Privacy Policy of MedSynapse

Last updated: 27 September 2021
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MedSynapse Privacy Policy

MedSynapse is the world's most trusted and preferred professional network of verified doctors across globe. Members of this network use the MedSynapse web and mobile app to discuss clinical cases and share their expertise in a peer to peer environment. Our mission is to help doctors connect, collaborate and communicate with each other on topics relevant to their medical profession.

This privacy policy sets out the basis on which MedSynapse (together with our subsidiaries, our holding company, subsidiaries of our holding company from time to time, collectively called "MedSynapse" or “we”) collects personal data from you and how we process such data.

Notice:By visiting our website (https://www.medsynapse.app) (our “Site”) or using MedSynapse or any other applications or software we provide from time to time (collectively our “App”), you accept and consent to the practices set out below.

Table of content

  1. Collection of information
  2. Uses made of the information
  3. Disclosure of your information
  4. Cookies
  5. Third-party sites
  6. Security
  7. Data transfer
  8. Your rights
  9. Changes to our privacy policy
  10. Contact us
1.
Collection of information
1.1

For the purposes outlined in Clause 2, we may collect and process the following information about you:

  1. Information you give us - information that you provide us (which may include your name, address, email address, telephone number, credit card information, physician license numbers, professional details and other personal description) by filling in forms on our Site or our App, or by corresponding with us (by phone, email or otherwise), for example:
    1. when you register for an account with us on our Site and in our App.
    2. when you provide additional information in your personal account profile which describes you, including your birth date, social network username, academic background, medical school, institutional affiliations, credentials, professional experiences, and biography.
    3. when you report any problem to us.
    4. when you use certain features on our Site or our App.
    5. when you request any support from us; or
    6. when you complete any survey or questionnaire, we send you.
    7. when you engage in any activity or discussions on the website.
  2. Information we collect about you - information automatically collected when you visit our Site or use our App, for example:
    1. technical information, including the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet and your log-in information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform.
    2. details of any transactions, purchases and payments you made on our Site and in our App; and
    3. information about your visit, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), clickstream to, through and from our site (including date and time), products you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), methods used to browse away from the page, and any phone number used to call our customer service number; and
    4. location information about you which we may determine using information from your device, such as GPS data, information about wireless networks or cell towers near your device, or IP address. Subject to your consent, we may use this to improve and customize our services to you, for example by making you aware of the content, people and ads more relevant to your location. You can choose to turn off location services on your device if you prefer, however if you do so you will not benefit from such personalized content.
  3. Information we receive from third parties - We work with third parties and we may receive information about you from them, for example, business partners, sub-contractors in technical, payment and delivery services, advertising networks, analytics providers, search information providers, or credit reference agencies. We will notify you when we receive information about you from them and the purposes for which we intend to use that information. We reserve the right to work with third parties in order to process your information for identity verification ensuring that all the members of the network are only medical professionals help protect the network integrity. MedSynapse also makes use of Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”), which uses cookies to analyze how users use the website. The information generated by the cookie about Your use of the website will generally be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. At the request of MedSynapse, Google will use this information for the purpose of measuring Your activity on MedSynapse website, compiling statistical reports on overall website activity for MedSynapse on an anonymous basis and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google will not associate your IP address with any other information held by Google. In addition, you can prevent the collection of the information generated by the cookie by Google, as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available from the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en
  4. MedSynapse does not collect personal health information about individuals. We do not collect or maintain information that would associate a submission with a specific patient. As a user of the MedSynapse services, please ensure that you do not disclose anything that would allow a patient to be identified. Note also that MedSynapse does not possess a data-based key to re-identify patient data.
1.2
We only retain personal data for so long as it is necessary. Data may be archived as long as the purpose for which the data was used still exists
1.3
Provision of your personal data to us is voluntary, However, we may not be able to provide you with the products/services described if we do not have your personal data.
2.
Uses made of the information
2.1

We use information held about you for the following purposes:

  1. providing, improving and developing our services.
  2. researching, designing and launching new features or products.
  3. presenting content and information in our Site and our App in the most effective manner for you and for the device you use.
  4. providing you with alerts, updates, materials or information about our services or other types of information that you requested or signed up to.
  5. collecting overdue amounts.
  6. in any part of the world.
  7. responding or taking part in legal proceedings, including seeking professional advice.
  8. for direct marketing purposes (please see further details in Clause 2.2 below).
  9. communicating with you and responding to your questions or requests; and
  10. purposes directly related or incidental to the above.
2.2

We intend to use your personal data in direct marketing (i.e. offering or advertising products or services by sending the relevant information directly to you). We require your consent specifically for this purpose and you may opt out any time. For the purpose of this clause:

  1. the personal data that may be used in direct marketing are those that you provide to us or we collect from you under Clause 1.1 above.
  2. the type of services or products that may be offered or advertised will be our products or services, seminars, conferences or events, and those of our affiliates or business partners.
  3. the relevant information may be sent to you by email, in-app message or phone call.
  4. you may opt out any time by emailing us at support@medsynapse.app. We will cease to send you marketing information without charge.
2.3

Lawful bases to process your information under the GDPR - The GDPR provides for six legal bases that permit an organization like MedSynapse to lawfully process Your information. The six are:

