Privacy Policy for Donors
At European Sperm Bank UK Ltd. ("ESB" or "we"), the protection of personal data and confidentiality is a high priority.
This privacy policy explains how ESB collects, uses and discloses information about you when you file an application to become a sperm donor with ESB.
1. Controller and contact details
European Sperm Bank UK Ltd.
48 Gray’s Inn Road
London WC1X 8LT
Company No. 10472988
Phone +44 20363000147
Email and contact to our Data Protection Officer: dataprotection@europeanspermbank.com
2. Application for sperm count test
Application and appointment
We collect the information you provide directly to us when you fill in our online contact form, such as contact details, information about your education and occupation, information about where you heard of ESB, information stating that you want to become a sperm donor and information about the appointment that you have made with ESB for examination of your sperm count. We process such data to evaluate your application and book an appointment for you to make your first sperm sample. The legal basis for processing the data you provide in the contact form is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 6(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR").
Sperm count examination
When you have made your first sperm sample, we will examine your sperm count to determine whether your sperm count is sufficiently high to become a donor with ESB. As part of the examination, we process your genetic data and data concerning health. The legal basis for processing this data is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR.
3. Application for admission to ESB's donor program
Interview etc.
If your sperm count is sufficiently high, you will be invited to a donor interview. During the donor interview, we will collect information about your medical history, your sexual orientation and sexual relations, your alcohol or drug consumption, your ethnicity and if applicable, any criminal offences. We will also collect a copy of your passport. This is done to document your health status, including your medical history, which may include infections with sexually transmitted diseases, and to assess whether you can be approved as a donor. We will also register information about your fingerprint for the purpose of registering you in our access system where we use biometric identification.
The legal basis for processing such data is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR (personal data concerning health and other sensitive data), and section 10/11 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
During the donor interview, we may potentially collect information about your family's medical history. Information about your family members include their year of birth, ethnicity, physical characteristics, education and occupation and whether they are deceased. You must (to the extent possible) make sure that your relatives are notified of this processing of personal data – you may show them this privacy policy.
Medical examination
If, following the donor interview, we determine that you are still fit to become a donor, you must undergo a medical examination with a physician associated with ESB. We will receive the result of the medical examination. The legal basis for processing this data is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR.
Blood and urine samples
If the result of the medical examination is satisfactory, we will ask you to provide us with urine and blood samples. The collection of your urine and blood samples involves processing of health and genetic data. The purpose of this is that we can test you for a variety of diseases. The legal basis for processing this data is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR.
Conclusion of donor contract and final visit
In connection with your visit to ESB to make the above urine and blood samples, you will be offered to sign a donor contract. In that connection, we process information about your donor status and your contact details etc. If the result of the blood and urine sample is satisfactory, you are invited to a final visit to ESB. During this visit, you must complete a personality test, take part in a sound recording and draft a goodwill/handwritten message.
The purpose of collecting and processing such data is that it may be included in the donor profile which ESB will prepare and disclose to potential purchasers of your sperm to allow the purchaser to obtain an idea of who you are. ESB will also prepare a staff impression description, which will be included in your donor profile, where an employee of ESB, who had regular contact with you during the application process, will describe his/her impression of you. The legal basis for processing this data is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 6(1) and point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR.
4. Internal quality development
During the qualification process and hereafter as a donor, your sperm may be used for internal quality development to improve the quality and safety of our processes (e.g. washing and freezing of sperm). The legal basis for processing this data is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 6(1) of the GDPR.
5. Processing of personal data in connection with being a donor at ESB
Matching of photos
ESB also processes information such as your portrait for a "physical matching" with a potential client with ESB. Your portrait will not be passed on or disclosed in connection with physical matching. However, ESB will perform an internal "matching" as we will compare your portrait with the portraits provided by our clients. The purpose is for ESB to assess whether your photo is similar to the photos provided by our clients. The legal basis for processing your portrait is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 6(1) of the GDPR.
Processing of data concerning health etc.
When you have been approved as a donor with ESB, you will be invited regularly to consultations concerning your health which involves processing of your data concerning health. Moreover, ESB will store the sperm donated by you, which will involve processing of your genetic data. The legal basis for processing this data is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR.
