SETAC Privacy and Cookies Policy
1. General
This privacy policy sets out how the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) uses and protects any information that you give to SETAC when you use this website. This policy refers to SETAC as the global parent organization established in the United States as well as the five Geographic Units, SETAC Africa, SETAC Asia-Pacific, SETAC Europe VZW, SETAC Latin America and SETAC North America.
SETAC is in line with the European Regulation 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 on the protection of personal data through its current Privacy Policy.
SETAC is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
SETAC may modify this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 25 May 2018 and was last updated on 31 May 2023.
SETAC can collect data from you (personal data) in various ways:
- During your registration and use of the website
- Via nominations (e.g., for awards) by colleagues
- Through the use of cookies (see cookie policy below)
2. Personal Data
We may collect information for the following purposes:
- To administer your membership
- To register you for a meeting or workshop
- To notify you about your abstract submission
- To survey your satisfaction as a member or event participant
- To provide you with job opportunities through the career center
- To provide information on student mentoring or our mentorship program
- To notify you of award and grant opportunities and nominations
- To register you in the Certified Risk Assessors (CRA) program
- To provide you with updates on peer-reviewed scientific papers published or under consideration in the SETAC Journals, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management
- To organize exhibition and sponsorship arrangements
- To notify you of volunteer obligations and opportunities on SETAC councils, boards, committees, and interest groups
- To administer supplier information
- To administer personnel
- To analyze trends
The information we collect may include:
Category 1 (Basic contact information)
- First (given) name
- Middle name
- Last name
- Title
- Email address
Category 2 (Extended contact information)
- Personal contact information
- Address
- City
- Postal code
- Country/region
- Telephone
- Professional contact information
- Organization
- Department
- Position
- Street
- City
- Country/region
- Telephone
- Website
Category 3 (Education and expertise information)
- Sector of employment
- Student/non-student status
- Education
- Experience
- Professional expertise
Category 4 (Membership information)
- Membership type (World Bank income classification by country) to determine discounts
- High-income country
- Middle-income country
- Low-income country
- Membership category
- Free member
- Explorer
- Full member
- Membership grade
- Student member
- Recent graduate member
- year 1
- year 2
- year 3
- Retired member
- Emeritus member
- Global, Europe or North America Partners
- Business
- Academia
- Government
Category 5 (Payment information)
- Credit card name
- Credit card type
- Credit card number
- Credit card expiration date
- Bank account number
Category 6 (Certificates and recommendations)
- Supervisor or recommendation letter
- Motivation letter
- Student proof
- Diploma
- Resume
Category 7 (Other personal information)
- Picture
- Place of birth
- Date of birth
3 Purpose of Processing
SETAC shall use the personal data received from you solely for the following purposes:
3.1 General Purposes
Members and Meetings
3.1.1 Free Members and Account Holders
Your personal data are processed:
- To provide access to the free services of SETAC, including the Society newsletters – SETAC Globe and SETAC News – information from SETAC Interest Groups, and as the point of access to:
- SETAC web store
- SETAC career center
- SETAC meeting registration
- SETAC membership registration
- For internal record keeping and to improve our products and services, for example by recording participation in SETAC activities and analyzing trends
- To periodically send promotional emails about upcoming meetings, new services, activities with relevance to your field of work, or other information that we think you may find interesting using the email address that you have provided
- From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, or mail
3.1.2 Members
Your personal data are processed:
- To manage your membership profile on the legal base of the contractual agreements between you and SETAC and to manage access to SETAC services
3.1.3 Meeting Participants
Your personal data are processed:
- To manage your meeting registration on the legal base of the contractual agreements between you and SETAC and to manage access to services related to the meeting registration
- To periodically inform you on the meeting program, functions, and policies
- For internal record keeping and improving our products and services, for example by recording participation in SETAC activities and analyzing trends
- To periodically send promotional emails about other meetings, new services, activities with relevance to your field of work, or other information that we think you may find interesting using the email address that you have provided
3.1.4 Abstract submission
Your personal data are processed:
- To manage your abstract submission, review, and selection or rejection
- To communicate with you about the scientific programme and the scheduling of your presentation
3.1.5 Surveys
Your personal data are processed in an anonymized way:
- To receive feedback on SETAC services, policies, strategies for internal record keeping, trend analysis, and improving our products and services
3.1.6 Career Center
Your personal data are processed:
- To be made available to potential employers or potential employees
- To periodically contact you about existing opportunities
- To periodically send promotional emails about new services, meetings and activities with relevance to your field of interest, or other information that we think you may find interesting using the email address that you have provided
3.1.7 Mentorship Program
Your personal data are processed:
- To link you up with a mentor or mentee
- To coordinate the mentor/mentee program and communicate the planned activities
- To periodically send promotional emails about new services, meetings and activities with relevance to your field of interest, or other information that we think you may find interesting using the email address that you have provided
Awards, Grants and Certification
3.1.8 Awards and Grants
Your personal data are processed:
- To manage your nomination and review your qualifications along the predefined list of criteria that apply to the award or grant
- To communicate with the award or grant recipients about the outcome and follow-up actions
3.1.9 Certification
Your personal data are processed:
- To manage your enrollment in the CRA program, evaluate your education and experience, link you to a mentor, advise you on required education and expertise, advise on courses, mange course registrations, and record the results of the courses that are taken
- To manage your profile on the legal base of the contractual agreements between you and SETAC (SETAC Europe VZW) and to manage access to CRA services
3.2 Email Newsletters
The personal data will also be used for email newsletters, provided you have given an additional explicit permission for this (opt-in).
