Your privacy is important to the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (hereinafter referred to as “ESGE”). This privacy Policy (hereinafter referred to as “Privacy Policy”) provides information about the personal information that ESGE collects, and the ways in which ESGE uses that personal information. This Privacy Policy is applicable, inter alia, to (i) our website https://live2020.esge.org (hereinafter referred to as the “Website”) and (ii) all (commercial) relations between ESGE and its members and (business) partners.

At all times, ESGE strives to be in accordance with the Belgian Privacy Law of 30 July 2018  regarding the protection of natural persons in relation to the processing of personal data. Please read this Privacy Policy together with the ESGE’s cookie policy and terms of use of the Website

Visiting the Website, creating a (member) account, registering for an ESGE event and/or subscribing ESGE membership implies your express approval (through disclosure of your personal information or opt-in) of the Privacy Policy and consequently how we collect, use and process your personal data.

Collection of personal data

ESGE may collect and use the following kinds of personal information:

• Name
• First name
• Place of residence
• Company/Business address
• Email address
• Telephone number (landline/mobile phone)
• User name
• Password
• Company/hospital name
• Profession/practice area
• Information concerning the preferences or interests in terms of communication, meals, certain services or products
• Information concerning certain kinds of behaviours which are related to the scientific research
• Information concerning your use of the Website (such as IP address, browser type, the web pages you visited when you obtained access to the Website)
• Payment and bank information

ESGE also automatically collects anonymous information regarding your use of the Website. As such, ESGE shall, for example, automatically log which sections of the Website you visit, which web browser you use, which website you visited when you obtained access to the Website, and what your IP address is. We cannot identify you through these data, but it allows ESGE to draw up statistics regarding the use of the Website and to send more targeted communication.

Methods of personal data collection 

These personal data are collected in the context of:

• Creating a (member) account
• Registration for ESGE events
• Collaboration with ESGE
• Visiting the Website
• Subscribing to ESGE membership
• Subscribing to the newsletter (via the Website or not)
• The verification of your identity (e.g. when you reset your password)
• Incoming and outgoing correspondence with ESGE
• The exchange of business cards

The personal data collected by ESGE are therefore expressly and voluntarily provided by you.

Use of personal information

ESGE may use your personal information:

• for creating a (membership) account;
• for the purpose of ESGE-related event registrations;
• to provide you with practical information on the event you registered for;
• for ESGE membership administration;
• to deliver member benefits (e.g. lower fee or the ESGE newsletter);
• to administer this Website;
• to keep statistic records;
• for performing an age check;
• to enable you to share your personal information with exhibitors, sponsors and/or partners of an event, after having received your consent;
• to enable your access to and use of the Website services;
• to send you invoices and collect payments from you;
• to keep you updated on future events of ESGE;
• to share you contact information with third parties (who may for example approach you with information on other event – not organized by ESGE – or for commercial reasons), after having received your consent.

Disclosure of personal information

ESGE will not disclose your personal data to third parties, unless when necessary in the execution of the ESGE membership or other services, the event you registered for (e.g. sub-contractors, payment processing). Where it is necessary that ESGE discloses your personal information to third parties for this purpose, the third party in question will be obligated to use that personal information in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.

In addition to the disclosures reasonably necessary for the purposes identified elsewhere above, ESGE may disclose your personal information to the extent that it is required to do so by law, in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, and in order to establish, exercise or defend its legal rights.

In all other cases, ESGE will not sell, hire out or pass on your personal data to third parties, except when it (i) has obtained your permission to this end and (ii) has completed a data processing agreement with the third party in question, which contains the necessary guarantees regarding confidentiality and privacy compliance of your personal data.

Storage of personal data

Unless a longer storage period is required or justified (i) by the law or (ii) through compliance with another legal obligation, ESGE shall only store your personal data for the period necessary to achieve and fulfil the purpose in question, as specified in the Privacy Policy under ‘Use of personal data’.

Your privacy rights

If you wish to invoke your privacy rights, as defined below, please contact centraloffice@esge.org :

• Right of access to personal data which ESGE possibly has concerning you;
• Right to rectification, completion or update of your personal data;
• Right to delete your personal data (‘right to be forgotten’);
• Right to limit the processing of your personal data;
• Right to transferability of your personal data;
• Right to object to/oppose the processing of your personal data;

In principle, you can exercise these rights free of charge via the above-mentioned manner. In addition, you can always, via your personal (member) account, update, modify and/or verify your personal data which you were required to submit when creating your (member) account.

If you no longer wish to receive newsletters or information about ESGE activities, services and/or events, you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” button underneath each of ESGE’s emails.

Security of personal data

ESGE undertakes to take reasonable, physical, technological and organisational precautions in order to avoid (i) unauthorised access to your personal information, and (ii) loss, abuse or alteration of your personal data.

Information relating to electronic transactions entered into via this Website will be protected by encryption technology.

Notwithstanding ESGE’s security policy, the checks it carries out and the actions it proposes in this context, an infallible level of security cannot be guaranteed. Since no method of transmission or forwarding over the internet, or any method of electronic storage is 100% secure, ESGE is, in this context, not in a position to guarantee absolute security.

Cross-border processing of personal data 

Information that ESGE collects will be stored and processed in the EU, but may be created in, or shared and transferred to the country where e.g. the event takes place or where ESGE may operate.

Any transfer of personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to a recipient whose domicile or registered office is in a country which does not fall under the adequacy decision enacted by the European Commission, shall be governed by the provisions of a data transfer agreement, which shall contain (i) the standard contractual clauses, as referred to in the ‘European Commission decision of 5 February 2010 (Decision 2010/87/EC)’, or (ii) any other mechanism pursuant to privacy legislation, or any other regulations pertaining to the processing of personal data.

Update Privacy Policy

ESGE is entitled to update this Privacy Policy by posting a new version on the Website. As such, it is strongly recommended to regularly consult the Website and the page explaining the Privacy Policy, to make sure that you are aware of any changes.

Other websites

ESGE’s website may contains links to other websites. In no event, ESGE is responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third party.

Complaints

If you have any complaints about the way ESGE collects, uses and/or processes your personal data, you can lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority.

Contact ESGE

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or the manner in which ESGE collects, uses or processes your personal data, please contact us:

• Via e-mail: centraloffice@esge.org

or

• Via post: European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy, Diestsevest 43/0001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium