We will collect and process the following personal data from you:

• Information you give us

This is information about you that you give us directly when you interact with us.  

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• Information we collect about you from your use of our Website: We will automatically collect information from you each time you use our Website.  This includes:
  • Technical information
  • Information about your visit
  • Location data

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• Information we receive from other sources. This is information we receive about you:
  • If you use any of the other websites or apps we operate or the other services we provide.
  • Where you use the meditation services of other Heartfulness organisations around the world
  • From third parties we work closely with.

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Our Website uses cookies and/or other similar technologies such as pixel tags or web beacons to collect and store certain information. These typically involve pieces of information or code that a website transfers to or accesses from your computer hard drive or mobile device to store and receive information about you. Cookies and similar technologies enable you to be remembered when using that computer or device to interact with websites and online services and can be used to manage a range of features and content as well as storing searches and presenting personalised content.

Our Website uses cookies and similar technologies to distinguish you from other users of our Website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our Website and also allows us to improve our Website.  

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies and similar technologies, but if you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that and your help screen or manual will tell you how to do this.  We also give you information about how to disable cookies here.

However, you may not be able to take full advantage of our website if you do so.  

A number of cookies and similar technologies we use last only for the duration of your web or app session and expire when you close your browser/or exit the Website]. Others are used to remember you when you return to the Website and will last for longer.

We use these cookies and other technologies on the basis that they are necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or because using them is in our legitimate interests in improving our Website and engaging in a focused way which understand our users (where we have considered that these are not overridden by your rights).

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We use information held about you in the following ways:

• Information you give to us:

We will use this information to:

• Take steps in order to provide meditation services and anything else we agree to provide including:
  • administering your account with us;
  • providing meditation guidance and education
  • where you make a donation, verifying and carrying out the processing of payment you make, including through the Website;
• To assist our volunteer facilitators to contact you with information about us and our events taking place in your area by your chosen method of communication if you have given your consent to receiving information from us;
• to assist our volunteer facilitators, practitioners, trainers and event co-ordinators to administer, manage and organise events you have expressed an interest in attending;
• Ensure that:
  • content from our site is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer.
  • we provide you with the information, products and services that you request from us.

Information we collect about you from your use of our Website

We will use this information in our legitimate interests, where we have considered these are not overridden by your rights:

• To administer our Website and for internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes.
• To keep our Website safe and secure.
• For measuring or understanding the effectiveness of advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you.
• To improve our Website to ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer.
• To allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so.

• Information we receive from other sources

We will combine this information with information you give to us and information we collect about you in our legitimate interests (where we have considered that these are not overridden by your rights). We will use this information and the combined information for the purposes set out above (depending on the types of information we receive).

Where permitted in our legitimate interest or with your prior consent where required by law, we will use your personal information to provide you with promotional update communications by email, post and telephone about our products and services.

You can object to further marketing at any time by selecting the “unsubscribe” link at the end of all our marketing and promotional update communications to you, or by sending us an email to: se.country.coordinator@heartfulness.org.

We hold your information for one of four reasons:

• For the purposes of a contract with you, where we need information like your name and contact details so we can provide meditation sessions and guidance at your request;
• For our legitimate interests, having considered any impact on your interests and rights, for instance in promoting our organisation and the Heartfulness mission, in requesting and processing donations to fund our activities, to learn from our participants, donors and volunteers so we can improve our Website, our meditation sessions and education and their general experience of Heartfulness; and
• To comply with our legal obligations, including in respect of charities law, and retaining records of donations under VAT regulations.

We may give your information to:

• Our volunteer facilitators, practitioners, trainers and event co-ordinators worldwide for the administration, management and organisation of events;
• Other affiliate organisations around the world, the Heartfulness, Shri Ram Chandra Mission, Sahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation and Spiritual Hierarchy Publication Trust
• The affiliate organisations will use your information in accordance with this policy in the general operation, management and support of our activities and in its responsibility for the planning and strategy for the Heartfulness mission
• Healthfulness Institute, a Texas non-profit corporation, is a part of the Heartfulness worldwide organisation and takes responsibility for the IT, web hosting and related support and other services and it, and through it, its IT and technology suppliers will process your information for the purposes of this policy.
• Selected third parties

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The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (“EEA“) that may not be subject to equivalent Data Protection Law.

Where your information is transferred outside the EEA, we will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is subject to appropriate safeguards, such as relying on a recognised legal adequacy mechanism, and that it is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.

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Public forums

The Website may, from time to time, make chat rooms, message boards, news groups and/or other public forums available to its users. Any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when using these and avoid posting any personal information.

Protecting the safety of children when they use the Internet is important to us.

The Website is intended for use only by persons who are at least [18] years of age.

By using the Website, you confirm to us that you meet this requirement.  If you are under the age of 18, you confirm you have received permission from your parent or guardian before using this site/App or sending us personal information.

If you are under the age of [13] your parent or guardian must consent on your behalf where we ask for consent in relation to the use of your information.

Payment details you provide will be encrypted using secure sockets layer (SSL) technology before they are submitted to us over the internet. Payments made on the Website are made through our payment gateway provider, PayPal. You will be providing credit or debit card information directly to PayPal which operates a secure server to process payment details, encrypting your credit/debit card information and authorising payment. During registration for specific events, you may be providing credit or debit card information directly to PayPal  or Braintree, which operates a secure server to process payment details, encrypting your credit/debit card information and authorising payment.  Information which you supply to PayPal or  Braintree is not within our control and is subject to PayPal’s and Braintree’s own privacy policy and terms and conditions.

All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Any payment transactions will be encrypted using SSL technology. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

Our site may, from time to time, contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of such sites.

We retain personal data for as long as you are a registered meditator, donor or volunteer with us in order to meet our contractual obligations to you in our legitimate interests for as long as is permitted under Data Protection Law for instance in order to comply with our legal obligations. We may also retain aggregate information beyond this time for research purposes and to help us develop and improve our services. You cannot be identified from aggregate information retained or used for these purposes.

You have the right under certain circumstances:

• to be provided with a copy of your personal data held by us;
• to request the rectification or erasure of your personal data held by us;
• to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data (while we verify or investigate your concerns with this information, for example);
• to object to the further processing of your personal data, including the right to object to marketing (as mentioned in ‘Our promotional updates and communications’ section;
• to request that your provided personal data be moved to a third party
• Your right to withdraw consent:

Where the processing of your personal information by us is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent without detriment at any time by contacting us at se.country.coordinator@heartfulness.org. You can also change your marketing preferences at any time as described in ‘Our promotional updates and communications’ section;

You can also exercise the rights listed above at any time by contacting us at se.country.coordinator@heartfulness.org.

If your request or concern is not satisfactorily resolved by us, you may approach your local data protection authority, (see http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/bodies/authorities/index_en.html). The Danish data protection agency (https://www.datatilsynet.dk/) is the supervisory authority in Denmark and can provide further information about your rights and our obligations in relation to your personal data, as well as deal with any complaints that you have about our processing of your personal data.

Any changes we make to our privacy policy in future will be posted on this page and, in relation to substantive changes, will be notified to you by e-mail. This policy is effective from 25-May-2018.