Last updated: June 2026
1. Who We Are
The data controller for this website is:
esmed.org Email: [email protected]
If you are located in the EU/EEA or the UK, you may also contact our appointed GDPR representatives:
EU Representative: Euverify Ltd (Ireland) Unit 3D North Point House, North Point Business Park, New Mallow Road, Cork T23 AT2P, Ireland Email: [email protected]
UK Representative: Euverify Ltd (UK) 3rd Floor, 86–90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom Email: [email protected]
To submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR), data deletion request, or any other GDPR-related inquiry, please contact us at [email protected].
2. What Personal Data We Collect, Why, and Our Legal Basis
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comment form (name, email address, website), along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string.
- Purpose: To enable user interaction and detect spam.
- Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). Our legitimate interest is in maintaining a functional and spam-free commenting system. This interest is not overridden by your rights, as we collect only the minimum data necessary.
- Is providing this data required? No. Providing this data is voluntary. If you choose not to provide it, you will not be able to leave a comment.
Contact Forms
Contact forms may collect your name, email address, and phone number.
- Purpose: To respond to your enquiry or provide the service you have requested.
- Legal basis: Contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR) where your enquiry relates to a service we provide, or legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) for general correspondence.
- Is providing this data required? Providing your name and email address is necessary to respond to your enquiry. Without these details, we cannot process your request.
Cookies and Analytics
We use cookies to understand how visitors use our website. These include:
- Functional cookies: Set when you leave a comment or log in, to remember your preferences and login session.
- Analytics cookies: Used to track the number and location of website visitors.
- Purpose: To improve our website and understand visitor behaviour.
- Legal basis: Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). Analytics cookies are only placed with your prior consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time by adjusting your browser settings or our cookie preferences tool. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
- Is providing this data required? No. Consent to analytics cookies is entirely voluntary.
Specific cookie details:
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Comment opt-in cookie | Saves your name, email, and website for future comments | 1 year |
| Login cookies | Saves your login information and screen display choices | 2 days (or 2 weeks if “Remember Me” is selected) |
| Screen options cookie | Saves your display preferences | 1 year |
| Post edit cookie | Records the ID of the article you last edited | 1 day |
| Browser acceptance cookie | Temporary check to see if your browser accepts cookies | Session only |
User Account Registration
When you register an account on our website, we collect the personal information you provide in your user profile.
- Purpose: To create and manage your account and provide access to our services.
- Legal basis: Contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR). Processing is necessary to provide you with the account and associated services.
- Is providing this data required? Yes, to the extent necessary to create and maintain your account. Without this information, we cannot provide account-based services.
Media Uploads
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves in exactly the same way as if you had visited those other websites directly. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that content.
3. How We Protect Your Data
We apply technical and organizational security measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These
measures are intended to ensure a level of security appropriate to the nature of the personal data processed and the risks involved.
We do not publicly disclose detailed technical security configurations, internal security architecture, or operational security details, because exposing such information could
create unnecessary security risks and provide useful information to potential attackers.
Encryption: Your data is encrypted during transfer (TLS/SSL) and at rest.
Access Control: Access is strictly limited to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis.
Regular Checks: We test our systems for vulnerabilities and update security measures.
Incident Response: In case of a data breach, we act quickly and inform you if necessary
4. Who We Share Your Data With
We may share your personal data with the following recipients:
- Google: May have access to your cookies or IP address for analytical purposes.
- Automated spam detection services: Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
- Customer service providers: Data submitted through contact forms or customer service enquiries may be shared with international service providers to enable us to respond to your request.
We will never sell your data to third parties.
5. International Data Transfers
When you interact with our website or submit data through contact forms or customer service enquiries, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the EU/EEA, including countries that do not benefit from an EU adequacy decision.
Where such transfers occur, we ensure they are protected by appropriate safeguards, specifically Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as approved by the European Commission under Article 46(2)(c) GDPR. You may request a copy of the relevant safeguards by contacting us at [email protected].
6. How Long We Retain Your Data
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Comments and comment metadata | 5 years |
| Contact form submissions | 5 years |
| User account data | 5 years from last account activity, or until you request deletion |
| Login and session cookies | As described in the cookies table above |
| Analytics data | As determined by the relevant analytics provider |
After the applicable retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.
7. Your Rights
Under GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
- Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): You can request that we delete your personal data. This does not apply where we are required to retain data for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
- Right to restriction of processing: You can request that we limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Right to object to processing: You can object to processing based on legitimate interests. We will cease processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your rights.
- Right to data portability: You can request a copy of the data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent (e.g. analytics cookies), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
- Complain: You may file a complaint with a data protection authority if you believe that your personal data has been processed in a way that does not comply with applicable
- data protection law. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country of residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement. See : https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/list-personal-data-protection-competent-authorities https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/ https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/Data-Protection-Authorities
All registered users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time from within their account (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us at [email protected].
8. Automated Decision-Making
We do not use automated decision-making or profiling, as described under Article 22 GDPR, in our processing of personal data.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects when the most recent changes were made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.