Privacy

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Who we are

The Expert Witness Institute (EWI) is a company limited by guarantee. We represent the interests of expert witnesses. We provide membership services to our members and to individuals who book events or training that we organise.

The Purpose of this Privacy Notice

A privacy notice gives you important information concerning how we use your personal data and your rights concerning it.

Personal data

Personal data is any information about a living individual that can be used to, either directly or indirectly, identify them. It includes information such as: their name, address, email address, IP address, qualifications, photographs.

Personal data also includes what is known as ‘special category personal data’. This refers to particularly sensitive information concerning an individual’s:  racial or ethnic origin; political opinions; religious or philosophical beliefs; trade union membership; genetics; health – physical or mental; and, sex life or sexual orientation. 

Processing

When we refer to processing your personal data we mean any activity we perform on or with it. This includes: collecting it; recording it; storing it; changing it; deleting or destroying it; or any other use of it. We only process your personal data consistently with our obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018. 

We are the data controller of your data. This means we decide why and how we process your personal data. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully. We do not sell or rent your information to anyone without your prior permission. 

Your acceptance of this Privacy Notice

The EWI provides this Privacy Notice as the data controller of your data. By using our website and services we will process your personal data in the ways set out in this notice. If you do not agree with us using your personal data in such ways please do not use our website or services. 

On what basis do we process your personal data?

We will only use and process your personal data when and how the law allows us to. We process your personal data for our legitimate interests, for example to provide you with membership services. We may also process personal data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract we have entered into or where we are required to do so further to a legal obligation, such as one arising under a court order. 

We may also process your data with your explicit consent. Where we do so we will ask you for your consent before we process your data. You are under no obligation to give your consent. If you give consent you may withdraw it at any time by notifying us at: info@ewi.org.uk. 

How we collect your personal data

We will collect your personal data in a number of ways, for example:

  • through membership forms;
  • through event bookings for EWI training courses, conferences, and social events;
  • through our website by using Cookies; 
  • through court or tribunal judgments.

How do we process and share your personal data?

We use your personal data for the following purposes: 

  • to provide you with, and notify you, of membership services and any changes to those services;
  • to gather members’ views in order to make representations on their and the EWI’s behalf;
  • to arrange training, conferences, meetings, social events, and other activities for our members;
  • to distribute communications to members via, for instance, Expert Witness News, our website, emails;
  • to promote the EWI;
  • to enable third parties, such as solicitors, to contact us and our members, through our Find an Expert directory;
  • to send promotional emails about new services or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address you have provided;
  • to contact you for market research purposes.  We may contact you by phone, post or mail.
  • We may use your personal data to customize our website according to your interests; and
  • for record keeping and the management of the EWI. 

We may share your personal data with third parties. We will only do so with your prior consent unless we are required legally required to do so. We will keep your personal information up to date and we will not collect more information from you than necessary. If we share your data with a third party we will ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to protect it. 

What type of information do we process?

The personal data we process includes the following: 

  • Personal details e.g., professional title, name, address, date of birth, work history, academic qualifications;
  • members’ area(s) of expertise
  • Contact details e.g., telephone number, email addresses; and
  • Financial information, e.g., such as bank account details that we obtain when you pay membership fees or pay for training or an EWI event;
  • Other information relevant to member surveys and/or offers to 

Further processing

We may wish to use and process your personal data for a new purpose not set out in this Privacy Notice.  Should this be the case we will contact you to let you know about how we wish to use your personal data and where necessary we will seek your prior consent to the new processing. 

Your rights and your personal data

Unless subject to an exemption, you have a number of rights concerning your personal data. These are: 

  • the right to receive information concerning personal data we collect. This information is contained in this Privacy Notice;
  • the right to receive information concerning your personal data  which we collect from third parties;
  • the right of access to your personal data and related information we hold. This is generally known as a subject access right;
  • the right to have us correct any errors in respect of your personal data which we hold;
  • the right to have us delete or otherwise destroy the personal data we hold on you;
  • the right to stop us processing your personal data;
  • in  certain circumstances, the right to have us transfer your personal data to someone or some organisation of your choice;
  • the right to object to us processing your personal data;
  • the right not to be subject to automated decision-making or profiling;
  • the right to complain to the Information Commissioner concerning how we process your personal data. 

Access to personal information

You can find out what personal data we hold about you, or exercise any of your other rights concerning your personal data, by making a ‘data subject request’. If you wish to do so please contact our Executive Manager in writing via letter or email at 

The Expert Witness Institute, PO Box 797, Redhill, RH1 9JS

info@ewi.org.uk 

Please include the following information in your letter or email: 

  • Your name and correspondence address;
  • contact number and email address;
  • details of the information requested.

Updating your personal data

You can update your personal data using your My EWI area. 

Security

The EWI is committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information collected have been put in place. 

How long do we keep your personal data

We will keep your personal data for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was processed, which includes for any legal, accounting or statutory purpose. To ensure that we do this we will retain and dispose of it in accordance with the terms of our Records Retention and Disposal Schedule. 

Our right to change our Privacy Notice.

We may make changes to our Privacy Notice. When we do so we will inform you by posting our revised Privacy Notice on our website. Our Privacy Notice always contains the date it was issued and its version number so you can easily find the most up to date one. This Privacy Notice was issued in June 2020. 

Contact details

Please contact us if you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we use your personal data. We can be contacted at: info@ewi.org.uk. 

Further information

You can contact the Information Commissioner for independent advice about data protection and privacy. Further information on the protection of data can also be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection. 

How to complain 

You can also raise a concern or complaint with the Information Commissioner about the way in which we process your personal data. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: 

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113

www.ico.org.uk