Data protection

You can use this website to access services, establish or maintain business relationships, and make other forms of contact. Swiss Cancer Research is responsible for processing your data. If you have any questions regarding data protection, please contact us at the following address:

Swiss Cancer Research, Effingerstrasse 40, PO Box, 3001 Bern, Switzerland or via email at datenschutz@krebsforschung.ch

We primarily process personal data received from donors, researchers, employees, Foundation Board members, business partners, and other related parties, as well as data collected from users through our websites and applications.

This includes the following types of personal data:

• Contact and identification data (this includes, for example, first and last name, postal address, telephone number, email address, date of birth or user account information)
• Donation data (this includes information on the time and the amounts and values that were donated or contributed)
• Contract data (this includes, for example, details of a service received/provided and remuneration)
• Communication data (this includes, for example, physical or electronic correspondence, telephone or video calls)
• Marketing data (this includes, for example, information on ordering a newsletter or participating in a competition and events)
• Data in connection with applications for a job offer (this includes, for example, letters of recommendation and/or application, letters of motivation, job references, references)
• Meta/communication data (e.g. IP address, MAC address of the smartphone or computer, details of your device and settings, cookies)

Where permitted, we may also obtain certain data from publicly accessible sources (e.g., debt collection registers, country registers, commercial registers, press, internet) or from authorities and other third parties (e.g., advisory centers or address management companies). In addition to the data you provide directly to us, we may receive the following categories of personal data about you from third parties:  

• Information from public registers  
• Information that we obtain in connection with official and legal proceedings  
• Information in connection with your professional functions and activities (e.g. so that we can conclude and process transactions with your employer with your help)  
• Information about you in correspondence and meetings with third parties  
• Information about you that people close to you (family, advisors, legal representatives, etc.) provide to us so that we can conclude or process contracts with you or with your involvement (e.g. references, your address for deliveries, powers of attorney)  
• Information on compliance with legal requirements, information from banks, insurance companies, sales and other contractual parties of ours on the use or provision of services by you (e.g. payments made, purchases made)  
• Information about you from the media and the Internet (insofar as this is appropriate in the specific case, e.g. in the context of a job application, marketing/consulting, etc.), your addresses and, if applicable, interests and other socio-demographic data (for marketing) 

Swiss Cancer Research processes personal data primarily to establish and manage business relationships and contracts, support the implementation of scientific research projects, and facilitate fundraising activities. Additionally, personal data is collected and utilized when purchasing products and services from our suppliers and subcontractors, as well as to fulfill our legal obligations both in Switzerland and abroad. If you are employed by a company that has a business relationship with us, your personal data may also be processed in this context.

Furthermore, Swiss Cancer Research processes personal data for other purposes, where such processing is legally permissible and deemed appropriate. This includes situations where we (and occasionally third parties) have a legitimate interest that aligns with the purpose of the processing.

• Processing donations and contributions
• Providing and further developing our offers, services, websites and other platforms on which we are present
• Information about our foundation
• Evaluation of data on donation behavior and benefits
• Communicating with third parties and processing their inquiries (e.g. consultations, research funding applications, job applications, media inquiries)
• Reviewing and optimizing needs analysis procedures for directly addressing customers and collecting personal data from publicly accessible sources to acquire customers
• Fundraising, advertising and marketing (including the organization of events), provided you have not objected to the use of your data (if we send you advertising as an existing contact, you can object to this at any time, and we will then place you on a blacklist against further advertising mailings)
• Market and opinion research, media monitoring
• Updating master/address data
• Assertion of legal claims and defense in connection with legal disputes and official proceedings
• Prevention and investigation of criminal offenses and other misconduct (e.g. conducting internal investigations, data analysis to combat fraud)
• Ensuring our operations, in particular IT, our websites and other platforms
• Administration of our associations including memberships 

We commonly rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data: 

• Your consent, insofar as you have given us your consent to process your personal data for specific purposes (for example, when you register to receive newsletters or to process research grant applications). You can withdraw your consent at any time, but this has no effect on data processing that has already taken place  
• the conclusion or fulfillment of a contract with you or your request in advance (for example, by donating to us, submitting a job application, receiving a research grant or a benefit in kind from us) 
• a balancing of interests (for example, if your professional contact details are collected when you place an order/contact us on behalf of your employer or in the event of a medical/social emergency)  
• a legal obligation (e.g. for the storage of documents by us or a report to state authorities)

We handle personal data with the utmost care and only disclose it under exceptional circumstances. Disclosure to third parties occurs strictly within the scope of our business activities and for the purposes outlined in the disclosure section. This is done only when it is legally permissible and deemed appropriate, either because the third parties process the data on our behalf or because they intend to use it for their own purposes. This particularly applies to the following parties (collectively referred to as "authorized recipients):

• Service providers of ours (as well as externally, such as banks, insurance companies) including processors (such as IT providers)
• Partner organizations such as the Swiss Cancer League
• Companies and subcontractors in the areas of trade, delivery and other businesses
• Customers
• Domestic and foreign authorities, official bodies and courts;
• The media
• The public, including visitors to websites and social media;
• Competitors, industry organizations, associations, organizations and other bodies
• Other parties in potential or actual legal proceedings
• Debt collection companies

Some of these authorized recipients may be located anywhere in the world. You should expect your data to be transferred to any country where our service providers operate. If we transfer data to a country without adequate statutory data protection, we ensure that a level of protection equivalent to that in Switzerland or the EEA is maintained at all times, using guarantees such as appropriate contracts (e.g., EU-Standardvertragsklauseln or Binding Corporate Rules) as required by law. You may request a copy of these contractual guarantees from the contact listed above, unless they are available via the link provided above. Please note that we reserve the right to redact or provide excerpts of these copies for reasons of data protection or confidentiality. Alternatively, we may rely on statutory exceptions for international transfers, such as consent, contract performance, the establishment, exercise, or enforcement of legal claims, overriding public interests, published personal data, or when necessary to protect the integrity of the data subjects. 