  1. You have given consent to the processing of your information for one or more specific purposes. For example, clicking "I agree" to a cookie alert while browsing a page on the internet or consenting to a specific information processing request contained within an online survey
  2. Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or in order to take steps at the request of you prior to entering into a contract. For example; when You agree to be a MedSynapse panel member MedSynapse will then process your information to; verify Your identity, location and professional specialization, determine the market research opportunities [whether via email or telephone surveys] You are eligible for, match You with third party market research targeting lists, project related pre and post market research analytics provided that Your personal data will not remain with a third party or be used for any other purpose; use Your data to respond to regulatory requests, create and administer an incentives account for the incentives You earn as a MedSynapse panel member and respond to Your queries via our Member Care team.
  3. Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which MedSynapse is subject. For example, accurately reporting taxes, complying with financial transparency laws [e.g. Loi Bertrand in France] or reporting pharmacovigilance adverse event information.
  4. Processing is necessary to order to protect the vital interests of You or of another natural person. For example, reporting Your information as part of a potentially life-saving or life-threatening event, via MedSynapse obligation to report adverse events.
  5. Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in MedSynapse.
  6. Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by MedSynapse or by a related third party, except where such interests are overridden by Your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms. For example: Your information is an important element in MedSynapse provision of a global social network, free at the point of access. As a result, MedSynapse is able to provide its social platform-based tools and products, such as MedSynapse CX Center™ tool that does personalize content marketing based upon your personal information and your past interaction with different contents on the site. The MedSynapse Community team also use Your information to help administer this Site and MedSynapse market research and social network activity that are in part generated form this Site.
3.
Disclosure of your information
3.1

We will keep your personal data we hold confidential, but you agree we may provide information to:

  1. any member of our group, which means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in Section 5 of the Companies Act (Chapter 50);
  2. personnel, agents, advisers, auditors, contractors, financial institutions, and service providers in connection with our operations or services (for example staff engaged in the fulfilment of your order, the processing of your payment and the provision of support services);
  3. our overseas offices, affiliates, business partners and counterparts (on a need-to-know basis only);
  4. persons under a duty of confidentiality to us.
  5. persons to whom we are required to make disclosure under applicable laws and regulations in any part of the world; or
  6. actual or proposed transferees of our operations (or a substantial part thereof) in any part of the world.
  7. law enforcement, government agencies and officials or any legal authority as required to do so by law, rule or regulation.
4.
Cookies
4.1
Our Site uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of the Site. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our Site and also allows us to improve our Site.
4.2
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree to the use of cookies. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
4.3
We use persistent cookies and session cookies. A persistent cookie stays in your browser and will be read by us when you return to our Site or a partner site that uses our services. Session cookies only last for as long as the session (usually the current visit to a website or a browser session).
4.4

We use the following cookies:

  1. necessary cookies – These are cookies that are required for the operation of our Site. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website, use a shopping cart or make use of e-billing services.
  2. Analytical/performance cookies – They allow us to recognize and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our Site when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our Site works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.
  3. Functionality cookies – These are used to recognize you when you return to our Site. This enables us to personalize our content for you, greet you by name and remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region).
  4. Targeting cookies – These cookies record your visit to our Site, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. We will use this information to make our Site and the information displayed on it more relevant to your interests.
4.5
You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you do so, you may not be able to access all or parts of our Site.
4.6
We may use third-party web services on our Site. The service providers that administer these services use technologies such as cookies (which are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies), web server logs and web beacons to help us analyze how visitors use our Site and make the information displayed on it more relevant to your interests. The information collected through these means (including IP addresses) is disclosed to these service providers. These analytics services may use the data collected to contextualize and personalize the marketing materials of their own advertising network.
5.
Third-party sites

Our Site, our App or our communication with you may from time to time contain links to third-party websites over which we have no control. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that they have their own practices and policies. We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of these websites understand your rights. We accept no responsibility or liability for any practices of third-party websites.

6.
Security
6.1
All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers using a variety of industry-standard security technologies and procedures designed to help protect your information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. Despite these measures, you should know that we cannot fully eliminate security risks associated with information and transmission of data over internet. In the event of a data security breach, we will take all required action as required under the law.
6.2
Any payment transactions will be encrypted using TLS/SSL technology.
6.3
Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password that enables you to access certain parts of the Site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.
6.4
We restrict access to personal information to our employees, service providers and contractors on a strictly need-to-know basis and ensure that those persons are subject to contractual confidentiality obligations.
6.5
We review our information collection, storage and processing practices from time to time to guard against unauthorized access, processing or use.
6.6
Please note, however, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Site; any transmission is at your own risk.
7.
Data transfer
7.1
The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside UAE. It may also be processed by persons referred to in Clause 3 above who operate outside UAE.
7.2
By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing of data outside UAE. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely in accordance with this privacy policy.
8.
Your rights
8.1

You have the right to:

  1. check whether we hold personal data about you.
  2. access any personal data we hold about you; and
  3. require us to correct any inaccuracy or error in any personal data we hold about you.
  4. deletion of personal information and account deactivation
8.2
If your personal data as under Clause 8.1 changes (personal, professional, profile and payment information), it can be updated on the profile page of the site. MedSynapse will correct, update or remove your personal data provided to MedSynapse as directed or You can do so via the self-service profile page mentioned above. If you no longer desire to use our services, you may permanently delete your MedSynapse account. MedSynapse will aim to complete account deactivations within 30 days from the original request.
9.
Changes to our privacy policy

We may amend this policy from time to time by posting the updated policy on our Site. In the event of any change in the way we treat your personal data, or in the privacy policy document itself, we will display a notice on the MedSynapse website or send you an email. By continuing to use our Site and our App after the changes come into effect means that you agree to be bound by the revised policy. In case you have objection to any of the changes to our terms, and you no longer wish to use our services, you may contact MedSynapse support to deactivate your account.

10.
Contact us

If you have any questions, comments or requests regarding this privacy policy or MedSynapse's information collection, use and disclosure practices, you may contact us by getting in touch with our Support Officer via email to the following address : support@medsynapse.app