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Privacy Notice

Protecting the privacy of personal data is always the top priority for the Institute of Sustainability & Technology (IST). This Privacy Notice explains the types of personal data we collect, how we use that information, who we share it with, and how we protect that data. We strictly observe the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. All personal data we collect and process is handled in accordance with the relevant Data Protection Laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) (2016/679).

Who we are
For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, the data controller is the Institute of Sustainability & Technology, 11/F, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

In this Privacy Notice, "we", "our", "us", and "ours" mean Institute of Sustainability & Technology, and "you", "your", and "yours" means you the individual.

Information we collect about you
Although the precise details of the personal information collected will vary according to the specific purpose for which we are collecting the information, we typically collect the following types of personal data from you:

  • Personal data, records, and subscription information, including your name, gender, date of birth, nationality, country of residence, passport or other identity documents, attendance records of IST's events, and credit card information.

  • Contact information, including telephone number, mailing address, email address, and fax number.

  • If you are a corporate guest or participant, information including company name, business title, billing addresses, payment information, personal information and records of corporate employees, insurance and training records, mandatory provident fund contributions, performance appraisals, disciplinary matters, etc.

  • If you are an overseas guest or participant, information including language preference, flight information, membership number, account name of frequent flyer programs, meal and travel preferences, and related information.

How we use your personal information
We may use your personal information to:

  • Provide you with information about IST services and operations (provided you have consented to this).

  • Deal with your inquiries and requests.

  • Conduct participant surveys to improve our technologies, services, and operations (such as including these records in our database).

  • Combine information we receive and collect (e.g., from your requests, preferences, and booking history) to understand your interests and preferences and provide you with a more personalized experience.

  • Measure the success of our technologies, services, and operations.

  • Comply with legal requirements.

  • Process your payments and protect against fraudulent transactions.

  • Process your personal information necessary to keep our website safe and secure.

  • Maintain an up-to-date suppression list where you have asked not to be contacted, to avoid inadvertently re-contacting you.

  • Keep records for various purposes based on the nature of such records, such as corporate communications, payments, funding applications, inquiries, policy or operational matters, etc.

  • Handle legal proceedings, including debt collection, prevention or detection of crime, and disclosure as required by law or a governmental authority.

  • Fulfill other purposes agreed upon by you and IST.

 

Retention of Personal Data

Different retention periods apply to the various kinds of personal data collected and held by IST. We will take all practical steps to ensure that personal data will not be kept longer than necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes (including any directly related purposes) for which the data are or are to be used.

Security of Personal Data

We have implemented appropriate physical, technical, and managerial measures to protect personal data from unauthorized or accidental access, erasure, modification, or disclosure.


Children's Privacy
We will never knowingly collect Personal Information from individuals under the age of eighteen (18) without first obtaining verifiable parental consent. If you are under the age of 18, you should not provide information to us. If we become aware that a person under 18 has provided personal information to us without verifiable parental consent, we will remove such personal information from our files.

Sharing your Data with Third Parties
Only our authorized staff are permitted to access our participants' data held in our database. We may share your personal information with external service providers who perform services to or on behalf of IST, for purposes such as system maintenance support and data hosting. Your data will only be transferred to such third parties that respect privacy and are under contractual and confidentiality obligations to IST, except as required by law, court order, regulatory, or law enforcement authority.

 

Our website may contain links to and from the websites of our partner networks, advertisers, and affiliates. Please note that these websites have their own privacy statements, and we have no control over how they may use your personal information. You should check the privacy statements of third-party websites before submitting any personal information to them.

Your rights (EEA residents only)
If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, you have the right to:

  • Access. You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we are processing about you, which we will provide back to you in electronic form. For your own privacy and security, in our discretion we may require you to prove your identity before providing the requested information.  If you require multiple copies of your personal data, we may charge a reasonable administration fee.

  • Rectification. You have the right to have incomplete or inaccurate personal information that we process about you rectified. Note that you can always make certain adjustments to certain personal information directly through your online account. 

  • Deletion. You have the right to request that we delete personal information that we process about you, except we are not obligated to do so if we need to retain such data in order to comply with a legal obligation or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

  • Restriction. You have the right to restrict our processing of your personal information where you believe such data to be inaccurate, our processing is unlawful or that we no longer need to process such data for a particular purpose, but where we are not able to delete the data due to a legal or other obligation or because you do not wish for us to delete it. 

  • Portability. You have the right to obtain personal information we hold about you, in a structured, electronic format, and to transmit such data to another data controller, where this is (a) personal information which you have provided to us, and (b) if we are processing that data on the basis of your consent (such as for direct marketing communications) or to perform a contract with you (such as to manage your booking).  

  • Objection. Where the legal justification for our processing of your personal information is our legitimate interest, you have the right to object to such processing on grounds relating to your particular situation.  We will abide by your request unless we have compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests and rights, or if we need to continue to process the data for the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal claim.

  • Withdrawing Consent.  If you have consented to our processing of your personal information, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, free of charge This includes cases where you wish to opt out from marketing messages that you receive from us.  For more information on how to opt out from marketing messages, see the section entitled " Unsubscribing from our mailing lists or loyalty programme(s)" below.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact information provided below.

Unsubscribing from Our Mailing Lists
We provide opt-out channels for our participants to unsubscribe from receiving our information and services. You can unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link in the email or by sending an email to info@ISTAsia.org, including your name and the program from which you would like to opt-out. Please specify your email address for the applied/attended program, if applicable.

Retention of personal data
The Institute of Sustainability & Technology will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to the extent permitted by applicable laws. When we no longer have a legitimate reason to retain your personal information, or when you request that we delete your personal information (except where we need to retain it to comply with applicable statutory obligations or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims), we will remove such information from our systems and records.

Direct marketing
We may use your personal data, including your name, contact information, and other collected information, to send you marketing communications. These communications may include news related to the Institute of Sustainability & Technology, information about our products and services, promotions, offers, joint promotions with third parties, and surveys. The method of communication (such as social media, email, direct mail, SMS, or telephone) will depend on your marketing preferences.


How We Keep Your Information Secure
We have implemented technical and organizational security measures to safeguard the personal information in our custody and control. These measures include limiting access to personal information to employees and authorized service providers who need to know such information for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice, as well as other administrative, technical, and physical safeguards.

 

While we strive to protect our systems, sites, operations, and information against unauthorized access, use, modification, and disclosure, we cannot guarantee that any information transmitted or stored on our systems will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others, such as hackers, due to the inherent nature of the Internet as an open global communications vehicle and other risk factors.


How to Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Notice or the data collection practices outlined herein, please contact us:

  • By Email: info@ISTAsia.org

  • By Mail: 11F, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

 

Changes to this Privacy Notice
This Privacy Notice is written in English and may be translated into other languages. In the event of any inconsistency between the English version and the translated version of this notice, the English version shall prevail.

 

We reserve the right to change our Privacy Notice from time to time. If we make any changes, we recommend visiting our website regularly for the latest privacy and policy updates.


Last updated February 2024.

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