Privacy Notice
This Privacy Notice explains how the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (“MEIA”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you visit our website, become or apply to become a member, attend our events, contact us, ask us to assist you with a dispute, or subscribe to our communications. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the “GDPR”) and Malta’s Data Protection Act (Chapter 586 of the Laws of Malta).
Who we are
The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) is the data controller responsible for your personal data. MEIA is a non-partisan organisation representing and supporting Malta’s cultural, creative and entertainment sectors.
The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA)
Voluntary Organisation number: VO/2193
Registered address: 64, The Exchange Buildings, Republic Street, Valletta, VLT 1117, Malta
Email: admin@meia.org.mt
Website: www.meia.org.mt
For any question about this notice or about how we use your data, or to exercise your rights, please contact us at admin@meia.org.mt.
What data we collect and why
We only collect the personal data we need for the purposes set out below.
| Activity | Personal data we collect | Why we use it (purpose) |
|---|---|---|
Visiting our website |
IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, referring site, and similar technical data collected through cookies and server logs. |
To operate, secure and maintain the website, understand how it is used, and improve it. |
General enquiries & contact forms |
Your name, email address, phone number (if provided), and the content of your message. |
To respond to your enquiry and keep a record of our correspondence. |
Membership applications & management |
Name, contact details, address, profession / discipline or artistic field, organisation, membership category, payment and subscription details, and membership history. |
To assess and administer your membership, process fees, provide member benefits and services, and communicate with you as a member. |
Events (registration & attendance) |
Name, contact details, event-specific information (e.g. dietary or accessibility requirements), attendance records, and photographs or recordings taken at events where applicable. |
To register you, manage and run the event, meet your requirements, and — where relevant — promote MEIA’s activities. |
Dispute assistance & sector support |
Contact details, details of your situation, correspondence, and any documents or information you share with us about the matter — which may include information about other parties. |
To assess your request, provide advice, representation or support, and advocate on behalf of members and the sector where appropriate. |
Newsletter & communications |
Name and email address, and your subscription preferences. |
To send you newsletters, updates, invitations and news about MEIA and the sector. |
Our lawful bases for processing
Under the GDPR we must have a lawful basis for using your personal data. Depending on the activity, we rely on the following:
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — for sending you our newsletter and marketing communications, for non-essential cookies and analytics, and for using photographs of you at events where we ask for it. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) — to administer your membership, process your event registration, and provide the services you have requested from us.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) — to respond to enquiries, run and secure our website, keep proper records, support and represent our members and the sector, and promote MEIA’s work. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance them against your rights and freedoms.
- Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) — where we must process data to comply with the law, for example accounting, tax or record-keeping requirements.
Providing certain data is necessary for us to deliver a service — for example, we cannot process a membership application or event registration without the required details. Where data is optional, we will make that clear.
Special categories and sensitive data
We do not seek out “special category” data (such as information about health, trade-union membership, or political or religious views). However, when we assist you with a dispute or a sector-support matter, the information you share may reveal such data — for example about a workplace grievance or your health. Where this happens, we rely on your explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a)) and/or the fact that the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims (Art. 9(2)(f)). We handle such information with particular care and only use it for the matter you have asked us to help with.
Who we share your data with
- Service providers who act on our behalf under written agreements — for example our website host, email/newsletter platform, event-management and payment providers, and IT support.
- Committee members, staff and authorised volunteers of MEIA, on a need-to-know basis.
- Partners and third parties relevant to a specific matter — for example, where you ask us to represent you in a dispute or to make representations to a public body on your behalf, and only with your instruction or consent.
- Authorities, advisors or courts where we are required to do so by law, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
International transfers
How long we keep your data
- Membership records — for the duration of your membership and for 5 years afterwards.
- Enquiries & general correspondence — for up to 2 years after the matter is closed.
- Event records — for 2 years after the event.
- Dispute & support files — for 6 years after the matter concludes, reflecting relevant limitation periods.
- Newsletter subscriptions — until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you.
- Financial & accounting records — for at least 10 years, as required by Maltese law.
When we no longer need your data, we securely delete or anonymise it.
Cookies and analytics
Your rights
- Be informed about how we use your data (this notice).
- Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure of your data in certain circumstances (“right to be forgotten”).
- Restrict or object to our processing in certain circumstances, including objecting to direct marketing at any time.
- Data portability — to receive certain data in a portable format.
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent (this does not affect processing carried out before you withdrew it).
- Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you — we do not carry out such automated decision-making.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@meia.org.mt. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge, and we may need to verify your identity first.
How we protect your data
Children
Changes to this notice
Contacts and complaints
If you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first at admin@meia.org.mt — we will do our best to help.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Maltese supervisory authority:
Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC)
Floor 2, Airways House, Triq il-Kbira, Tas-Sliema SLM 1549, Malta
Tel: +356 2328 7100 · Email: idpc.info@idpc.org.mt
Website: idpc.org.mt