This is our Privacy Policy. It sets out how we deal with your personal data. If you have any queries about this statement, please contact us by e-mail on dr.muscat@avukatmuscat.com.
We respect your privacy and seek to protect your personal data. The following information describes how we gather and use data. The amount of information we hold on you and how we use it depends on your relationship with us and on what service you use, so some of the sections below may not be relevant to you.
WHAT DATA IS COLLECTED?
In general, as a user of our Website, you may visit the site without telling us who you are or revealing any information about yourself. You may however choose to provide us with personal information when you send an e-mail to us via the “Contact” link on our site. We shall store the data that you provide us with in any such e-mail and further process it as may be necessary for us to respond to and administer any request that you may so make.
From time to time we may further process your personal data to provide you with information about legal developments taking place in Malta and abroad in various fields of law. Please inform us by sending an e-mail to dr.muscat@avukatmuscat.com if you do not wish to receive any such information from us.
Our Website also uses a technology called “cookies”. A “cookie” is a piece of software, which may be sent to your computer. Cookies enable us to collect information about how our Website and services are being used and to manage them more efficiently. Until you have registered on our Website, the cookie will only track general usage patterns and technical information about your computer type and will not be used to identify you individually.
The information so gathered through cookies may include:
- the date and time when you access our Website;
- the Website pages that you view and any downloads that you may make through such pages;
- whether or not such viewing or download is successful;
- the Internet address of the Website or the domain name of the computer from which you access our Website;
- the operating system of the machine running your Web browser; and the type and version of your Web browser.
Should you wish to reject all or certain cookies used by our Website, you may modify your Web browser preferences to do so. If, however you reject all cookies then you might be unable to use some of the services available on our Website. Moreover, you may set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the opportunity to choose whether or not you wish to accept it. In this regard, you should note that if you do so, this may materially distort the quality of service and data you receive. You therefore do this at your own risk.
If the product you are using has digital certificates/certificate signatures then your name and related details may be displayed as part of any certificate issued to you. It will be seen by those to whom your certificate or signature is presented or who rely on it. Your details may also need to be entered into a related status directory of certificates issued.
PROVISION OF PERSONAL DATA TO THIRD PARTIES
We do not pass on your details collected from you as a visitor to any third party unless you give us your consent to do so, or in the instances indicated below.
You will be aware however that data sent via the Internet may be transmitted across international borders even where sender and receiver of information are located in the same country. Consequently, data relating to you may be transmitted via a country having a lower level of data protection than that existing in your country of residence.
Without prejudice to anything contained in this Privacy Policy, we reserve the right to disclose personal data relating to you to any third party if such disclosures are necessary inter alia for the following purposes:
- for the purpose of preventing, detecting or suppressing fraud or any other criminal offence;
- where it is a matter of national or public security.
- in the interest of national budgetary, monetary or taxation matters that can arise.
- to protect and defend our rights and property or that of users of our Website;
- to protect against abuse, misuse or unauthorised use of our Website;
- to protect the personal safety or property of users of our Website (e.g. if you provide false or deceptive information about yourself or attempt to pose as someone else, we shall disclose any information we may have about you in our possession so as to assist any type of investigation into your actions);
- for any purpose that may be necessary for the performance of any agreement you may have entered into with us; or
- as may be allowed or required by or under any law.
We do not transfer your personal information to any third parties for marketing purposes.
RETENTION OF PERSONAL DATA
No personal data that we process will be kept longer than necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.
PRIVACY COMPLIANCE
Our Privacy Policy is compliant with the Malta Data Protection Act, 2001 as applicable at the date of review.
SECURITY
We use reasonable efforts to safeguard the confidentiality of all personal data that we process relating to you and regularly review and enhance our technical, physical and managerial procedures so as to ensure that your personal data is protected from
- unauthorised access
- improper use or disclosure
- unauthorised modification
- unlawful destruction or accidental loss
To this end we have implemented security policies, rules and technical measures to protect the personal data that we have under our control. All our data processors, who have access to and are associated with the processing of personal data, are further obliged to respect the confidentiality of our visitors’ personal data.
By its very nature however the Internet is not a secure medium and data sent via this medium can potentially be subject to unauthorised acts by third parties. We cannot guarantee the privacy or confidentiality of any information passing over our Website. We shall accept no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the security of your data while in transit through the Internet.
THIRD PARTY WEBSITES
Our Website may from time to time contain links to both local and international third-party Websites after obtaining permission from them. Any such links are not an endorsement by us of any information in such Websites or products and/or services offered through the same. We shall not accept any responsibility whatsoever for the content, use, availability, privacy practices or the content of any such Websites. Please note that upon entering such other Websites, you become subject to the Privacy Policy of such other sites.
No third party is permitted to link any other Website to our Website without obtaining our prior written consent.
CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, particularly if statutory obligations so mandate or the interest of our users’ security so requires. Any such changes will be posted here so that you are always kept informed of how and why we process your personal information.
It is therefore in your own interest to check this “Privacy Policy” page from time to time so as to familiarise yourself with any changes. The date when this Policy was last updated is indicated at the end of this Policy.
E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS
In the case of e-mails, we may reject, delay or remove content from e-mails which have a nature, content or attachments which may disrupt our systems or because they may pose security issues such as viruses. We may also filter out e-mails which contain certain content on the basis that content is offensive or the e-mail is unwanted or spam. In certain circumstances this may unfortunately result in “innocent” e-mails being affected but we do try and reduce such occurrences.
All e-mail messages sent from Avukat Muscat have been routinely scanned for viruses and as such should be free from any virus; malicious code; script or other executable attachment. However, the accuracy of scanning products is not guaranteed. The recipient(s) should therefore carry out any checks that they deem to be appropriate in this respect. We cannot be held responsible for loss of or damage to data or other damages, resulting from such actions out of our control, howsoever incurred. All e-mail messages from Avukat Muscat are sent in good faith. We cannot be held responsible for any modification that happens by any virus, or other third party after they have been sent. All messages are intended for the recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient specifically identified as the addressee on it then you should delete the message and all its attachments and are prohibited from using, reading, disclosing to any person or otherwise acting on the information contained in it and/or its contents in any way and should also notify us as soon as possible of this fact.
RIGHT OF ACCESS/ QUESTIONS
You have a right to request access to and/or correction of your personal data processed by us. Any such request must be made in writing to Avukat Muscat at the address indicated on the homepage of the Website and must be signed by yourself as the data subject to whom the particular data relates. The processing of such requests sometimes attracts the imposition of a nominal fee.
If you have any questions about Avukat Muscat’s privacy policy or the use of data in a particular service, you should contact: dr.muscat@avukatmuscat.com.
Last Updated: 22nd October 2018.