If you are already included in our mailing list for receiving marketing material in paper and/or electronic form, SETAC may use your details for sending marketing and other material with regard to SETAC, its products and/or services. SETAC can use the data you provide for updating documents saved by SETAC.
This permission can be withdrawn at any time, without justification and free of charge, for example by clicking on the appropriate cancellation link at the bottom of each email newsletter or by changing the setting in your accont profile via our website at www.setac.org.
3.3 Transfer to Third Parties
In the event that SETAC needs to fully or partially transfer activities; where or how it reorganizes; ceases to exist; or if SETAC goes bankrupt, your data may be transferred to new entities or third parties through which the business activities of SETAC are fully or partially carried out.
SETAC will make reasonable efforts to inform you in advance of any third party transfers that SETAC will disclose your data to said third party, but you also acknowledge that this is not technically or commercially feasible under all circumstances.
SETAC will not sell your personal data, nor rent, distribute, or otherwise make your data commercially available to third parties, except as described above or with your prior consent.
3.4 Legal Requirements
In rare cases, SETAC may have to disclose your personal data pursuant to a court order or to comply with other mandatory laws or regulations. SETAC will reasonably attempt to inform you in advance in this event, unless it is subject to legal restrictions.
Length of Processing Period
SETAC will store and process your personal data for a period of time it is necessary for SETAC to fulfil contractual obligations to you and fully operate as a functional organization.
If you do not place an order (e.g., renew your membership, register for a meeting, update your profile) for 5 years, we will delete your customer profile.
5 Controlling Your Personal Information
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
- Whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
- If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by adjusting the settings in your profile at www.setac.org or by sending an email to [email protected]
We will not sell, distribute, or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties that we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.
You may request details of personal information that we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A administrative fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write an email to [email protected].
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
5.1 Right of Access and Inspection
You have the right to receive free access to your personal data at any time, as well as information about how we make use of your personal data.
5.2 Right of Improvement, Deletion, and Limitation
You are free to decide whether or not to communicate your personal data to SETAC. You also have the right to request us to correct, supplement, or delete your personal data. You acknowledge that if you refuse to receive communications or request that we remove your personal data, certain services and products may not be available to you.
You may also request to limit the processing of your personal data.
5.3 Right of Resistance
You also have a right of opposition to the processing of your personal data for serious and legitimate reasons.
In addition, you always have the right to oppose the use of personal data for direct marketing purposes; in such a case you do not have to give reasons.
5.4 Right of Free Data Transfer
You have the right to obtain your personal data processed by us in a structured, standard, and machine-readable form and/or to transfer it to other responsible persons.
5.5 Right of Withdrawal of Consent
Insofar as the processing is based on your prior consent, you have the right to withdraw that permission.
5.6 Exercising your Rights
You can exercise your rights by contacting us for this purpose, either by email to [email protected] or [email protected], by post to SETAC Europe VZW, Avenue des Arts 53, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium, or by using the "Contact Us" section on the website and provided that your identity can be verified.
5.7 Automatic Decisions and Profiling
The processing of your personal data does not include profiling, and you will not be subject to automated decisions by us.
