Cochrane ("Cochrane", "we", "us") is the controller of your personal data unless stated otherwise in this privacy policy. Cochrane is committed to protecting the privacy and security of those whose personal data we process. We acknowledge the need to protect personal data that is collected by or disclosed to us and to manage it in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Please read this policy carefully to understand how we collect and use (process) your personal data in connection with the Cochrane Colloquium 2023 and associated social events (“Event”).

We will review this privacy policy regularly to comply with our legal obligations.

About us

Cochrane is for anyone interested in using high-quality information to make health decisions. As a data controller we have legal obligations to ensure that we only use your data in a fair, transparent and secure manner. If you have any questions regarding this privacy notice, our use of your data or wish to exercise any of your legal rights under data protection law, please contact colloquium@cochrane.org.

When do we collect your personal data?

We collect personal data when you:

• Submit an abstract submission for the Event
• Submit a workshop submission for the Event
• Register to attend the Event
• Book a hotel for the Event
• Pay for registration for the Event or for a hotel booking for the Event
• Sign up to receive updates about the Event

What data do we collect?

We collect the minimum personal data necessary.

When you submit an abstract submission, we will collect the name, email address, organisational affiliation, and country of each author.

When you submit a workshop submission, we will collect the name, email address, organisational affiliation and country of each contact person, workshop facilitator and person who will be acknowledged at the Event as they have made a contribution to the workshop but will not be attending.

When you register to attend the Event and/or book a hotel for the Event, we collect your personal data via the registration form. We collect your name, email address and country of residency, and you can also choose to provide your job title and affiliation and a profile picture. If you have any dietary requirements or other special requirements, we will also collect this information via the Event registration form or by emailing you.

When you pay for registration for the Event or for a hotel booking for the Event, you will need to input your name, card details and billing address into the payment form in the registration form. This data will not be stored.

When you sign up to receive updates about the Event using our webform, we will collect your name and email address.

The accuracy of your information is very important to us. If you want to update any of the personal data that we hold about you in connection with the Event, please get in touch with us at colloquium@cochrane.org.

In order to register to attend the Event, you will need to create (or already have) a Cochrane account. Personal data collected in connection with your Cochrane Account is processed in accordance with Cochrane’s website Privacy Policy.

Special category data

Data protection legislation recognises that certain ‘special categories’ of data are more sensitive. These include information relating to health, race, ethnic origin and political or religious beliefs. We only ask for special category personal data if there is a specific need for this. We will use it only for the purpose for which is was provided, such as to provide catering services at the Event which comply with your dietary requirements, and only ever with your explicit consent.

How do we use your personal data?

When you submit an abstract, the personal data submitted will only be used for the purposes of:

• contacting you to let you know whether your submission has been accepted;
• if your submission is accepted, contacting you to co-ordinate the presentation of the abstract;
• printing the names of authors in electronic media and publishing them on the Event website and on abstracts.cochrane.org (if they have given consent for this).

When you submit a workshop, the personal data submitted will only be used for the purposes of:

• contacting you to let you know whether your submission has been accepted;
• if your submission is accepted, contacting you to co-ordinate the workshop;
• printing the names of the facilitators and anyone who is to be acknowledged in electronic media and publishing them on the Event website and on abstracts.cochrane.org (if they have given consent for this).

When you register to attend the Event, we will use your personal data for the purposes of:

• creating a name badge for you for the Event, which will include a scannable QR code containing your name and email address;
• creating a list of registered attendees to use for registration at the Event;
• administrative purposes, where this is necessary to enable is to organise and run the Event.

When you book a hotel for the Event through the Event registration form, we will use your personal data for the purposes of making the hotel booking for you.

When you sign up to receive updates about the Event, we will only contact you for this purpose.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was obtained. We do not use automated decision-making processes.

Do we share your personal data?

Cochrane will not share or sell your personal data with any third party for marketing purposes. Other than as set out in this privacy policy, we do not share your personal data with third parties unless we have your consent or are required to do so by law.

When you submit an abstract or workshop submission, your personal data may be shared with TFI Lodestar Limited, our professional conference organiser, for the purposes of contacting you about the submission(s) and printing your details on electronic media or publishing your details on the Event website or abstracts.cochrane.org (if you have given your consent for this).

When you register to attend the Event, book a hotel for the Event through the Event registration form and pay for the registration and hotel, your personal data will be held in our events management software, hosted by Swoogo LLC. Swoogo are not permitted to access your personal data except as necessary to enable them to provide and improve the event management software, and they can only access it in an encrypted format.

We may need to share your personal data with our Professional Conference Organiser, TFI Lodestar Limited. They will only use your personal data to:

• create a name badge for you for the Event, which will include a scannable QR code containing your name and email address;
• create a list of registered attendees to use for registration at the Event;
• responding to any queries you send to Cochrane regarding the Event and/or your registration, ticket or dietary requirements;
• issue any ticket refunds; and
• share your personal data with the hotel you have booked for the purposes of making your reservation.

We may need to share your personal data with our event partner, Cochrane UK, which is based at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in England, to enable them to provide administrative support in connection with the Event.

Your personal data will not be shared with Event exhibitors or sponsors, but some exhibitors or sponsors will have scanners on the day and, if you give consent, they may scan the QR code on your name badge to collect your personal data. The exhibitors or sponsors will be the data controllers of any personal data you share with them and their use of your personal data will be subject to their respective privacy policies.

When you sign up to receive updates about the Event, your personal data will be shared with The Rocket Science Group LLC, who provide our marketing platform, Mailchimp.

We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions. We only share the personal data that is necessary to deliver the relevant service. We require these third parties to keep your personal data secure.

How do we protect your personal data?

We take appropriate physical, electronic and managerial measures to ensure that we keep your data secure. We undertake regular IT security and data protection auditing to ensure our systems meet the expectations of the law and those of our clients. Those of our employees and contractors who have access to personal data are required to undertake data protection training.

Transfers of data outside of the EEA

We may transfer your personal information to third party data processors who are based in countries outside the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). We will not transfer your information to any processors based in countries outside the UK and EEA unless there is a European Commission adequacy decision for the specific country to which the data is transferred, or where we have carried out an international transfer risk assessment and have put appropriate safeguards in place.

How long do we keep your personal data?

We will retain your personal data as long as is necessary to provide the Event, or where we have another legitimate and lawful reason to do so. We may need to retain some information to comply with our legal obligations such as financial and accounting records. In most cases we will delete your data 7 years after your last transaction with us.

What are your rights in relation to your personal data?

You can:

• Ask us to correct your personal data if information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete.
• Ask us to provide a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Withdraw your consent at any time, if we have asked for your consent to process certain data. You can also ask us to stop processing the data if we have no other legitimate reason for doing so.
• Ask us to delete the data we hold about you. If we need to continue holding this information, we will explain our reasons for this and how the data will be stored.

 

To exercise any of these rights or if you have any questions about our privacy policy, please contact colloquium@cochrane.org.

You can also address queries to:

Cochrane
11-13 Cavendish Square
London
W1G 0AN

Telephone: +44 207 183 7503

While we hope to be able to resolve any concerns you have about the way that we are processing your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been processed in a way that does not comply with the UK GDPR, or have any wider concerns about our compliance with data protection laws. You can do so by calling the ICO helpline on +44 303 123 1113 or via their website.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We keep our privacy policies under regular review. This policy was last updated on 3 February 2023.