Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data. We collect or process about you in relation to the respect of the use of our Website, or through any queries or suggestions you send us through the contact form available on the Website. \’Personal Data\’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person. 

1. What Personal Data do We collect

We will collect personal data that you send us directly through the contact form available on the Website or through the e-mail addresses included for information purposes. 

1.1 Personal Data We collect directly from you

The categories of personal data that We collect directly from you include:

a) Personal details : full name; 

b) Contact details: phone number, email address, postal address, mobile phone number and country of residence;

c) Other details: name of the company where you work or which you represent; 

d) Information We collect automatically from you: further information about our use of Cookies and Tracking Technologies is available in our Cookies Policy. 

1.2 Personal Data about third parties 

Where you provide Applus+ with personal data such as contact information about third parties, it is your direct responsibility to inform such individuals of their rights and to obtain their explicit consent, where necessary, to the processing (including transfers) of their personal data (including sensitive data), as it may be deemed necessary and in compliance with applicable local data protection laws, as set forth in this Privacy policy.

2 How We use your Personal Data and on what legal basis

We use and subsequently process personal data we collect about you on the following legal basis and for the purposes identified below: 

a) We will process your personal data on the basis of our legitimate interest, for the following purposes:

• Provide and personalize our Services;
• To deal with your enquiries and requests;
• To manage our Website;
• To protect the security and/or integrity of our Website and IT infrastructure;
• To understand how you use our services and to enable Us to improve and further develop the features, performance and support available on our Website, which may entail the provision of anonymous statistical information about our visitors (however, without it being used to identify any individual user);
• As mentioned in Section 4 of this Privacy Policy, among other, for disclosures to any of our employees, officers, agents, business partners, affiliates of the Applus Group, who process the personal data for the purposes set forth in this Privacy Policy;
• To allow third party service providers and vendors engaged by Applus + to access the personal data in order to provide Us with the services required to fulfill the purposes set forth in this Privacy Policy; 
• For any disclosures to third parties required as part of due diligence processes in the context of corporate restructuring operations in which We may participate, in line with Section 4(d) of this Privacy Policy; and
• Where Applus+ processes personal data in fulfillment of its own legitimate interests, it shall always balance such interests against the data subjects´ fundamental rights and freedoms, and implements robust safeguards in view of ensuring that their privacy is protected accordingly.

b) We will process your personal data for the following purposes, provided that you have granted your prior consent:

• To contact you with electronic newsletters and/or promotional e-mails relating to products and services offered by Us and/or other members of ApplusGroup, both national and international (a list of which can be consulted at www.applus.com/appluscompanies) as well as about events and news related to our activities (testing, inspection, engineering, certification and related services), through post, e-mail, mobile apps or other electronic equivalent means; and
• For any other purpose disclosed to you at the time you provide Us with your personal data, to the extent that you have granted Us your prior consent to that particular processing. For example, We will obtain your consent to collect and use certain types of personal data when we are required to do so by law (e.g. in relation to our direct marketing activities, Cookies and Tracking Technologies, or when We process sensitive personal data).

If we ask for your consent to process your personal data, you may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting Us at gdpr.laboratories@applus.com, enclosing a copy of your ID or equivalent identification document.

c) We will also process your personal data in order to ensure an optimum level of compliance with the applicable legal obligations to which Applus+ is subject, and cooperate with regulators and law enforcement bodies where necessary, in line with Section 4 of this Privacy Policy:

• In case you are Applus Services, SA shareholder, to provide with the shareholders forum and distance voting system, as well as other contact channels as required by the Spanish Companies Act.
• To disclose your personal data and other complementary information subject to requests received from authorities and/or bodies with compelling power, as required by the applicable laws or by law enforcement officers invested with such powers.

3. What rights do you have over your Personal Data 

You have certain rights regarding your personal data, subject to local law. These include the following rights:

• To know how We are processing your personal data and to access your personal data held by Applus+ and its affiliates, where applicable;
• To request the rectification of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
• To request the erasure of your personal data when such data is no longer necessary for the initial purposes for which it has been initially collected, in accordance with applicable law;
• To restrict our processing of your personal data, under certain circumstances (in which case We will only retain the personal data for the exercise and/or defense of Applus+´ rights); 
• To object to our processing of your personal data, having regard to the given circumstances and for reasons related to their particular situation (in which case We will only retain the personal data for imperative legitimate reasons or the exercise and/or defense of Applus+ rights); 

This includes the right to object, at any time, for reasons related to your particular situation, to our processing of your personal data based on our legitimate interests or those of a third party, in which case We will cease in processing your personal data unless We are able to rely on legitimate reasons to do so;

• To request the portability of your personal data, which will allow you to obtain and reuse the personal data in a usable electronic format for your own purposes and across different services without hindrance to usability, including its transmission to another third party; and
• To withdraw the consent you may have granted to a specific processing, at any time. 

