BFE Privacy Policy
Effective Date: August 18, 2026
Last Updated: August 18, 2026
1. Introduction
Biofeedback Federation CIC ("BFE", "we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care, transparency, and respect.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our websites, register for conferences or educational programmes, purchase products from our online shop, subscribe to our communications, or otherwise interact with us.
We process personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable data protection legislation.
2. About Us
Biofeedback Federation CIC is a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales. We promote education in and greater awareness of biofeedback and neurofeedback through conferences, educational programmes, and related activities.
For the purposes of data protection legislation, Biofeedback Federation CIC is the Data Controller for the personal information collected through our websites and services, except where registration or payment for certain conferences or events is administered by an authorised partner organisation.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the way we process your personal information, please contact us:
Biofeedback Federation CIC
Email: info@bfe.org
3. Scope of This Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to:
the Biofeedback Federation CIC website;
our online shop;
our conference and meeting websites operated by or on behalf of Biofeedback Federation CIC;
online registration forms;
newsletter subscriptions;
contact forms;
and any other online services we provide that link to this Privacy Policy.
Where registration or payment for a conference is managed by one of our authorised partner organisations, you may also be subject to that organisation's privacy policy. Where applicable, this will be made clear during the registration process.
4. Information We Collect
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.
Information You Provide
You may provide us with personal information when you:
contact us through our website;
subscribe to our newsletter;
register for a conference, webinar, workshop, or educational programme;
purchase products from our online shop;
submit abstracts or presentation proposals;
volunteer, collaborate, or participate in BFE activities.
Depending on the service, this information may include:
name;
professional title;
organisation;
postal address;
email address;
telephone number;
billing information;
shipping information (where applicable);
registration details;
dietary or accessibility requirements that you choose to provide for an event;
correspondence with the BFE.
We collect only the information that is reasonably necessary to provide the services you have requested.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our websites, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:
IP address;
browser type and version;
operating system;
device type;
pages viewed;
referring website;
date and time of your visit;
website usage statistics collected through cookies and analytics technologies.
This information helps us improve our websites, understand visitor behaviour, maintain security, and enhance the user experience.
5. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information for purposes that are necessary to operate the Biofeedback Federation CIC and provide our services. Depending on how you interact with us, we may use your information to:
Respond to enquiries and requests for information.
Administer conferences, meetings, workshops, webinars, and other educational programmes.
Process registrations and manage attendance at events.
Process and fulfil orders placed through our online shop.
Arrange delivery of products and provide information about orders.
Process payments through our authorised payment providers.
Send newsletters, announcements, and information about BFE activities where you have subscribed or otherwise provided consent where required.
Communicate with participants, presenters, exhibitors, sponsors, and other individuals involved in BFE activities.
Process submissions, abstracts, presentations, and other materials provided for BFE events or educational activities.
Improve our websites, online services, educational programmes, and communications.
Understand how visitors use our websites and improve their experience.
Maintain the security and functionality of our websites and services.
Prevent fraud, misuse, and other unlawful activity.
Comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, and other professional obligations.
Establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights where necessary.
We will not use your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the purpose for which it was originally collected unless permitted or required by law.
6. Lawful Bases for Processing
The UK GDPR requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:
Consent
Where you have given us permission to use your personal information for a specific purpose, such as subscribing to certain marketing communications.
You may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Contract
Where processing is necessary to provide a service or fulfil an agreement with you, such as processing an online shop order or administering a registration that you have made directly with the BFE.
Legal obligation
Where we are required to process information to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
Legitimate interests
Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include administering and developing the BFE, maintaining our websites, communicating with our professional community, improving our services, and protecting our systems and activities.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the potential impact on individuals and ensure that the processing is proportionate and appropriate.
7. Email Communications and Newsletters
If you subscribe to receive communications from the BFE, we may use your name and email address to send information about matters such as:
BFE conferences and meetings;
educational programmes, workshops, and webinars;
publications and resources;
news and developments relating to biofeedback and neurofeedback;
opportunities to participate in BFE activities; and
other information relevant to our professional community.
You can unsubscribe from marketing or newsletter communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our emails or by contacting us at info@bfe.org.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications will not prevent us from sending you communications that are necessary for a transaction or service you have requested, such as information relating to an event for which you have registered or an order you have placed.
Our email communications may be delivered using third-party email marketing services. These providers process information on our behalf and are subject to appropriate contractual and data protection requirements.
8. Conferences, Meetings, and Educational Programmes
We collect and use personal information to administer conferences, meetings, workshops, webinars, and other educational activities organised by or on behalf of the BFE.
Depending on the event, information may be used to:
process registration;
communicate important information about the event;
manage attendance;
provide certificates or other documentation;
facilitate participation as a presenter, speaker, exhibitor, sponsor, or volunteer;
accommodate dietary or accessibility requirements where voluntarily provided;
prepare attendee lists or name badges where appropriate;
provide information about the event programme; and
evaluate and improve future events.
Some BFE meetings are promoted through or hosted on websites that are separate from the main BFE website but are operated by or on behalf of Biofeedback Federation CIC. This Privacy Policy may apply to those websites where it is displayed or linked.