Moreover, your DNA will be used to perform paternity tests to ascertain a biological match between you and a donor child. You have also given your consent to this, see above.
6. Recipients
Your donations and data concerning your health will be disclosed to fertility clinics and women worldwide to the effect that the fertility clinics may offer fertility treatment and insemination of women to their own clients or ESB's clients. The legal basis for such disclosure is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR.
The information about your donor profile, but not information identifying you or your family, will be disclosed on ESB's website to allow ESB to market your sperm to our clients. The legal basis is the consent given by you under point (a) of article 9(2) of the GDPR.
You will find a list of recipients and countries here (will be updated regularly). The list is non-exhaustive as ESB is not aware of the identity of potential purchasers/recipients at the time of the donation and as straws may also be purchased by clients on ESB's website.
We may release your name and your contact details to a donor child. To comply with legal requirements, we may also disclose your name, contact details as well as information on your date of birth, place of birth, nationality, education etc. to a fertility clinic or a national authority.
Additionally, our data processors - including accredited test laboratories etc., will have access to your personal data. The employees of the data processors are subject to a duty of confidentiality and the legal basis for disclosing your data are the consents given by you, as specified in this document.
If ESB discontinues its activities, the personal data in your donor file will be disclosed to another tissue establishment to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for traceability.
7. Transfer to third countries
Our donor programme implies that your personal data will be disclosed to recipients in countries outside the EU/EEA. The legal basis for this disclosure is your consent and the model contract which ESB has concluded with the receiving fertility clinic (or other data controller), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32004D0915, or our data processor, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010D0087.
8. Storage of your personal data
If you are approved as a donor
If you are approved as a donor and ESB hereafter sells the sperm donated by you, ESB is required to store all data included in your donor file for at least 30 years after we have sent the last sperm donated by you. This is done to comply with the regulatory requirements for traceability (incl. the ability to address genetic diseases seen in donor children etc.) laid down in the HFEA Code of Practice, section 30.15.
If you are not approved as a donor
If you are not approved as a donor, we will delete your personal data - either immediately (if you are permanently disqualified) or after 1 year (if you are temporarily disqualified). However, if you are permanently disqualified, we will keep the cause along with your identifying information for the purpose of traceability for at least 30 years, in accordance with recommendations from the health authorities.
9. Your rights
Under the GDPR, you have several rights in relation to our processing of personal data about you.
Right to access data (right of access)
You have the right to access the data which we process about you and several other pieces of data.
Right to rectification (correction)
You have the right to have inaccurate data about you rectified.
Right to erasure
In certain circumstances, you have the right to have data about you erased before we are generally required to erase such data.
Right to restriction of processing
You have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances. If you have the right to restrict the processing, we will, in future, only be permitted to process the data – except for storage – with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for the protection of a person or important public interests.
Right to object
In certain circumstances, you have the right to object to our otherwise lawful processing of your personal data.
Right to transmit data (data portability)
In certain circumstances, you have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to have such data transferred from one controller to another without hindrance.
You can read more about your rights in the Information Commissioner’s Office's guidance on data subjects' rights, which is available on www.ico.org.uk.
If you wish to exercise one of the above rights, you may contact ESB at dataprotection@europeanspermbank.com.
10. Withdrawal of consent
You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. If you wish to do so, please contact us at dataprotection@europeanspermbank.com.
If you wish to withdraw your consent, it will not affect the lawfulness of our processing of your personal data on the legal basis of the consent previously given by you and up to the time of withdrawal. If you withdraw your consent, it will not become effective until such time.
Please note that the nature of the donation of sperm means that even if you withdraw your consent, different legal basis may exist in respect of the further processing of your personal data, including national authority requirements. For example, ESB is required to comply with the requirements for traceability (see paragraph 7 above) and, therefore, the information in your donor file will be stored to comply with legislative requirements, irrespective of whether you withdraw your consent.
11. Data Protection Officer
If you have any questions about how we process your personal data, you are welcome to contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@europeanspermbank.com.
12. Complaints
If you wish to complain about the processing of your personal data, you may contact us at dataprotection@europeanspermbank.com. You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk.
Latest version: QM POL02-04 Privacy Policy for Donors UK_26Sep2019