Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy

At the TAGRA Congress Organizing Committee ("TAGRA", "We", "The Organization"), we deeply respect the privacy of our participants, speakers, committee members, and all individuals visiting our website. This Privacy Policy is designed to transparently explain how your personal data is collected, used, protected, and shared within the scope of TAGRA congresses.

1. Personal Data We Collect

To ensure the seamless execution of congress operations (registration, accommodation, scientific peer-review, presentations), we collect the following categories of data via the Indico system and other official forms:

• • • Identity and Contact Data: First name, last name, title, gender, Passport/National ID number (strictly for accommodation and official visa/invitation letter processing), email address, phone number, and postal address.

    • Academic and Professional Data: Institutional affiliation, department, academic title, brief biography (bio-sketch), areas of expertise, and submitted abstracts/full papers.

    • Financial Data: Billing information, tax ID, and payment receipts. (Please note: Your credit card details are never stored by us; they are transmitted directly to authorized and secure third-party payment gateways via encrypted channels).

    • Logistical and Sensitive Data: Accommodation preferences, travel/flight details, and—subject to your explicit consent—dietary requirements, allergies, or accessibility needs related to disabilities.

    • Visual and Audio Data: Photographs, video recordings taken in the congress area for general security and event archiving, as well as audio/video recordings of online or hybrid sessions.

    • Technical and Digital Data: IP addresses, browser information, Indico system login logs, and cookie data.

2. Purposes and Legal Basis for Processing

Your personal data is processed for the purposes outlined below, strictly in accordance with the relevant legal grounds:

3. Data Transfer and Third Parties

Your data is strictly confidential and will never be sold for commercial purposes. However, to fulfill the operational requirements of the congress, your data may be shared on a strictly "need-to-know" basis with the following parties:

• • • Service Providers: Congress management software infrastructures (e.g., Indico), web hosting companies, email delivery platforms, and badge/certificate printing firms.

    • Logistics and Accommodation Partners: Respective hotels, travel agencies, and transfer companies (only to process your specific requests).

    • Scientific Committees: Academic data of participants submitting abstracts is shared with scientific committee members for blind peer-review processes.

    • Official Authorities: Competent judicial and administrative authorities, only if a legal obligation arises.

4. Data Retention Periods

Your personal data is securely stored for the duration required by the processing purposes or for the statutory limitation periods prescribed by relevant legal regulations (e.g., 10 years for financial records under tax laws).

Following the conclusion of the congress, your contact information may be retained under our legitimate interest to inform you about future TAGRA events. Other purely operational data (such as dietary preferences, flight codes, and hotel room types) will be permanently deleted or anonymized within a maximum of 6 months post-congress.

5. Our Data Security Standards

We implement robust, industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:

• • • End-to-end SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption is utilized across the Indico system and all our registration forms.

    • Database access is strictly restricted to authorized organizing committee members who are bound by Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).

    • Routine cybersecurity vulnerability scans and automated backup protocols are actively maintained.

6. Participants' Rights

As a data subject, under the GDPR and Article 11 of the KVKK, you possess the following rights:

• • • To know whether your personal data is being processed,

    • To request detailed information regarding the processing activities,

    • To learn the purpose of processing and whether the data is used appropriately,

    • To request the correction of incomplete or inaccurate data,

    • To request the deletion or destruction of your data (Right to be Forgotten) when the legal grounds for processing no longer apply,

    • To be informed about the third parties to whom your data has been transferred,

    • To withdraw your explicit consent at any time (for processes reliant on consent).

7. Contact Us

For any inquiries, requests, or the exercise of your rights regarding your personal data, you may contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO). All requests will be addressed free of charge and resolved within a maximum of 30 legal days.

Email: privacy@syntagra.com

Address: TAGRA Organizing Committee Official Address, Türkiye

By confirming this policy and registering for the congress, the individual acknowledges that they have read, understood, and accepted the terms outlined above.