For some events, particularly events held outside the UK, registration and payment may be administered by an authorised local partner organisation. In those circumstances, the partner organisation may collect and process your personal information directly and may act as the data controller or processor for some or all of that processing.
Where a partner organisation is responsible for registration or payment, you will be provided with the relevant information about how your personal information is handled as part of the registration process.
9. Online Shop and Payments
When you place an order through our online shop, we collect information necessary to process and fulfil your purchase. This may include your name, contact details, billing address, delivery address, order details, and payment-related information.
Payments are processed through authorised third-party payment providers. Your payment card or other payment details may be collected directly by the payment provider rather than by the BFE.
We do not intend to store complete payment card details on our own systems.
We may use your information to:
process and fulfil your order;
arrange delivery;
communicate with you about your order;
process refunds or returns;
maintain appropriate financial and accounting records; and
comply with applicable legal obligations.
We retain transaction information for as long as necessary to meet our contractual, accounting, tax, and legal obligations.
10. Cookies, Analytics, Social Media, and Embedded Content
Our websites may use cookies and similar technologies for a variety of purposes, including essential website functionality, security, analytics, and improving the user experience.
We may use analytics services to understand how visitors use our websites, including which pages are visited and how visitors navigate our sites.
Our websites may also contain social media sharing buttons or other features provided by third-party social media platforms. These features may allow the relevant third party to collect information about your interaction with the feature, depending on how the service is configured and your privacy settings.
We may also use embedded content or services, such as videos, maps, or other third-party resources. When you interact with embedded content, the third-party provider may collect information about your visit or use cookies and similar technologies.
Further information about the cookies and similar technologies we use, including how you can manage your preferences, is provided in our Cookie Policy.
11. Sharing Your Information with Third Parties
We may share personal information with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, operate our websites, process transactions, or meet our legal obligations.
These may include:
website hosting and technical service providers;
email marketing providers;
payment processors;
event and registration service providers;
shipping and delivery providers;
website analytics providers;
security and spam-prevention providers;
professional advisers, such as accountants, auditors, insurers, or legal advisers; and
authorised partner organisations involved in administering particular BFE activities or events.
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.
Where we appoint a third party to process personal information on our behalf, we take appropriate steps to ensure that the provider processes the information only in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection requirements.
12. International Transfers of Personal Information
Some of the organisations that provide services to us may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful and that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
Depending on the circumstances, these safeguards may include an adequacy decision, appropriate contractual safeguards, or another lawful transfer mechanism recognised under UK data protection law.
13. Data Security
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.
These measures may include access controls, secure systems, appropriate authentication, software and security updates, and limiting access to personal information to those who need it for legitimate purposes.
However, no website, electronic transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to or through our websites.
14. How Long We Keep Your Information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including where necessary to meet legal, accounting, tax, regulatory, or reporting requirements.
The length of time we retain information depends on its nature and purpose. For example:
contact enquiries may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to respond and maintain an appropriate record;
newsletter information may be retained while you remain subscribed, together with appropriate records of your subscription and withdrawal;
event registration information may be retained for the period necessary to administer the event and maintain appropriate historical and financial records; and
shop transaction information may be retained for as long as required for accounting, tax, legal, and customer-service purposes.
When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it where appropriate.
15. Your Rights Under the UK GDPR
Subject to certain legal exceptions and limitations, you have rights under UK data protection law in relation to your personal information.
These may include the right to:
Access your personal information and request a copy of it.
Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
Request erasure of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Restrict processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests and certain forms of direct marketing.
Withdraw consent where we rely on your consent as the lawful basis for processing.
Data portability, where applicable, allowing you to receive certain personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal conditions or exemptions.
16. How to Exercise Your Rights
If you would like to exercise any of your data protection rights, or have a question about how we use your personal information, please contact:
Biofeedback Federation CIC
Email: info@bfe.org
Please provide sufficient information for us to identify you and understand your request.
We may need to request additional information to verify your identity before responding to a request.
We will normally respond to a valid request within one month, although this period may be extended where permitted by law if a request is particularly complex or if you have made multiple requests.
You will not normally have to pay a fee to exercise your rights. However, we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act on a request where permitted by law, for example where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
17. Links to Other Websites
Our websites may contain links to websites operated by third parties, including partner organisations, conference venues, professional organisations, social media platforms, and other external resources.
These websites operate independently of the BFE and may have their own privacy policies and terms of use.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external website before providing personal information.
18. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our activities, services, technology, or applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
When we make changes, we will update the Last Updated date at the beginning of this policy. Where appropriate, we may also notify you of significant changes through our website or other appropriate communication channels.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to remain informed about how we handle personal information.
19. Contact Us / Data Protection Complaints
If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, you may contact us at info@bfe.org. We will acknowledge receipt of a data protection complaint within 30 days, investigate the matter appropriately, keep you informed of progress, and provide you with the outcome of our investigation without undue delay.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the way Biofeedback Federation CIC handles personal information, please contact us:
Biofeedback Federation CIC
Email: info@bfe.org
You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), if you believe that your personal information has been handled unlawfully or that your data protection rights have not been respected.
Information about how to contact the ICO and how to make a complaint is available on the ICO's website.
Effective Date: August 18, 2026
Last Updated: August 18, 2026