Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY OF THE BELGIAN BIODIVERSITY PLATFORM

This information governs the manner in which the Belgian Biodiversity Platform collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a “User”) of the biodiversity.be website (“Site”). This document applies to the Site and all other databases and mailing lists created and managed by the Belgian Biodiversity Platform.

This policy also applies to the December 2019 Conference ‘Dead or Alive: Towards a sustainable wildlife trade’ which is co-organised with the Federal Public Service Health, Food chain Safety (FPS Health). For that conference, we use the FPS Health as a processor for the organisation of the event. FPS Health can use sub-processors. We only process personal data if this is necessary to organise the event. 

The following personal data will be collected and processed:
-contact details (title, first name, last name, city, country, e-mail, phone number, name of organisation);
-financial information such as payment card number or bank account, necessary to pay the fees of the conference or for possible refunds;
-dietary requests (if any).

By using this Site and any of our sub-websites, you acknowledge that you have read, accepted and agree to our terms.

Personal identification information

We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when Users visit our site, register on the site, fill out a form, subscribe to the newsletter, respond to a survey, email or call us, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Site. Users may be asked for, as appropriate, name, email address, affiliation, field of work (or other preferences linked to their field of work). Users may, however, visit our Site anonymously. We will collect personal identification information from Users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personal identification information, except that it may prevent them from engaging in certain Site-related activities.

We do not seek sensitive personal information such as your race, political beliefs, religion, political associations, sexual preference, or genetic information.

Occasionally, we may request demographic information (like your age or gender) or information about your interests and preferences. In most instances, you do not have to provide us with this information to receive the support or service you have requested. We use this optional demographic and preference information to tailor or improve our service offerings, as well as for internal strategic purposes.

Non-personal identification information

We may collect non-personal identification information about Users whenever they interact with our Site. We use this information to monitor and improve our websites. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about Users’ means of connection to our Site, such as the operating system, browser type and the Internet service providers utilised, information about your visits to and your activity on our Site including content you view and interact with, the address of the website you arrived from and other clickstream behavior (including pages you view, links you click, products you add to your cart, the length of your browsing session, your IP (Internet Protocol) address and your device’s approximate location at the time of browsing). IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Subscriptions

Digital subscriptions to newsletters or news alerts can be canceled at any time. If you would prefer to stop receiving communications from us at any time, let us know by writing to contact@biodiversity.be or by following the opt-out instructions in the relevant communication.

When you subscribe to our newsletters or news alerts, your details are added to our newsletter database which includes e-mail addresses, and if provided at the time of subscription, your name, surname and affiliation. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter database at any time.

Web browser cookies

Our Site may use “cookies” to enhance User experience. User’s web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. User may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the Site may not function properly.

How we use collected information

The Belgian Biodiversity Platform may collect and use Users’ personal information for the following purposes:

To improve our services

Information you provide helps us respond to your requests and support needs more efficiently.

To invite Users to an event, to participate in a campaign or conduct a survey

To send Users information they agreed to receive about topics we think will be of interest to them: these include potential events they may be interested in or to conduct surveys related to our activities. Users may also be contacted on ad-hoc basis for specific campaigns related to biodiversity. It may also be used to respond to their inquiries, questions, and/or other requests. If at any time the User would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email or User may contact us via our Site.

In relation to events we organise, processing of personal data occurs only if one of the following conditions is met:

The data subject has given permission for the processing of his personal data for one or more specific purposes. This by completing the registration form on the website.

Photography, filming notice and list of participants 

During our events, photography, sound recording, videotaping and filming may be conducted for use in our publicity materials such as our website, brochures, email direct mailers and social media. If you are attending our events, we wish to bring to your attention that photos, sound recordings, videos and film recordings of you may be taken.  If you do not wish for any photos, sound recordings, videos and film recordings where you appear to be used by us for our publicity materials, please notify us at the time of registration for the event.  Otherwise, you will be deemed to have given your consent to the use of any photos, sound recordings, videos and film recordings where you appear to be used by us.

During our events, a conference attendee list containing your name and affiliation will be shared among participants and possibly to third parties according i.a. to public access to information act . If you do not wish for your name and affiliation to be shared among participants or publicly disclosed to third parties please notify us at the time of final registration for the event.

How we protect your information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, and data stored on our Site.

We store personal information for only as long as we have a reason to keep it. The retention period depends upon the purpose for which we have received or collected the data and upon any legal obligations to retain the data.

Sharing your personal information

We do not sell, trade, or rent Users’ personal identification information to others. We may use third party service providers to help us administer activities on our behalf, such as sending out newsletters or surveys. We may share your information with these third parties for those limited purposes.

Under certain conditions outlined in law, we may disclose your information to third parties, (such as Foreign Affairs and law enforcement authorities) if it is necessary and proportionate for lawful, specific purposes.

View, edit or delete your personal information

You have the right to view, edit or delete the personal data we have collected about you. Furthermore, you have the right to withdraw consent or to object to the processing of your personal data. And you have the right to data portability: this means that you can request that we send you, or another organisation named by you, the personal data that we have about you in a computer file. Requests to view, edit, delete or port your personal data, and withdrawals of consent can be sent to contact@biodiversity.be

Your acceptance of these terms

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site.

 

Contacting us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this Site, or your dealings with this Site, please contact us at:

contact@biodiversity.be

This document was last updated on October 25, 2019.