Transparency Regarding the Use of Your Personal Data

As part of our commitment to protecting your privacy, this statement is designed to provide you with information regarding how Benaforma, Inc., (“Benaforma”) may use — and process — the information you share when you use Benaforma.com, and each of its associated domains (together, the “Sites”). Information is also collected when you communicate with us or utilize our services. This statement is applicable to individuals using Benaforma services who are located in the European Economic Area (“EEA”).

For purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), you can contact Benaforma by filling out the Contact form on Benaforma.com.

Your Personal Data We Use

1. Information you provide directly to Benaforma, Inc.

Benaforma collects personal information about you called Personal Data. Your Personal Data is collected when you register or fill in a form on Benaforma.com, or contact Benaforma directly. This includes information you provide when you register to use our services, subscribe to newsletters, or participate in discussion boards or listservs on our Sites. Depending upon the specific Benaforma Services you use, the information you give us includes your specific data such as name, address, and telephone number, e-mail address, payment information, as well as any information about you that is associated with, or linked to, or could be linked to, any of the foregoing data.

We also collect more sensitive information about you, with your explicit consent, where the processing is necessary to meet a legal or regulatory obligation, the processing is in connection with Benaforma establishing, exercising or defending legal claims, or is otherwise expressly permitted by GDPR. This sensitive information may include information about your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, genetic data, and data concerning health, sex life, and sexual orientation.

2. Log, Cookie, and Device Data

We also collect log data, which is information collected whenever you visit a website. This log data includes your Internet Protocol address, browser type and some settings, the date and time of your request, how you used Benaforma, and cookie data. Depending on how you are accessing Benaforma, we may use “cookies” (small text files stored by your computer when you visit our website) or similar technologies. For more detailed information about how we use cookies, you can contact Benaforma by filling out the Contact form on Benaforma.com. In addition to log and cookie data, we also collect information about the device you’re using to access Benaforma, including what type of device it is, what operating system you are using, device settings, unique device identifiers and crash data. Whether we collect some or all of this information often depends on what type of device you are using and its settings. For example, different types of information are available depending on whether you are using a Mac or a PC, or an iPhone or Android phone. To learn more about what information your device makes available to us, please also check the policies of your device manufacturer or software provider

3. Information from Other Sources

We also obtain information about you from other sources and combine that information with information we collect from you directly. For example, we collect information about you when you pay a fee through our credit card vendor. The information we obtain from other sources includes your name, address and telephone number, e-mail address, payment information, as well as any information about you that is associated with or linked to, or could be linked to, any of the foregoing data.

How We Use Your Personal Data and the Lawful Basis for Such Processing

Benaforma processes your Personal Data for the following purposes and bases:

• Processing your usage and payments, if any, to Benaforma. It is generally required to process a financial transaction requested by you;
• Providing you with information regarding Benaforma events and initiatives. We will generally only do this where it is in our legitimate interest and where you have not objected or withdrawn any prior consent given;
• Processing and dealing with any complaints or inquiries made by you or legally on your behalf. We do this because it is in our legitimate interest as part of the services Benaforma offers to you;
• Benaforma may also be required to disclose your Personal Data to authorities who can request this information by law that is binding;
• Utilizing sensitive personal data in connection with Benaforma, with your consent.
• In certain instances, Benaforma may be required to obtain your consent to collect and process your Personal Data for a specific purpose. This depends on the specific category of data collected and the intended use of the data. In these instances, the Benaforma will inform you of the specific category of Personal Data that will be collected and the intended purpose of the collection, and will request that you affirmatively indicate that you consent to the intended collection of your Personal Data for that purpose, prior to collecting the data.

In these instances, if you do not consent to the collection and intended processing purpose, we will refrain from collecting and processing your Personal Data.

Recipients of Your Personal Data

Benaforma may share your Personal Data with the following recipients:

• Service Providers – vendors that need access to your Personal Data in order to provide Benaforma’s services.
• Public and Governmental Authorities – entities that regulate or have jurisdiction over Benaforma, such as regulatory authorities, law enforcement, public bodies, and judicial bodies.

If your Personal Data is shared with a third party, Benaforma will request where possible that the third party use appropriate measures to protect the confidentiality and security of your Personal Data.

We may also need to share your Personal Data as required to respond to lawful requests and legal process; to protect our rights and property and those of our agents, customers and others, including to enforce our agreements and policies; and in an emergency, to protect Benaforma and the safety of our students, faculty and staff or any third party.

Security

Benaforma takes appropriate physical, administrative, and technical measures to protect Personal Data that are consistent with applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations. For more information, please feel free to contact Benaforma.  

Retaining and Deleting Your Personal Data

Benaforma will only retain your Personal Data for the duration necessary for the data collection purposes identified above, unless there is a legal requirement to maintain it for a longer period.

International Transfer of Your Personal Data

In order to fulfill the intended processing purposes described above, your Personal Data will be transferred outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), specifically to the United States, which does not protect Personal Data in the same way that it is protected in the EEA. Benaforma will undertake appropriate measures to ensure adequate protection of Personal Data, including utilizing appropriate physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect Personal Data, as well as executing standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission or a supervisory authority under GDPR, or obtaining your consent, where appropriate.

Automated Decisions and Targeted Messaging

Automated decisions are defined as decisions about individuals that are based solely on the automated processing of data and that produce legal effects that significantly affect the individuals involved or that have similarly significant impact.

Benaforma makes automated decisions or utilizes specific personal data for the purpose of identifying funding opportunities, offering specialized services, event invitations, or fundraising activities.

In certain instances, Benaforma may be required to obtain your consent to make automated decisions. In these instances, we will inform you of the automated decision-making, and will request that you affirmatively indicate (opt in) that you consent to the intended use of your Personal Data for that purpose, prior to the automated decision-making. Where automated decisions are made, affected persons will be given instructions on how such persons can object to, or opt out of such processing.

Your Rights

As required by the General Data Protection Regulation and applicable EU Member State and EEA state law, if you are located in the European Economic Area, you have a right to:

• Access your Personal Data, as well as information relating to the recipients of your Personal Data, the purposes of processing your Personal Data, the duration for which the Personal Data will be stored, and the source of Personal Data that has not been provided by you;
• Rectify or correct inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data concerning you, taking into account the purposes of the processing, and the right to have incomplete Personal Data completed;
• Move your Personal Data to another controller or processor. Benaforma will facilitate the lawful transfer of your data to the extent possible;
• Have your Personal Data erased in certain circumstances;
• Restrict the processing of your Personal Data in certain circumstances;
• Object to the processing of Personal Data in certain circumstances;
• Withdraw your consent to the processing of your Personal Data, should Benaforma ask for your consent for the processing of your Personal Data. The withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on your consent before its withdrawal.
• Know whether your Personal Data is being used for automated decision-making, including profiling. In those cases, Benaforma will give you meaningful information about the logic involved, the significance and the envisaged consequences of such processing for your data, and the right to request human intervention; and
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

Benaforma may be obligated to retain your Personal Data as required by U.S. federal or state law.

If you wish to exercise your rights, you can contact Benaforma by filling out the Contact form on Benaforma.com

You may choose not to visit or use Benaforma Sites or participate in Benaforma. If you choose not to share your Personal Data with Benaforma or Benaforma-approved third parties for Benaforma, you will not receive event updates or other notifications that may affect you in some way. You may choose to set your web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you choose to reject cookies, some parts of the Sites may not function properly.

Questions and Complaints:

If you have questions or concerns about our treatment of your Personal Data, or about our privacy practices more generally, you can contact Benaforma by filling out the Contact form on Benaforma.com

Last updated: January 27, 2023