Last Updated: October 31, 2025
Nanotechnology Industries Association aisbl ("NIA," "our," "us," or "we") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the information of our users ("you"). We want you to understand how we collect and use information from our websites niaglobal.com (collectively, the "Site") and our related services (together with the Site, the "Services") so you can interact with us with confidence. By using the Services, you accept and agree to the practices this Privacy Policy describes. If you do not agree to any of the terms in this Privacy Policy, you should not use the Services.
Information We Collect
When you use our Services, we may collect, store, and process various kinds of data, including Personal Information about you. "Personal Information" refers to information about you that can be used to identify you, such as your name, address, telephone number, email address, geolocation, credit card or transaction information, etc. In addition to Personal Information, we may also collect information regarding your profession including your organization, job title, job function, job role, employment history, time zone, and other biographical information.
In general, we obtain information in the following ways:
Directly from you. We will collect information that you voluntarily provide to us. For example, we collect Personal Information when you sign-up for and voluntarily submit information on our Services (including through the website, email, and/or phone).
Indirectly from you. We may also collect details of your visit to our Services and the pages you access, including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data, weblogs and other communication data, including your IP address, browser type, the date and time you accessed or left the Services, and which pages you viewed. Some parts of our Services use cookies and other technologies to collect this information about your general internet usage. See the section below called "How We Use Tracking Technologies" to learn more. For example, we indirectly collect information that may be considered Personal Information from observing your activity on our Services.
From Third Parties. We may also collect Personal Information about you from third parties, such as third-party social media networking sites (e.g. LinkedIn, X and Instagram) and third-party vendors that we use to provide, analyze, and improve the Services.
Specifically, we may collect, store, or process information when you:
Register and create an account on our Services;
Submit a form on the Services;
Register for events;
Contact us, including via email and phone;
Subscribe to our newsletter or otherwise sign up to receive communications;
Respond to a survey;
Interact with our Services;
Voluntarily provide information.
How We Use Your Information
We use your information for the following purposes:
To provide, maintain, and improve our Services;
To process transactions;
To personalize your experience, including through targeted advertising;
To provide you with information, products or services, including customer service that you request from us;
To administer a promotion, survey, or other Site feature;
To communicate with you, including to notify you about changes to our products or Services we offer;
To allow you to participate in any interactive features on our Services;
In any other way we may describe when you provide the information;
To perform analytics to learn about the behavior of our Service users;
To enforce this policy or other legal requirements;
To evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by us about our Site visitors is among the assets transferred.
How We Use Tracking Technologies
We use cookies (small text files stored in your browser) and other techniques such as web beacons (small, clear picture files used to follow your online activities) ("Tracking Technologies"). Tracking Technologies collect information that tells us how you use our Site, web-related products and Services. The use of Tracking Technologies does not give us access to the rest of your computer.
This, in turn, helps us make our Services relevant to your interests and needs. We use a number of different Tracking Technologies, including functional, performance, advertising, and social media or content cookies.
"Do Not Track" Requests
Our Site currently does not respond to "do not track" or similar signals.
How We Share Your Personal Information
We may disclose your Personal Information as follows:
With affiliates, contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our Services;
With other users of the Services, if you grant us permission;
To fulfil the purpose for which you provide it;
For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information;
With social media companies, as explained below;
With third parties for interest-based advertising and data analytics;
For any purpose with your consent;
With affiliates if you opt-in to receiving communications from affiliates;
To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation or similar proceeding, in which Personal Information held by us about the Website users is among the assets transferred;
To enforce any agreement, including any applicable terms of service;
To establish or exercise our right to defend against legal claims;
To law enforcement and other government authorities such as legislatures, courts, agencies and litigants if we reasonably believe that such action is necessary to: (a) comply with the law and the reasonable requests of governmental authorities; (b) comply with legal process; (c) respond to requests from public or government authorities, including public or government authorities outside your country of residence; (d) protect the security or integrity of the Services' information systems; and/or (e) exercise or protect our rights, privacy, safety or those of affiliates, clients, you or others; and
If we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of NIA or others.
