PRIVACY Policy

Last updated: July 3, 2025

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how the Empathy-Based Society Institute (“we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you use the ebsi-institute.org website (“Website”) and related services (“Services”). We are a nonprofit organization registered in Slovenia, dedicated to advancing empathy, education, and social good.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and processing your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

Empathy-Based Society Institute
https://www.ebsi-institute.org/contact

3. Information We Collect

We collect information in two main ways:

a) Voluntarily Provided Information

This is information you knowingly provide when you interact with our Website and Services, such as:

• Newsletter sign-up: Name and email address

• Online course registration or paid services: Name, email address, and payment details (payment information is processed securely by PayPal; we do not store your card details)

• Donations: Name, email address, and payment details (processed securely by Goodstack; we do not store your card details)

• Contact forms or email inquiries: Name, email address, and the content of your message

b) Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our Website, we automatically collect certain technical and usage information, including:

• Log Data: IP address, browser type and version, pages visited, date and time of visit, time spent on each page, referring site, and error logs (if applicable)

• Device Data: Device type, operating system, browser information, and similar technical details

• Analytics Data: Usage and interaction data collected via Google Analytics to help us understand and improve how visitors use our Website

This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies. For more details, see our Cookies Policy.

c) Sensitive Information

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information (such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, health data, etc.). If you voluntarily provide such information, we will only process it with your explicit consent and as permitted by law.

d) Children’s Data

Our website is suitable for users of all ages. If you are under 16 and wish to sign up for our newsletter or provide personal data, please ensure you have permission from a parent or legal guardian.

4. How We Collect Your Data

• When you fill out forms on our Website (e.g., newsletter sign-up, contact forms)

• When you register for or purchase our programs, courses, or services

• When you make a donation

• Automatically through cookies and similar technologies (see Cookies Policy)

• When you communicate with us by email or other means

5. Why We Process Your Data (Legal Bases)

We process your personal data for the following purposes and legal bases:

• To provide our services: To deliver free and paid content, courses, and support (performance of a contract)

• To process payments and donations: (performance of a contract and legal obligation)

• To send newsletters and updates: With your explicit consent

• To respond to inquiries: (legitimate interest or consent)

• To improve our Website and services: Using analytics and feedback (legitimate interest)

• To comply with legal obligations: (legal requirement)

6. How We Use Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies to:

• Ensure the Website functions properly (strictly necessary cookies)

• Analyze usage and improve our services (analytical cookies, e.g., Google Analytics)

• Process payments and donations (third-party cookies from PayPal and Goodstack)

For detailed information about the cookies we use, please see our Cookies Policy.

7. Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties

We may share your personal data with:

• Service providers: Such as payment processors (PayPal, Goodstack), web hosting, and analytics tools (Google Analytics)

• Legal authorities: If required by law or to protect our legal rights

• No sale of data: We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties

All affiliate links (e.g., to our hosting provider) are clearly disclosed on the Website.

8. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers (such as Google Analytics, PayPal) may process your data outside the EU. When this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent protections, as required by the GDPR.

9. Data Retention

We keep your personal information only for as long as we need to. This time period may depend on what we are using your information for, in accordance with this privacy policy. For example, if you have provided us with personal information such as an email address when contacting us about a specific enquiry, we may retain this information for the duration of your enquiry remaining open as well as for our own records so we may effectively address similar enquiries in future. If your personal information is no longer required for this purpose, we will delete it or make it anonymous by removing all details that identify you.

However, if necessary, we may retain your personal information for our compliance with a legal, accounting, or reporting obligation or for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific, or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.

10. Your Rights and Controlling Your Personal Information

·       Your choice: By providing personal information to us, you understand we will collect, hold, use, and disclose your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy. You do not have to provide personal information to us, however, if you do not, it may affect your use of our website or the products and/or services offered on or through it.

·       Information from third parties: If we receive personal information about you from a third party, we will protect it as set out in this privacy policy. If you are a third party providing personal information about somebody else, you represent and warrant that you have such person’s consent to provide the personal information to us.

·       Marketing permission: If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by contacting us using the details below.

·       Access: You may request details of the personal information that we hold about you.

·       Correction: If you believe that any information we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading, please contact us using the details provided in this privacy policy. We will take reasonable steps to correct any information found to be inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or out of date.

·       Non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights over your personal information. Unless your personal information is required to provide you with a particular service or offer (for example processing transaction data), we will not deny you goods or services and/or charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties, or provide you with a different level or quality of goods or services.

·       Notification of data breaches: We will comply with laws applicable to us in respect of any data breach.

·       Complaints: If you believe that we have breached a relevant data protection law and wish to make a complaint, please contact us using the details below and provide us with full details of the alleged breach. We will promptly investigate your complaint and respond to you, in writing, setting out the outcome of our investigation and the steps we will take to deal with your complaint. You also have the right to contact a regulatory body or data protection authority in relation to your complaint.

·       Unsubscribe: To unsubscribe from our email database or opt-out of communications (including marketing communications), please contact us using the details provided in this privacy policy, or opt-out using the opt-out facilities provided in the communication. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity.

11. Security of Your Data

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. Payment information is processed securely by third-party providers and is not stored on our servers.

When we collect and process personal information, and while we retain this information, we will protect it within commercially acceptable means to prevent loss and theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.

Although we will do our best to protect the personal information you provide to us, we advise that no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure and no one can guarantee absolute data security.

You are responsible for selecting any password and its overall security strength, ensuring the security of your own information within the bounds of our services. For example, ensuring you do not make your personal information publicly available via our platform.

12. Newsletter and Communications

If you sign up for our newsletter, we will use your name and email address to send you updates and information about our activities. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us.

If you are under 16, please ensure you have parental consent before subscribing.

13. Limits of Our Policy

Our website may link to external sites that are not operated by us. Please be aware that we have no control over the content and policies of those sites, and cannot accept responsibility or liability for their respective privacy practices.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

At our discretion, we may change our privacy policy to reflect updates to our business processes, current acceptable practices, or legislative or regulatory changes. If we decide to change this privacy policy, we will post the changes here at the same link by which you are accessing this privacy policy.

If required by law, we will get your permission or give you the opportunity to opt in to or opt out of, as applicable, any new uses of your personal information.

15. Contact

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at: https://www.ebsi-institute.org/contact