Privacy Policy

ISBT Blood Group Database Privacy Policy

Effective date: 1 April 2026

1. Introduction

1.1 This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by International Society of Blood Transfusion, a society established under the laws of the Netherlands (hereinafter "ISBT"), specifically personal data of registered and non-registered users of the ISBT Blood Group Database. ISBT greatly values your privacy and will keep your personal information confidential at all times.

1.2 This privacy policy clarifies what data we process, when we process such data and for what purpose. It explains what rights you have and what we do to ensure that your personal data is stored safely. This privacy statement is applicable when you visit the ISBT Blood Group Database (https://blooddatabase.isbtweb.org), register an account, or contact us.

1.3 ISBT complies with EU Regulation 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) and the Dutch data protection laws. ISBT takes all reasonable care to prevent any unauthorised access to your personal information. The personal data that you provide to us is always stored on secure servers and is not accessible to third parties.

1.4 A registered user is an individual who has registered an account on the ISBT Blood Group Database. A non-registered user is an individual who visits the ISBT Blood Group Database without having an account.

2. Personal Data Processed by ISBT

2.1 Personal data is data that can be directly or indirectly traced back to you as a person. Our basic principle is that we never collect and process any more personal data about you than is strictly necessary.

2.2 For all database users (registered and non-registered), the following data are processed:

  • Location
  • Details about your activities on the website (e.g. pages visited)
  • Your IP address
  • Your browser and device type

Please note that these details cannot be traced back to individual persons.

2.3 For registered database users, the additional data that we process is limited to personal data that is necessary for the operation of the allele suggestion system within the ISBT Blood Group Database, and consists of your contact details including name, affiliation and email address. We process this personal data to be able to contact you in case there are questions regarding your submission, and to inform you in case of rejections. When submitting an allele suggestion you agree to your personal data being shared with the assignee of the respective blood group system and the second reviewer.

2.4 If ISBT decides it would like to process your personal data for other purposes, such as marketing, we will only do so after obtaining explicit consent from you. You can withdraw your consent at any time without providing any motivation.

3. Retention Period of Personal Data

3.1 We do not store your personal data longer than is strictly necessary to carry out the purpose for which it was collected. In any event, we will store the personal data you provided as long as necessary to render our services to you. You may request deletion of your account at any time. Upon account deletion, we will remove your login credentials and contact information from our active systems. However, to maintain the integrity of the scientific record and ensure proper attribution, your name and institutional affiliation will remain permanently associated with any alleles, corrections, or data you contributed to the database. This information becomes part of the permanent scientific record and cannot be removed.

4. Cookie Policy

ISBT uses cookies or similar technologies for authorisation purposes when logging in to a user account on the ISBT Blood Group Database. We do not use tracking cookies.

5. Links to Other Websites

The Blood Group Database may include links to other websites whose privacy practices may differ from those of our website. If you submit personal information to any of those other websites, your information is governed by their specific privacy policies. We encourage you to carefully read the privacy policy of any website that you visit.

6. Email Communications

6.1 ISBT will not send you unsolicited messages (via e-mail or any other means such as social media) and will not contact you on behalf of third parties without your consent. Your personal information will not be passed on to any other individual or organisation, except for purposes listed in 2.3.

6.2 ISBT uses e-mail as its primary form of communication. Consequently, you cannot opt out of basic e-mail communications that is required in the scope of allele submissions.

7. Notification of Privacy Policy Changes

ISBT may update this privacy policy to reflect changes to ISBT's information practices. If we make any material changes, we will notify you by means of a notice on the website and by updating the "effective date" found at the top of this privacy policy. Registered users will additionally be notified by email.

8. Your Privacy Rights

You have certain rights in order to be assured of the protection and privacy of your personal data:

  • Right of access: You can ask us which personal data we are processing about you and to obtain access to these personal data.
  • Right to rectification: You can request us to modify your personal data in case you believe that your personal data are not up to date, complete or accurate.
  • Right to erasure ('right to be forgotten'): Under certain circumstances, you may ask for erasure of your personal data.
  • Right to restriction: Under certain circumstances, you have the right to restrict the processing of (certain) personal data.
  • Right to data portability: Under certain circumstances, you can ask us to transmit the personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: Under certain circumstances, you have the right to object to any processing of personal data that ISBT justifies on the legitimate interests legal processing ground.
  • Right to withdraw consent: If the processing of your personal data is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. The withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing prior to the withdrawal.

9. Data Protection Officer and Contact Details

In compliance with 2016/679 of the European Parliament (General Data Protection Regulation — GDPR), we have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who is responsible for any privacy and data protection concerns related to ISBT, and who can be reached at finance@isbtweb.org.

The International Society of Blood Transfusion

Marnixstraat 317

1016 TB Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Phone: +31(0)20 760 17 60

Chamber of Commerce number: 342 05 247

Website: www.isbtweb.org

v1 April 2026 | See also our Terms & Conditions