We process and store your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill our contractual and legal obligations or to achieve the purposes for which the data was collected. This includes the entire duration of the business relationship, from initiation and execution to the termination of the contract and extends beyond this period as required by statutory retention and documentation obligations. Personal data may also be retained for the period during which claims can be asserted against our organization or if legally required or justified by legitimate business interests (e.g., for evidence and documentation purposes). Once your personal data is no longer needed for these purposes, it will be deleted or anonymized to the extent possible. Generally, operational data, such as system logs and protocols, is retained for shorter periods, typically twelve months or less.

We take comprehensive technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from manipulation, loss, destruction, unauthorized access, and misuse. These measures are designed to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of your data, as well as the availability and resilience of our systems and services over the long term. In the event of a physical or technical incident, they also facilitate the swift restoration of data availability and access.

Our security practices are continually updated in response to technological advancements. We also prioritize internal data protection rigorously. Our employees and service providers are required to maintain confidentiality and adhere to data protection regulations. Access to personal data is strictly limited to what is necessary for their duties. This is enforced through directives, training, IT and network security solutions, access controls, encryption of data carriers and transmissions, pseudonymization, and regular audits.

You have the right to information, correction, deletion, the right to restrict data processing and otherwise to object to our data processing as well as to the disclosure of certain personal data for the purpose of transfer to another body (data portability) within the scope of the data protection law applicable to you and insofar as provided therein.

Please note, however, that we reserve the right to assert the restrictions provided for by law, for example if we are obliged to store or process certain data, have an overriding interest in doing so (insofar as we are entitled to invoke this) or require it for the assertion of claims. As noted above, you have the possibility to withdraw your consent at any time.

Please note that exercising these rights may conflict with contractual agreements and may have consequences such as premature termination of the contract or cost consequences. We will inform you in advance if this is not already contractually regulated.

The exercise of such rights generally requires that you provide clear proof of your identity (e.g. by means of a copy of your ID where your identity is otherwise not clear or cannot be verified). To assert your rights, you can contact us at the address given above.

Every data subject has the right to enforce their claims in court or to file a complaint with a data protection authority regarding our processing of their data. In Switzerland, the competent data protection authority is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, located at Feldeggweg 1, 3005 Bern, Switzerland (www.edoeb.admin.ch). For issues related to public cantonal or municipal service contracts, the relevant cantonal data protection officers should be contacted.

Our website may contain links to external sites not covered by this privacy policy. Once you click on a link, we no longer have control over how your data (such as IP address or URL) is processed by these third parties. Consequently, we cannot assume responsibility for how your personal data is handled by external sites. Please review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit.

At the time of linking, we did not detect any illegal content. However, we cannot be reasonably expected to continuously monitor or review linked sites without specific evidence of infringement. If we become aware of any legal violations, we will promptly remove the offending links.

You can subscribe to our newsletter via our website by completing the form with your email address and other required information. This information is necessary for us to send you our newsletters.

Our newsletters provide updates several times a year on current topics related to cancer, research, publications, and events.

Subscription follows a double opt-in process: after registering and checking the relevant box, you'll receive an email with a link to confirm your subscription.

You may unsubscribe or withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link provided in any of our newsletters.

We use cookies and similar technologies on our websites and subsites to identify your browser or device. A cookie is a small file sent to your computer or automatically stored on your device by your web browser when you visit our site. This helps us recognize you on subsequent visits, even if we don't know your identity.

There are two types of cookies we use:

• Session cookies: These are temporary cookies that are erased from your device once you close your web browser.
• Persistent cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a set period and store user settings such as language preferences or autologin details.

You can configure your browser to reject cookies, store them only for the duration of your session, or delete them prematurely. Most browsers are set to accept cookies by default.

We use persistent cookies to better understand how you interact with our offers and content, and to provide you with personalized offers and advertisements. This can include ads on other companies' websites. However, we do not share your personal identity with these companies; they only receive information about usage patterns.

You can delete cookies at any time through your browser settings or other software programs. Instructions for managing cookies can be found in your browser's help menu. Please note that blocking cookies may impact certain functionalities, such as language selection, shopping cart, and ordering processes.

Additionally, we may include visible and invisible image elements in our newsletters and marketing emails, as permitted. These images allow us to track whether and when you open an email, helping us measure and improve how our offers are used and tailored to your preferences. You can block this tracking in your email program; many email clients are configured to do this by default.

We process your personal data using automated methods to evaluate certain aspects of your profile (profiling). This profiling helps us deliver targeted information and advice about products tailored to your needs. We utilize evaluation tools to ensure that our communication and advertising are relevant and aligned with your interests, including conducting market and opinion research.

We may update this privacy policy at any time without prior notice. The version published on our website will always apply. If this privacy policy is part of an agreement with you, we will notify you of any changes via email or another appropriate method.