5.8 Right to Complain
If you suffer damage as a result of the processing of your personal data, you can submit a claim for compensation.
6 Security and Confidentiality
We have developed security measures that are technically and organizationally adapted to avoid the destruction, loss, forgery, modification, unauthorized access, or notification by mistake to third parties of personal data collected, as well as to prohibit any other unauthorized processing of personal data.
Under no circumstances can SETAC be held liable for any direct or indirect damage resulting from incorrect or unlawful use by a third party of the personal data.
You must comply with the safety regulations at all times, for example by preventing any unauthorized access to your login and code. You are therefore solely responsible for the use made of the website of your computer, IP address, and your identification data, as well as for the confidentiality thereof.
7 Access by Third Parties
In order to process your personal data, we grant access to your personal data to our employees and contractors.
We guarantee a similar level of protection by making contractual obligations enforceable against these employees and appointees, which are similar to this privacy policy.
8 Cookies
Our Website uses cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better user experience when you visit our website, and they allows us to optimize our website. Without your prior consent, we only place the strictly necessary cookies that are necessary for our Website to function correctly. For all other cookies, we first ask for your consent.
8.1 How We Use Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are used to store small pieces of information. The cookies are stored on your device when the website is loaded on your browser. These cookies help us make the website function properly, make the website more secure, provide better user experience, and understand how the website performs and to analyze what works and where it needs improvement.
Some cookie and similar technology functions are necessary and vital to ensuring that SETAC works properly for visitors and members, such as maintaining the security, safety, and integrity of the site. As most of the online services, our website uses first and third-party cookies for a number of purposes. The first-party cookies are mostly necessary for the website to function the right way, and they do not collect any of your personally identifiable data.
The third-party cookies used on our websites are mainly for understanding how the website performs (Google Analytics), tracking and managing user consent for cookies (Cookiebot), and providing you with a better and improved user experience (providing educational content through embedded videos from YouTube or Vimeo). We will give you as much information as possible about cookies placed by third parties. However, if you would like to know more, please consult the privacy statements of these parties on their respective websites. Please note that we have no influence on the content of those statements, nor on the content of the cookies of these third parties.
8.2 Types of Cookies:
SETAC uses two types of cookies:
- Session cookies are specific to a particular visit and carry information as you view different pages. Session cookies expire and delete themselves automatically in a short period of time, for example after you leave the site or when you close your web browser.
- Persistent cookies remember certain information about your preferences for viewing the site and allow SETAC to recognize you each time you return. Persistent cookies are stored on your browser cache or mobile device until you choose to delete them, and otherwise typically delete themselves at expiration.
In addition to cookies, there are other similar technologies used by SETAC:
- Web pixels: These are tiny graphics with a unique identifier that are used to understand browsing activity. In contrast to cookies, which are stored on a user’s computer hard drive, web beacons are rendered invisibly on web pages when you open a page. SETAC partners with third-party service providers, including Google Analytics, that use web pixels to track user behaviors, such as website visits and activities on the site, to create a more customized experience even once you navigate away from the SETAC site. This technology allows our partners to recognize your computer or mobile device each time you visit, but it does not allow access to other personal information from SETAC. These third parties are required to follow applicable laws, self-regulatory programs, and SETAC’s data protection rules. However, SETAC does not have control over these third parties, who each have their own privacy policies and privacy practices.
- Web forms: A webpage used to collect manually entered personal data from a website visitor for purposes such as contact or visa letter request forms. Once the collected data is used for its intended purpose, it is deleted.
Although there are different types of cookies, distinguished in terms of functionality, origin, or storage period, the legislation mainly distinguishes between functional or technically necessary cookies and all other cookies.
8.3 Your Permissions
On your first visit to our website you will be asked to accept our different types of cookies. You can allow or deny category by category of cookies. You can change the cookie settings for our website at any time via the hyperlink at the bottom left on each page of our website and thus revoke your consent.
You can also refuse or block cookies by changing the configuration parameters of your navigation system. Disabling cookies may mean that you cannot use certain features of the website, for example, imbedded videos provided through YouTube or Vimeo.
Contact Us
If you have further questions or comments regarding the processing of your personal data, please contact us either by e-mail to [email protected] or by using the "Contact us" section on our website.
More information about cookies can also be found at www.allaboutcookies.org. More information on online behavioral advertising and online privacy can be found at www.youronlinechoices.eu.
Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites, and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.