European Branch of the Toyohari Association

EBTA Privacy Policy

EBTA Privacy Policy


Last updated: 1 Januar 2025

1. Introduction

The European Branch of the Toyohari Association (EBTA) is a not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee, registered with Companies House (UK), no. 7027743. Our mission is to provide post-graduate education to therapists through the Post-Graduate (PG) Basic Training Course in Toyohari Meridian Therapy for probationary members. We also offer continuing education via digital and online training, advanced courses, and annual events.

This Privacy and Cookies Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data, as well as how we use cookies on our website.

2. Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information

We collect and process personal information for the following purposes:

  • Membership Management: To maintain an accurate and up-to-date membership database.
  • Course and Event Applications: To facilitate applications and participation in courses, training programs, and events.
  • Communication: To send newsletters, updates, and other relevant communications to members.
  • Payment Processing: To manage payments for annual subscriptions, courses, and events securely.

Your personal data is collected with your informed consent whenever necessary and is used exclusively to deliver our services and fulfill our obligations to you as a member or student.

If you are browsing our website without logging in or engaging with specific features, no personal data is collected. At present, we do not use analytics tools to track or gather personal information about visitors. However, we reserve the right to implement such tools in the future to improve user experience and website functionality. Any analytics tools implemented will comply with applicable data protection regulations, and details will be updated in this Privacy Policy..

EBTA does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We share your data only with trusted service providers essential for our operations, such as payment processors, email campaign platforms, and membership management systems, as detailed in Section 4. These providers are contractually obligated to handle your data securely and in compliance with data protection regulations.

You have the right to request a copy of the information we hold about you or to inquire about how your data is used. To exercise these rights, please contact us at the address provided in Section 8.

3. Categories of Personal Data Collected

The following categories of personal data may be collected to manage membership, provide services, and process payments:

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, mailing address, address postal, phone number.
  • Membership Details: Membership tier, registration history, participation in events, and training records, occupation, medical qualifications, acupuncture training, clinical practice address, other acupuncture memberships, how you heard about the toyohari.
  • Payment Information: Data required to process transactions securely via Stripe (e.g., transaction ID). Stripe manages card details directly.
  • Technical Data: Cookies, IP addresses, and session data for secure and functional website operation.
  • Login Credentials: Encrypted passwords used for secure authentication. Passwords are encrypted using wp_hash_password, ensuring that no one, including developers, can access them in plaintext.

Third-party services like Stripe may also collect and process data as described in their respective privacy policies.

4. Third-Party Applications

We use the following third-party services to facilitate our operations:

  • The EBTA membership application is hosted on toyoharieurope.com and accessible only after an authorized login. The EBTA membership application is used for membership database management, event enrollments, mailing, and subscription management.
  • Stripe: As our primary payment processor. Stripe ensures secure payments but may generate cookies as described in Section 5.

We do not store or have access to your payment card information. This is securely managed by Stripe.

5. Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device to enhance the functionality of our website and services.

5.1 Cookies Used on Our Website

Essential Cookies:

  • ebtasession: A session cookie necessary for memberships and students login and authentication. This cookie enables access to the private areas of the website and expires when the session ends. It is necessary to use the ebta.app.
  • cookieyes-consent: CookieYes sets this cookie to remember users’ consent preferences so that their preferences are respected on subsequent visits to this site. It does not collect or store any personal information about the site visitors.
  • policy-version: This cookie is used to record the current version of our privacy and cookie policy. Its purpose is to ensure that users are informed and can review any changes when the policy is updated. If a new version is detected, the cookie facilitates the display of the consent notice to comply with regulatory requirements and ensure transparency.
  • __stripe_mid: This cookie is set by Stripe to prevent fraud and ensure the security of payment transactions. It helps identify a customer and manage interactions with Stripe’s payment services. This cookie has a duration of 1 year.
  • __stripe_sid: Used by Stripe to manage session information and ensure secure payment processing. This cookie is essential for maintaining the integrity of transactions and does not collect personal user information.. This cookie expires after 30 minutes.

These cookies are strictly necessary for the functioning of our site and cannot be disabled via the cookie banner. Even if a user selects “Reject All” in the CookieYes banner, these essential cookies will remain active as they are required to provide core functionalities, such as secure login and payment processing. This practice complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which permits the use of essential cookies without explicit consent when they are critical to the operation of the website.

5.2 Cookies Set by Stripe

When interacting with our payment system (e.g., initiating or completing a payment), additional cookies may be set by Stripe under their domain (e.g., stripe.com or m.stripe.network). These cookies support payment processing, user authentication, and fraud prevention.

We do not control these cookies directly. For more information, please refer to Stripe’s Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

6. Managing Cookies

You can manage your cookie preferences through the cookie banner on our website. Most browsers also allow you to control cookies through their settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of certain features, such as login or payment processing.

7. Your Rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights:

  • Access: Request access to your personal data.
  • Rectification: Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erasure: Request the deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations).
  • Restriction: Restrict processing of your data under certain circumstances.
  • Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format.
  • Objection: Object to the processing of your data for specific purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address below.

8. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy and Cookies Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

  • EBTA Registered address: Lumaneri House Blythe Gate, Blythe Valley Park, Solihull, West Midlands B90 8AH, UK.
  • EBTA Secretary: Cara Spinelli
  • email: ebtasecretary2@gmail.com

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The latest version will always be available on our website, and we encourage you to review it periodically.