FOIL Privacy Notice

FOIL respects your right to privacy. The email Privacy Policy set out in this Privacy Notice details the way FOIL processes personal data that we collect from you and how we may use your information, when you subscribe to, or are already included in a mailing list.

1. About Us

The Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) is a not for profit trade body comprised of law firms who join as corporate members. FOIL’s stated purpose is “to provide a forum for the exchange of information between lawyers acting predominantly or exclusively for insurance clients (except legal expenses insurers) either practicing within firms of solicitors, as barristers or as in-house lawyers for insurers or self-insurers”.

FOIL is a representative voice of the defendant insurance lawyer community which advances a reforming agenda for a more transparent and proportionate claims environment benefiting claimants and insurers alike.

FOIL’s members are involved in all areas of insurance and comprise lawyers acting predominantly or exclusively for insurance clients (except legal expenses insurers) either practising with law firms, or as barristers or as in-house lawyers for insurers or self-insurers.

The organisation is led by practising lawyers, with a revolving one-year presidency. It has a permanent Chief Executive, drawn from a non-legal insurance industry background, who leads a small expert management team responsible for driving forward long-term strategy, maintaining the timely flow of essential information to members and handling all administration. Read about our detailed focus for 2019.

The decision makers and key people are CEO, President, Treasurer, Secretary, Technical Director and Management Services Consultant. Collectively the holders of these offices are FOIL’s data controller (contact details are displayed here). This means that they decide how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.

2. Your personal data – what is it?

Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller’s possession or likely to come into such possession. The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”).

FOIL processes the business email address, first and last name, company name and address and phone number of about 1,000 current and past full and associate members of FOIL, subscribers to FOIL select , FOIL sponsors, prior event attendees (including Golf Days) and other insurance and legal professionals.

None of this data is regarded as special category data.

3. Collection of your personal data

When you subscribe to an email alert or newsletter service we collect:

  • Your name, email address, and any other information you choose to provide to us.
  • We may also collect information about how you use our emails - for example whether you open them and which links you click on.
  • Information on how you use the FOIL website, using cookies and page tagging techniques.

Information Collected Automatically

Through the use of powerful online tools available on our web site, FOIL is committed to providing the visitor with an enjoyable online experience. While providing this service we are also committed to protecting users from the unexpected use of personally identifiable information. In an effort to continue to provide users with a quality online experience, FOIL uses server log analysis tools to track web site usage. These monthly summaries provide statistics such as:

  • Number of hits
  • Most and least popular pages
  • IP addresses and domains
  • Most and least active days
  • Technical statistics
  • Referrers and keywords
  • Browsers and platforms

4. Disclosure and security of your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be shared with other members of FOIL in order to carry out a service to other members or for purposes directly connected to FOIL’s purpose, function or focus.

We will not share your data with third parties outside FOIL without obtaining your explicit consent to do so or identifying another lawful basis or obligation for doing so.

We will never share or sell your personal data to other organisations for their direct marketing purposes.

All personal data you provide to us will be stored securely, both physically and electronically, in accordance with our policies.

We have put in place technical and organisational security measures to minimise the possibility of the loss or unauthorised access of your personal data.

5. How do we process your personal data?

FOIL complies with its obligations under the GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that the minimum and appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

We use your personal data for the following purposes: –

  • To administer membership records;
  • To maintain our own accounts and records;
  • To inform you of news, events, activities and other services offered to FOIL members and contacts;
  • To keep our website up to date with FOIL team and working party participation;

6. What are the legal bases for processing your personal data?

  • Consent of the data subject. This is given when members sign up for access to the members’ section of the FOIL website.
  • Legitimate activity. FOIL’s core functions are lobbying, education and networking. Our members pay to be kept informed about news, events, activities, services and FOIL events.
  • Processing may be carried out by a not-for-profit body provided: - the processing relates only to members or former members (or those who have regular contact with it in connection with those purposes); and there is no disclosure to a third party without consent.

7. Mail Chimp

We use Mail Chimp to manage subscription lists, preferences and send emails.

Mail Chimp has staff based outside the European Economic Area and stores your data in the US. Mail Chimp is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield framework.

You can find out more about Mail Chimp’s privacy policy information.

8. Cookies

To provide better service to our users we may use “cookies” to customize your browsing experience. A cookie is a small text file stored on a user’s computer, created and subsequently read by a web site server. Cookies created on your computer by using this web site do not reveal information that you have not supplied, therefore your privacy or security is not compromised. By tracking usage of cookies, we can best determine the needs of our users.

Several of the most recent web browsers can notify you before a web site places a cookie on your computer. Some browsers allow you to block, individually accept, or reject any particular cookie. Although it is good practice to periodically check and delete cookie files in the manner suitable for the browser you are using, you must allow your browser to accept cookies to be able to use certain FOIL online systems. If cookies are disabled or a “cookie cruncher” is running on your client computer, you will get errors when trying to use applications that use cookies.

9. How long do we keep your personal data?

We will retain your personal data for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

In most cases, if you have subscribed to an email alert or subscription service, we will keep your personal data for as long as you are subscribed to that service and delete that data once you have requested to be removed.

10. Your rights and your personal data

Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, we will ensure you can exercise your rights in relation to the personal data you provide to us.

These are as follows:

  • Where we are relying on your consent to use your personal data, you can withdraw that consent or unsubscribe from our services at any time. Instructions are provided when we collect your data.
  • You can request access to the personal data we hold about you at any time by contacting us.
  • The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office.
  • Where we are relying on your consent to use your personal data, you can withdraw that consent or unsubscribe from our services at any time. Instructions are provided when we collect your data.
  • You can request access to the personal data we hold about you at any time by contacting us.
  • You can ask us to update your personal data if it changes. In certain circumstances, you can request we erase the personal data we hold or ask us to stop or restrict processing if you have an objection.
  • You can ask for a copy of your information in a machine-readable format to allow you to obtain and reuse your personal data for your own purposes across different services. (the right to data portability).
  • If you have any privacy-related questions or unresolved problems relating to the use of your personal data, you may complain to us by contacting us.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the supervisory authority, about our collection and use of your personal data. They can be contacted at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, www.ico.org.uk.

11. Further processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Privacy Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

12. Contact Details

To exercise all relevant rights, queries of complaints please in the first instance contact Laurence Besemer, CEO, the Data Controller’s representative.

1 Esher Close,
Basingstoke,
Hampshire
RG22 6JP

Telephone/Fax: 07921 491426
E-mail: laurence.besemer@foil.org.uk

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