Privacy Policy

Introduction
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The ASGBI (Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland Ltd) is committed to protecting your privacy and keeping your personal information secure. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your data, in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

‍Information We Collect
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When you join ASGBI or use our services, we may collect your name, job title, hospital or workplace, home address, telephone number, and email address. Payment information is collected when you pay by Direct Debit or card and processed through secure providers, including GoCardless, Opayo, and Stripe. Bank details are encrypted, and card details are not stored by ASGBI (except temporarily on secure payment platforms for refunds, where applicable).We also collect information when you register for conferences, events, or use our website.

‍How We Use Your Data
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We use your personal information to administer your ASGBI membership and provide services, manage payments and financial transactions securely, inform you about ASGBI events, courses, services, and updates that may be relevant, and comply with legal obligations and prevent fraud.  We do not sell or rent your personal data. Your information may be shared with contractors or agents who help us provide services you have requested, and only in accordance with GDPR.

‍Your Rights
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Under the UK GDPR, you have the right to access your personal data, correct inaccurate or incomplete data, request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”) in certain circumstances, restrict how your data is processed, obtain and reuse your data for other services (data portability), object to specific types of processing such as marketing communications, and lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been mishandled. You can exercise these rights by contacting us at admin@asgbi.org.uk.

Cookies and Website Tracking
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Our website uses cookies to improve user experience and collect analytics. On first visit, you will be asked to accept or decline cookies via a banner. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.

‍Social Media
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When you interact with ASGBI on social media platforms (Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn), those platforms may collect personal data under their own privacy policies. We recommend reviewing their policies for details.

‍Third-Party Services
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We work with third-party suppliers to deliver services, including association management (ACS Global Management), IT and website hosting (BRNB Ltd, SW10 Media, Amazon Web Services), payment processing (GoCardless, Opayo, Stripe, Coutts), email communication (Mailchimp), event management (Subscriber CRM, CrowdComms, Oxford Abstracts, Jotform), accommodation booking (MICE Concierge), and publishing (Oxford University Press for BJS subscribers).  All third-party suppliers are required to comply with UK GDPR.

‍External Links
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Our site may link to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please review their policies before providing any personal data.

‍Security
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We protect your information using industry-standard measures, including encryption, firewalls, regular audits, and staff training. Access to sensitive data is restricted to authorised personnel.

‍Consent and Communications
We communicate with members and event participants for different purposes. The legal basis depends on the type of communication.

1. Essential Membership and Service Communications
We use your personal data to administer your membership and deliver the services and benefits associated with membership. This includes communications relating to membership renewals, governance matters (such as AGMs and elections), committee activity, event logistics and bookings, account administration, and professional opportunities, including fellowships, grants, awards and other member benefits.  These communications are necessary for the performance of our contract with you or are sent in our legitimate interests as a professional membership organisation. You cannot opt out of these communications while remaining a member or registered participant.

2. Event Bookings
When you register for an ASGBI event, we use your personal data to administer your booking, manage attendance, provide event materials, facilitate accreditation or CPD, and deliver the overall event experience. This includes communications necessary to inform you about the programme, sessions, sponsored symposia, exhibition activity, and other elements forming part of the congress. This processing is necessary for the performance of our contract with you and, where appropriate, in our legitimate interests as a professional association.
Where events are supported by sponsors or exhibitors, limited professional information (such as your name, job title and organisation) may appear on delegate badges, within secure event platforms, or in delegate networking tools where this is necessary to facilitate the event.
ASGBI does not sell delegate data to sponsors or other 3rd parties. Sponsors or exhibitors may only contact you directly for promotional purposes where you have provided explicit consent or where you have chosen to engage with them directly (for example, by requesting information or permitting badge scanning).

3. ASGBI Marketing Communications (Opt In)
We may send information about ASGBI conferences, educational events, courses, fellowships, initiatives, and other professional opportunities.  Where required by law, these communications are sent only with your consent (or in accordance with applicable soft opt-in rules). You may withdraw consent at any time.

4.Sponsor and Partner Communications (Opt In)
Some ASGBI activities are supported by commercial sponsors, and we are contractually obligated to send emails on their behalf.  Where these communications primarily promote a sponsor’s products or services, we will only send these to you where you have provided explicit consent. Where sponsors support the delivery of an event you choose to attend, limited professional information (such as your name, role, and organisation) may be shared where necessary to facilitate event delivery, accreditation, or networking. Sponsors may only contact you for promotional purposes where you have provided consent or engaged directly with them.

You can update your communication preferences at any time on your profile or by contacting admin@asgbi.org.uk.‍

‍Changes to This Policy
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We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated by email or posted on our website at least 30 days before implementation. We recommend reviewing this page regularly.

‍Contact Us
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For questions about your data or this Privacy Policy, please contact: admin@asgbi.org.uk