Privacy Notice for Groups and Communities

The EBU takes the privacy of your personal data seriously in accordance with the applicable data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679/EU ("GDPR"), the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (“FADP”), and any other applicable data protection laws and regulations (together, the “Data Protection Laws”). This Privacy Notice is intended to inform you as to who we are, why and how we collect, share, and use your personal data, and how you can exercise your privacy rights.

This Privacy Notice applies to you when you join, access or participate in a Group and any related meetings, events or other Group activities.

Capitalized terms under this Privacy Notice shall have the meaning ascribed to them under the Terms and Conditions for EBU Groups and Communities (the “Terms”), unless expressly stated otherwise hereunder.

INTRODUCTION

By joining and/or participating in a Group, you acknowledge that your personal data may be collected and processed by the Union Européenne de Radio-Télévision/European Broadcasting Union, an association duly established under Swiss law, located at L'Ancienne-Route 17A, 1218 Grand-Saconnex (Geneva), Switzerland and registered with the Commercial Registry in Geneva under number IDE CHE 107.741.078 (hereafter “us”, “EBU”, “we” or “our”).

The terms “controller”, “data subject”, “personal data”, and “processing” shall have the meaning set out in the Data Protection Laws.

WHAT CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL DATA ARE BEING PROCESSED?

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data relating to you in the framework of your participation in a Group, including your registration and attendance to meetings, events and other Group related activities:

• title (optional), first name, last name, email address, mobile phone number (where applicable), postal address, zip/postal code, city, country;
• company name and legal form (where applicable), position in the company (optional), address, zip/postal code, city, country, company VAT number (where applicable);
• IP address, social network user ID if you use social network plug-ins and features (e.g. “like” button);
• ID/passport number, issuing country, expiry date (where applicable for security reasons);
• photograph(s) video and/or audio listening(s) and/or recording(s);
• payment method and data (if applicable);
• information relating to your attendance to meetings, events or other Group related activities (e.g., attendance to specific workshops or how you interact with social media platforms)
• social media accounts (optional).

Your phone number may be used when (i) we are unable to contact you via your e-mail address, (ii) as matter of urgency and/or (iii) when joining a Group via social media platforms (e.g., WhatsApp).

Please note that if you do not provide us with the requested information (mandatory data) we will not be able to grant you access and allow your participation into the relevant Group.

We may also collect and process any other personal data that we may request and that you voluntarily provide.

WHAT SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL DATA MAY BE PROCESSED? (WHERE APPLICABLE)

Based on your consent, we may also collect and process the following special categories of personal data relating to you in the framework of your participation to a Group:

• dietary requirements (where applicable and optional)
• disabilities (optional, provided on a case-by-case basis)

WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES AND ON WHAT LEGAL BASIS DO WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We collect and process your personal data on the following legal basis:

• performance of a contract;
• legitimate interests; or
• consent

The applicable basis for collecting and processing your personal data depends on the specific personal data concerned and the purpose for which they are processed.

Performance of a contract (Terms)

We process your personal data where necessary for the performance of the Terms, in particular:

• To manage and assess your request to join or participation in a Group (including where applicable reviewing your participation request and approving or declining such request).
• To organize and manage your participation in a Group (whether physically or virtually), including related meetings, events and other Group related activities, including, without limitation, welcoming you, organising food orders, setting up the venue and managing accessibility, sending registration confirmations, Group related documentation, contacting you in case of changes related to the Group, issuing invoices where applicable, etc. For certain Group meetings, events or activities, we may also use an event application that allows you to access practical information (such as the agenda, participant list, working documents and presentations) and participation tools (such as in-app messaging, online voting, surveys, challenges, or maps).
• To document and deliver Group content, including producing minutes or summaries, making Group meeting/event sessions recordings available, and/or creating transcriptions and/or other translations of Group Material and/or participants’ exchanges.

