need to disclose your personal data to agents or contractors of Christie's to enable Christie's to process transactions or communicate with you. Where we do so it will be on the basis that they are required to keep the information confidential and will not use the information for any other purpose than to carry out the services they are performing for Christie's.

Any personal data you provide to us is securely stored in a database held by Christie's Inc. in New York and/or Christie Manson & Woods Limited in the United Kingdom to which only authorised Christie's employees and agents have access.

We have put in place administrative measures to ensure that the access which Christie's employees and agents have to personal data on our server is limited to the extent necessary in order to perform their functions.

All our employees are required to sign a confidentiality agreement in which they agree to treat personal data as strictly confidential.

The server holding your personal data is protected against both unauthorised physical and electronic access. These measures include an electronic firewall and various other protection measures that involve virus scanning, installation of security patches, vulnerability testing, backup and recovery planning, employee training, security audits and other steps designed to constantly improve the data protection posture. The Server is not directly connected to the Internet, and data is therefore available only to authorised computers.

Christie's and the Internet

In general, you may browse our Internet site anonymously. However, certain of our online services require the collection of some personally identifying information, such as your name, address, and, when appropriate, your credit information.

For transactions over Christie's web-site involving particularly sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and accounting information, Christie's will employ accepted transmission and storage protocols, such as encryption, to prevent this information from being disclosed. This means that when you type in sensitive information such as credit card details, it will be automatically converted into codes before being securely sent to us over the Internet.

This information will be used for processing transactions but may also be used for internal data processing, such as compiling statistical information about your interests and the use of our Internet site. As a service to you, we may also use this information to customize the content we offer.

In order to provide you with timely notice about upcoming auctions and events, Christie's may send you email notices based on your expressed interests and bidding history. To facilitate this service, Christie's may note some of the pages you visit on our website.

At the bottom of each email you will be provided with the option to update your collecting interests or unsubscribe from future mailings. At any time, you may also send an email to info@christies.com and request that your email address be removed from our lists.

Business Relationships

The Christie's sites contain links to other Web sites. None of the information that you provide to us will be transmitted to other Web sites. Christie's is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites.

Christie's may also use on its Internet properties a personalization technology called a "cookie." A cookie is a small text file placed on your computer's hard disk that identifies your browser software to a Web site. Cookies allow us to track when you enter, leave, and re-enter our sites and what path you take through our sites. In doing this, we can provide you with a more personalised experience.

Christie's provides users of this site the opportunity to inform others (each, a "recipient") about a sale or lot for sale, which will require the sender to provide the recipient's email address(es). At the sender's request, Christie's will automatically send the recipient email on behalf of the sender a link to Christie's site containing the information about the sale or lot. Christie's will not initiate any further contact with the recipient, beyond the email sent on behalf of the sender, unless the recipient specifically "subscribes" for extra services by filling out a registration form.

If you, as a recipient, do not wish to receive further e-mail from the sender, please reply to the sender requesting they stop sending you the email in the future. Christie's does not accept responsibility for any third party's use (or misuse) of this service.

While we will not voluntarily disclose your personal data we may disclose such information if we are required to do so by a Court Order, if we are requested by government or law enforcement authorities, if we are required to do so pursuant to other legal processes, or if it becomes necessary to protect the rights or property of Christie's.

If you have any queries in relation to the use and protection of your personal data please contact us on hokafo@christies.com.