The Services may provide an opportunity to interact with other users. You should exercise caution when sharing personal information with others.
Payment Information
When you make a payment on our Services, you may be taken to the website of one of our third-party payment processors. The third-party payment processor will either collect or have access to your first and last name, zip code, postal address, email address, payment amount, billing information, and payment card information. In order to facilitate payment processing, some third-party payment processors may share certain information necessary for payment processing with other third-party payment processors, including credit card data. Please review the terms of service and privacy policies of those third-party payment processors to learn how those third-party payment processors protect your information.
How Do We Protect Your Information?
To protect your Personal Information, we take commercially reasonable precautions and follow industry best practices to make sure it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed. However, no data protection procedures are entirely infallible. As a result, while we strive to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee that it will be 100% secure. Your transmission of your information to our Platform thus is done entirely at your own risk.
Your Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information (Opt-Out Options)
We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:
Delete Your Account. If you do wish to stop sharing information with us, you may request that we delete your account at any time. You may make such a request by emailing us at info@niaglobal.com.
Email Communications. You can opt-out of receiving communications from us by clicking the unsubscribe link in the email or choosing to opt-out of email communications by visiting your account settings.
Request Deletion / Correction. If you wish to request that we delete or correct your Personal Information, pursuant to applicable laws and regulations requiring such deletion, you may make such a request by emailing info@niaglobal.com or by using the contact information at the end of this Privacy Policy. More information regarding the rights to deletion and/or correction under the California Privacy Rights Act is included below. Please note that the rights to deletion and/or correction are not absolute, and we may be entitled to refuse requests, wholly or in part, where exceptions under applicable law apply. If your information has been shared with a third party, as described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy, then that third party has received its own copy of your data. If you have been contacted by one of these third parties and wish to correct or delete your information, please contact them directly.
Tracking Technologies and Advertising. Most browsers accept cookies automatically. You may be able to set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. For instructions, check your browser's technical information. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Site may then be inaccessible or not function properly. However, you can still place orders over the telephone or by contacting customer service. Please note that cookie-based opt outs must be performed on each device and browser that you wish to have opted out.
Disclosure of Your Information for Third-Party Advertising. If you do not want us to share your personal information with unaffiliated or non-agent third parties for their promotional purposes, you can always opt-out by logging into the Site and adjusting your user preferences in your account profile by checking or unchecking the relevant boxes or by sending us an email stating your request to info@niaglobal.com.
Promotional Offers from the Company. If you do not wish to have your email address/contact information used by the Company to promote our own or third parties' products or services, you can opt-out by clicking the unsubscribe link in the promotional email. This opt out does not apply to information provided to the Company as a result of a product purchase, warranty registration, product service experience or other transactions.
Targeted or Interest-Based Advertising. We may work with third-party advertising companies that collect and use information about your online activities across sites over time, in order to deliver more relevant advertising when you are visiting the Site and elsewhere on the Internet. This practice is known as interest-based advertising. The online advertising industry also provides websites from which you may opt-out of receiving targeted ads from our advertising partners that participate in self-regulatory programs. You can access these, and also learn more about targeted advertising and consumer choice and privacy at: networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp, www.youronlinechoices.eu/, or www.youradchoices.ca/, and www.aboutads.info/choices/. You can also opt-out of targeted advertising directly on the advertising platform by visiting https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=ads, https://www.google.com/settings/ads/anonymous, and https://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/policies/personalized-ads. Note that electing to opt out will not stop advertising from appearing in your browser or applications. It may make the ads you see less relevant to your interests. If you delete, block, or otherwise restrict cookies or use a different computer or Internet browser, you may need to renew your opt-out choice.
Google Analytics. We may use Google Analytics to improve our Site's functions. You can choose not to be included in Google Analytics by visiting https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Third-Party Websites and Social Media
Our Services may contain links to other websites or applications, including those of third parties or partners. While we seek to link only to sites that share our high standards and respect for privacy, we cannot be responsible for the privacy practices other websites use. By accessing other third-party websites or applications through our Services, you are consenting to the terms and privacy policies of those websites. It is possible that other parties may collect personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across different web sites when you use our Services.
Our Services may include social media features and integrations, such as LinkedIn, X, and Instagram, and you may have the ability to sign up for our services via third-party platforms including LinkedIn, Gmail or Google Suite, Apple ID, etc. These social media features may require cookies to be set to function properly. These features may also collect Personal Information, including your name, email, and IP address. These features are governed by the Privacy Policy of the social media platform. Please review the Privacy Policy of the social media platforms to learn how they protect your information.
Users Only of Legal Age of Majority
Our Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on this Services or on or through any of its features/register on the Services or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address or any screen name or username you may use. If we learn we have collected or received Personal Information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, please contact us at info@niaglobal.com.
International Visitors
Our Services are hosted and operated in the United States ("US") and Belgium. By using the Services, you are consenting to the transfer of your personal information to the US and/or Belgium. If you are accessing our Services from outside the US and/or Belgium, please be advised that applicable law may not offer the same privacy protections as the law of your jurisdiction.
California Visitors
California's "Shine the Light" law (Civil Code Section § 1798.83) permits users of our Website that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send an email to info@niaglobal.com.
The following disclosures apply to those who reside in the State of California ("you" or "Consumer") and are made by the Company to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA) and any terms defined in the CCPA have the same meaning when used in this Policy.
Collection of Personal Information
We collect the Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Information categories listed below:
Personal Information Category Source Sold or Shared Identifiers, such as real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, internet protocol address, email address, account name, or other similar identifiers. Collected directly from you, for example, from forms you complete. Yes, in aggregate/anonymized form. We may also disclose your information to third parties that sponsor our events. Categories of Personal Information described in Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e), such as name, signature, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information. Collected directly from you, for example, from forms you complete. Yes, in aggregate/anonymized form. We may also disclose your information to third parties that sponsor our events. Characteristics of protected classifications under state or federal law, such as age, citizenship, and sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or childbirth and related medical conditions). Not collected. Not sold or shared. Commercial information, such as records of products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies. Collected directly through your purchases with the NIA. Not sold or shared. Biometric information. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Internet or other electronic network activity information, such as browsing history, search history, and information regarding a consumer's interaction with an internet website, application, or advertisement. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Geolocation data. Indirectly from the use of tracking technologies. Not sold or shared. Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Inferences drawn from other Personal Information to create a profile about a consumer reflecting a consumer's preferences, characteristics, and trends. Not collected. Not sold or shared.
Sensitive Personal Information Category Source Sold or Shared Government identifiers (social security, driver's license, state identification card, or passport number). Not collected. Not sold or shared. Complete account access credentials (usernames, account numbers, or card numbers combined with required access/security code or password). Collected through the account registration process. Not sold or shared. Precise geolocation. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Racial or ethnic origin. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Religious or philosophical beliefs. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Union membership. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Genetic data. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Mail, email, or text messages contents not directed to us. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Unique identifying biometric information. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Health, sex life, or sexual orientation information. Not collected. Not sold or shared. Personal Information does not include publicly available information lawfully made available from government records, deidentified or aggregated consumer information, or information excluded from the CCPA.
Use of Personal Information
We may use or disclose the Personal Information as discussed in this Privacy Policy.
We will not collect additional categories of Personal Information or use the personal information we collect for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes without providing you with notice.
Retention
We maintain your Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfill our business purpose, as discussed in the Section "How We Use Your Personal Information" in our Privacy Policy.
Your California Rights
Residents of California have certain rights. Please note that the below rights are not absolute, and we may be entitled to refuse requests, wholly or in part, where exceptions under applicable law apply.
Right to Access
You have the right to access Personal Information that we may collect or retain about you. If requested, we shall provide you with a copy of your Personal Information which we collected as permitted by the CCPA.
You also have the right to receive your Personal Information in a structured and commonly used format so that it can be transferred to another entity ("data portability").
Right to Know
You have the right to request that we disclose the following about your Personal Information, as defined by the CCPA:
The specific Personal Information we may collect;
The categories of Personal Information we may collect;
The categories of sources from which we may collect your Personal Information;
The business purpose(s) for collecting or sharing your Personal Information;
The categories of Personal Information we may disclose for business purposes; and
The categories of third parties to whom we may share your Personal Information.