Legitimate interest

We process your personal data where necessary for our legitimate interests, provided such interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms, in particular:

• To manage our relationship with you and communicate with you about matters related to the Group you have joined (e.g., responding to your enquiries, or requesting additional information from you if necessary). 
• In case of Groups operating as “one-way communication channels” to send you information, updates or notifications regarding the topic of the Group.
• In case of Groups with online voting sessions, to set-up and manage the online voting process and process the votes.
• To promote the Group on EBU’s websites and/or official social media pages. In this respect, photograph(s), audio/video recording(s), and/or web streaming of Group meetings, events or related activities in which you may appear can be used in current or future promotional, marketing or informational illustrations, news, and other dissemination materials. Please note that social media platforms process personal data according to their own privacy policies.  
• To ensure appropriate follow-up and continuous improvement of our Groups and services to our member organisations, including through satisfaction surveys and feedback collection.
• To perform aggregated and anonymized statistical reports relating to participation in our Groups.
• To communicate with you for administrative and organisational purposes related to a Group you participate in.
• To ensure security, integrity, and proper functioning of our websites and registration platform, including fraud prevention.

Consent

We process your personal data based on your explicit consent for sending you newsletters or information/marketing emails on other Groups and/or EBU events.

Whenever processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal. You can do so by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us at [email protected].

You may withdraw from a Group (including from any social media platform group) at any time without providing any justification.

We will not process your personal data for any other purposes than the ones set out herein, unless we have informed you.

WHO HAS ACCESS TO YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

Your personal data may be accessed or shared with the following categories of recipients, for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice:

• EBU Staff: The relevant EBU staff may have access to your personal data as necessary to process your registration and manage your participation in the Group and further manage the organization of the Group.
• EBU membership organizations: Your individual participation details (e.g., your name, Group in which you participate, meeting, event or Group related activity you attend(ed), attendance confirmation and details (e.g., attendance to all event sessions)) may be shared with the organization you work for, for internal reporting and staff management purposes to allow the EBU to ensure adequate follow-up and best services to its Members.
• Other participants: Your contact details (e.g., first name, last name, country of origin, company affiliation) may appear in the list of participants, which may be shared with other participants of the Group or other participants of meetings, events or Group related activities you participate in or made available via the event application or in an online group, for the purposes of facilitating networking and interaction between the participants. Some of your personal data (e.g., profile picture, phone number and other information available through your profile) may also be accessible to other participants via the social media platform you are using for the Group (such as WhatsApp) You may object to this sharing by informing the Group staff member responsible. If you do not wish for the EBU and/or other participants to receive/ have access to such information, please do not join, access and/or participate in a Group. You shall be responsible for all access to and participation in a Group using your social media platform account and/or associated mobile phone number, whether or not the account or associated mobile number was actually operated by you.  You shall immediately notify the EBU of any unauthorized use of your social media platform account and/or associated mobile phone number.
• Registration platform providers (where applicable): Your personal data may be shared with our registration platform provider, for the purposes of managing your registration, ensuring the security and proper functioning of the registration platform, and correct technical issues or resolve inaccuracies.
• Online voting platform provider (where applicable): Your personal data may be shared with our online voting platform provider to enable your participation in the vote (including receiving a voting invitation, registering and casting your vote). Where you stand as a candidate for an election within the Group (or related meeting, event or Group activity), any information you choose to provide in that context (such as your name, photo, biography or motivation statement) may also be processed and shared for the purposes of the voting process. By casting your vote via the online voting platform, the provider may process your data for the purposes of voter identification, voter authentication, ballot completion, ballot verification and the establishment and presentation of the voting results in accordance with its own applicable terms of use and privacy policy.
• Online platform/tools providers (e.g., website or social media platforms): Your personal data may be shared with online tools providers such as SharePoint or EventApp where you may sign in and access relevant information about the Group (including information of any meeting, event or Group related activity) such as the agenda, the list of participants, working documents, etc. Your personal data may also be shared with social media platforms in case you participate in such virtual Group(s), as well as tools to enhance networking and your participation in activities such as surveys, challengers, maps.
• Subcontractors and service providers: We may share your personal data with trusted subcontractors and service providers acting on our behalf, such as logistics and IT providers, virtual audio and/or video conferencing or web conferencing platforms/tools, online voting platforms, catering providers, and security companies for purposes related to the organisation and security of a Group (and related meetings, events and activities). We may also share personal data with AI-supported services providers (including providers of transcription, translation, or similar tools).
• Other third parties: Where necessary, we may share relevant personal data with other third parties assisting with the organisation of a Group (including Group related meetings, events and activities), such as speakers, experts, trainers, venue providers, entities hosting the meetings/events/activities (including our member organisations), partners/sponsors and video conferencing or web conferencing platforms/tools or social media platforms on which you register.