We encourage you to contact us to update or correct your information if it changes or if the personal data We hold about you is inaccurate. 

We will contact you if we need additional information from you in order to honor your requests. 

Applus+ is committed to protecting your personal data as described in this policy, and as required by applicable laws. Should you have any queries or intention of requesting additional information on how to exercise your rights or to effectively submit such a request, feel free to contact Us at gdpr.laboratories@applus.com, enclosing a copy of your ID or equivalent identification document.

4. How do we share your Personal Data and with whom

Applus+ will be able to share your personal data with third parties under the following circumstances:

a) Service providers and business partners. We will allow our service providers and business partners that perform amongst others, web maintenance and other IT services, marketing and communication, accounting, finance, legal and audit and other business operations for us to access to your personal data. For example, We may partner with other companies to process secure payments, fulfill orders, optimize our services, send newsletters and marketing emails, support email and messaging services and analyze information.

b) Applus group companies (both national and international): we will share certain information:

• i) Related to your query or suggestion with other Applus group companies to respond to it adequately
• ii) To contact you with electronic newsletters and/or promotional e-mails relating to products and services offered by Us and/or other members of ApplusGroup, as well as about events and news related to our activities (testing, inspection, engineering, certification and related services), through post, e-mail, mobile apps or other electronic equivalent means; and

A list of companies within the Applus group is available at: www.applus.com/appluscompanies.

c) Law enforcement agency, court, regulator, government authority or other third party with compelling authority. We will be able to share your personal data with these parties where we believe this is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, or otherwise to protect our rights or the rights of any third party. 

d) Asset purchasers and amalgamation. We will share your personal data with any third party that purchases, or to which We transfer, all or substantially all of our assets and business or with whom we enter into an amalgamation, consolidation, merger or similar restructuring. Should such a sale or transfer occur, We will use reasonable efforts to ensure that the entity to which we transfer your personal data uses it in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy. 

Because We operate as part of a global business, the recipients referred to above can be located outside the jurisdiction in which you are located (or in which we provide the services), including third countries outside the European Union (“EU”) that are not regarded as providing an adequate level of protection of the personal data. Please refer to the “International Data Transfer” section below for more information.

5. How do we protect your Personal Data 

We implement technical and organizational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk to the personal data we process. These measures are aimed at ensuring the on-going integrity and confidentiality of personal data. We evaluate these measures on a regular basis to ensure the security of the processing. 

6. For how long do we Store your Personal Data 

We will keep your personal data for as long as We have a relationship with you. Once our relationship with you has come to an end, We will retain your personal data for a period of time that enables Us to:

• Maintain business records for analysis and/or audit purposes; 
• Comply with record retention requirements under the law;
• Defend or bring any existing or potential legal claims; and
• Deal with any complaints regarding the services.

We will delete your personal data when it is no longer required for these purposes. If there is any information that we are unable, for technical reasons, to delete entirely from our systems, We will put in place appropriate measures to prevent any further processing or use of the data.

7. International Data Transfers

Your personal data will be transferred to, stored, and processed in a country that is not regarded as ensuring an adequate level of protection for personal data under European Union law. We have put in place appropriate safeguards (such as contractual commitments) in accordance with applicable legal requirements to ensure that your data is adequately protected, on the basis of the relevant sets of standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission available for consultation at https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/data-transfers-outside-eu/model-contracts-transfer-personal-data-third-countries_en. For more information on the appropriate safeguards in place, please contact us at the details below. 

8. Contact Us

Applus+ is the data controller in respect of the personal data we collect and process. If you have questions or concerns regarding the way in which your personal data has been used, please contact gdpr.laboratories@applus.com

We are committed to working with you to obtain a fair resolution of any complaint or concern about privacy. If, however, you believe that We have not been able to assist with your complaint or concern, you have the right to make a complaint to the data protection authority of UK, the Information Commissioner\’s Office, by post to its Wilmslow (Cheshire) Office at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, SK9 5AF or by email to casework@ico.org.uk, among others. You may find more information about the contact details available on their website www.ico.org.uk.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

You are entitled to request a copy of this Privacy Policy from us using the contact details set out above. This Privacy Policy will be subject to changes, as deemed necessary from time to time. 

If We change this Privacy Policy, We will notify you of the changes. Where changes to the Privacy Policy will have a fundamental impact on the nature of the processing or otherwise have a substantial impact on you, We will give you sufficient advance notice so that you have the opportunity to exercise your rights (e.g. among other, to object to the processing). Moreover, and to the extent that Applus+ relies on consent for the performance of any of its processing activities, We will make sure to request your consent where the aforementioned changes may have a substantial impact on the relevant processing before these changes are made effective.