IWRA's XVIII World Water Congress' Organising Committee is paying high importance and is strongly committed to protecting your privacy rights. This “Privacy & Data Use Policy” explains the collection, use, and disclosure of “personal information” by the XVIII World Water Congress, through the congress website, mobile apps, communications by e-mail and through social media, by telephone and in person. The Privacy Policy is formulated in accordance with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the People's Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan for the purpose of the Policy), aiming at explaining our commitment to you with respect to our use and disclosure of the personal information that the XVIII World Water Congress Organising Committee collects from you. That commitment is contained in a “Data Usage Policy,” below. As used in this policy, “personal information” means information that would allow a party to identify you, for example, your name, address or location and e-mail address. The XVIII World Water Congress collects personal information in order to provide better services to its users.

By using our websites, applications and other products and services, it means that you agree we collect, use or process your information (including personal information) in other ways for the purpose of providing you with those products, services, and you agree to the Privacy Policy.

1. Purpose of Collection and Use of Personal Information

We collect information only for the purpose of providing services to participants and facilitating our communication with them. We do not collect or use personal information for any other purposes. The personal information you provide us makes it possible for us to deliver, based on it, more useful information selectively.

1.1 Visitors to our Website

When a user visits www.worldwatercongress.com, we use a third-party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet information and details of user behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the page views to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. If we do want to collect personally identifiable information through our website, we will be explicit about this. We will make it clear when we collect personal information and will explain what we intend to do with it. For more information on Google Analytics, please see: https://policies.google.com/privacy .

1.2 E-mails and Newsletters

We use the personal information you provide us when you receive our newsletter in order to respond to your request, to reply to your e-mail or to send you communications about news and events related to the XVIII World Water Congress. When you subscribe to our newsletter, your name and e-mail address are sent to and stored by the XVIII World Water Congress (www.worldwatercongress.com).

1.3 Website Users

When you register for an account on www.worldwatercongress.com, you will be asked to provide personal information to create your account and set up password and profile.

Providing your e-mail address and/or real name is required. Your personal information will be used for the paper submission, exhibition application and Congress online registration when you apply for it. If you do provide your e-mail address, it will allow us to send your password when you forget it.

We will also use that personal information to create and maintain your user account and provide you with the features we provide for Registered Users, and for the purpose of contacting you about the latest news, results of paper submission and request for further information.

We will facilitate your e-mail address in order to identify your IWRA membership status when you make a payment for the Congress registration or exhibition application. Your information will also be used for the application of tour programmes and dietary requirements.

Third Party Service Providers working on our behalf:

We may pass your information to our third party service providers, agents, subcontractors and other associated organisations for the purposes of completing tasks and providing services to you on our behalf (for example to process website payments, or to mail you any updates etc). However, when we use third party service providers, we disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service and we are putting in place contracts that require them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes. Any other personal information that we may collect which is not described specifically in this Privacy Policy will only be collected and used in accordance with the Principles. When there is a change on the range, purpose, and use of the information collected by us, we will make sure to notify you and ask for your approval beforehand.

2. Range of Personal Information

Only the minimum amount of information is reasonably necessary to provide you with services should be collected and maintained, and only for so long as reasonably needed or required; This includes your name, e-mail including alternative e-mail address, postal code and address, phone numbers and affiliations.

3. Maintenance and Disuse of Personal Information

Information you provide us through our website, or that we gather as a result of your use of our website, will not be used for marketing or advertising purposes, nor will it be provided voluntarily (without your permission) to anyone else unless required. The XVIII World Water Congress will continue to maintain and manage your personal information as long as we continue to receive your information about paper submission, registration, updates related to the XVIII World Water Congress. We will maintain and protect all personal information during the use of our services. Also, when you cancel your account by request, all personal information you provide us will be permanently deleted from our database, ensuring that the opening or use of such information for any purposes is no longer possible. After the period of our service, the collected personal information will be transferred to International Water Resources Association (IWRA) and it will follow their Privacy & Data Use Policy. Please visit IWRA website's privacy policy to learn more.

4. Security Management for Personal information

The XVIII World Water Congress has implemented reasonable measures to protect against unauthorised access and unlawful interception or processing of personal information. However, no website can fully eliminate security risks. We will post a reasonably prominent notice on the website if any such security breach occurs.

Your personal information is stored in the People's Republic of China. For any cross-border products or services, which we need to transfer your personal information abroad, we will strictly follow the laws and regulations, and ensure the security of your personal information.

5. Changes and Updates to this Privacy Policy

We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy. When we do so, we will also update the Effective Date below. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed about how we are protecting the personal information we collect. Your continued use of the website constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Policy and any updates.

6. Responsibility for Security Breach

Participants are responsible for the security of the passwords for their Congress accounts. The XVIII World Water Congress will never ask you for your password, either through mail or any other methods. Under no circumstances should you ever disclose your password. We ask that you pay particular attention when you are logged in, in order to ensure that your personal information is not divulged to others. If you have any concerns or suggestions about our Privacy Policy and your personal information, please do not hesitate to contact our representatives listed below through e-mail, and we will respond to you as expeditiously as possible.

For any questions, contact us via the information provided below:

Tel: +86(0)10-63206657, +86(0)10-63206656

E-mail: WWC18th@163.com

Address: 2-1 Liupukang Beixiaojie, Xicheng District, Beijing, China

Date: 12 May 2022 (Ver. 3.0)