All such recipients are required to process your personal data in accordance with Data Protection Laws. Please note that where certain third parties process personal data for their own independent purposes (e.g., social media platforms or communication tools you choose to use), such processing is governed by their own terms and privacy policies. The EBU is not responsible for such independent processing activities.

Your personal data will not be shared or transferred with other third parties, unless we are legally required to do so, or unless you have consented to such transfer. Appropriate measures will be taken to ensure the security of your personal data with respect to such transfer, in particular outside of the European Union (for instance the adoption of Standard Contractual Clauses). A copy of such appropriate measures may be obtained upon request by sending an email to [email protected].

WHAT IS THE STORAGE DURATION?

We retain and process your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described herein and in accordance with applicable laws.

In general, your personal data is retained for the duration of your participation in a Group and for a limited period thereafter to allow for administrative follow-up, reporting and evaluation activities. Subject to your consent, we may retain certain personal data you provided during registration (if any) in order to facilitate your enrolment in future Groups.

Once the relevant purposes have been fulfilled, your personal data will be deleted or anonymized, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law, in particular for accounting, legal, audit and/or tax compliance purposes.

USE OF AI TOOLS

We may use AI-supported tools to (i) process and analyse the personal data you provided during the registration process to the Group (if any), notably to verify the accuracy and consistency of the information submitted and ensure an appropriate registration to the Group (including the Group related meetings, events and activities); and (ii) to generate transcriptions/translations of the Group Material, including the participants’ exchanges in the Group.

These AI tools operate in compliance with Data Protection Laws, including principles of transparency, accountability, and data security. AI-assisted processing is only used to enhance our services, and your personal data is not used to train AI models. Such use of AI tools does not result in any binding decisions or legal effects concerning you. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of AI in processing your personal data, please contact us at [email protected].

SECURITY & CONFIDENTIALITY

We have implemented technical and organisational measures in accordance with standard industry practices to ensure an appropriate level of security for the personal data processed. Nevertheless, security requires efforts from all parties involved. We thus recommend that you use strong passwords and keep all usernames and passwords (if any) confidential. In case of a Group, you attend virtually via the use of audio and/or video conferencing or web conferencing platforms/tools, it is your responsibility to use a secure technical system to attend and participate the Group. 

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?

Under Data Protection Laws, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data, subject to the conditions and limits set out in those laws:

Right of access: right to obtain confirmation as to whether your personal data is being processed and, where that is the case, to access that personal data.

Right to rectification: right to request the correction of inaccurate personal data and the completion of incomplete personal data.

Right to erasure: right to request the deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected or processed, or where other legal conditions are met.

Right to restriction of processing: right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted.

Right to object: right to object to the processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests. You also have the right to object at any time, without justification, to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes.

Right to data portability: right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at [email protected]. To protect your privacy and the security of your personal data, we may request additional information to verify your identity before we respond to your request.

If you consider that the processing of your personal data constitutes a violation of the Data Protection Law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority, in particular in the Member State of the European Union of your usual place of residence (including Switzerland), your place of work or the place where the violation occurred.

CONTACT

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Notice or the processing of your personal data, you may contact EBU Privacy Team at [email protected].

EUROPEAN UNION REPRESENTATIVE

We have designated EBU UER AISBL, Avenue des Arts 56, 1000 Brussels, Belgium as our representative in the European Union. You can therefore also submit your requests to our EU Representative.

EFFECTIVE DATE AND CHANGES

This Privacy Notice is the latest version in effect and replaces any other previous version. We reserve the right, at our complete discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Privacy Notice at any time. We thus encourage you to check this page periodically to read the most recent version of this Privacy Notice.