Right to Opt-Out / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
You have the right to opt-out of sharing your Personal Information with third parties for some purposes, including sharing that may be defined as a sale under applicable laws. You can opt-out of this sharing by emailing info@niaglobal.com and discontinuing use of the Services.
You also may have a right to opt-out of the use of certain automated decision-making technology.
Do Not Share or Disclose My Sensitive Personal Information
You have the right to limit how your Sensitive Personal Information is used or disclosed with third parties. You can opt-out of this sharing by emailing info@niaglobal.com and discontinuing use of the Services.
Right to Deletion
In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we delete any of your Personal Information that we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request (instructions and description below), we will delete, and, as applicable, direct our service providers to delete, your Personal Information from our records, unless an exception applies.
We may deny your request to delete your Personal Information if retaining the information is necessary for us or our service providers, subject to certain exemptions in the CCPA.
Right to Correct / Right to Rectification
In certain circumstances, you have the right to request correction of any inaccurate Personal Information. Upon verifying the validity of a valid consumer correction request, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to correct your Personal Information as directed, taking into account the nature of the Personal Information and the purposes of maintaining your Personal Information.
Right to Non-Discrimination
We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights under the CCPA. Unless permitted by the CCPA, we will not:
Deny you goods or services;
Charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties;
Provide you with a different level or quality of goods or services; or
Suggest that you receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.
Exercising Your Rights
If you are a resident of California, you can exercise any of your rights as described in this Policy and under the CCPA by emailing info@niaglobal.com or by using the contact information at the end of this Privacy Policy. Except as provided for under applicable privacy laws, there is no charge to exercise any of your legal rights. However, if your requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive, in particular because of their repetitive character, we may (as permitted under the CCPA):
Charge a reasonable fee taking in account the administrative costs of providing the information or taking the action requested; or
Refuse to act on the request and notify you of the reason for refusing the request.
What Personal Information Do I Provide to Verify My Identity?
We take the privacy of your Personal Information seriously and want to ensure that we provide only you or your authorized agent with your Personal Information. Applicable law also requires that we verify the identity of each person who makes a request to know what Personal Information we have about you or to delete the Personal Information we have about you. To verify your identity, we may ask you to provide your:
First name*
Last name*
Middle initial
Email address*
Phone number
*required field
How Do You Verify My Identity?
We may verify your identity in a few different ways in order to balance the requirements of the CCPA and our obligation to keep your information private. When you make your request, you may be asked to answer a few questions about yourself to help us validate your identity. This is a two-step process using information unique to you, such as an address or email address, etc.
In some instances, we may ask you to provide other documentation to verify your identity. If this happens, we will reach out to you directly with this request.
What If You Can't Verify My Identity?
If we can't verify your identity, we will not be able to process your request to know what Personal Information we have about you or to delete the Personal Information we have about you. If we are unable to verify your identity with a high degree of certainty, we will only be able to provide a report with category-level information and we may not be able to delete some of your information.
How to Submit a Request Using an Authorized Agent
An authorized agent is a person or business who has authorization to request to know what Personal Information we have about you; to delete the Personal Information we have about you, or to opt out of the sale of Personal Information on behalf of a California resident. Authorized agents use the same links described above to submit requests.
If you are submitting a request on behalf of another person, we require a valid power of attorney or other documentation demonstrating your authority to submit this request. This can be a letter or other documentation signed by the California resident authorizing you to submit this request. You can download a sample letter from the request form.
How To Send Documentation
If you submit a request via email at info@niaglobal.com or by using the contact information at the end of this Privacy Policy, you must include the appropriate above listed documentation in order for us to act on your request.
Response Timing and Format
We will confirm receipt of a request within 10 days and provide information about how we will process the request. We endeavor to substantively respond to a verifiable consumer request within 45 days of its receipt. If we require more time (up to 90 days), we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing. If you have an account with us, we will deliver our written response to that account. If you do not have an account with us, we will deliver our written response by mail or electronically, at your option. Any disclosure we provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding the verifiable consumer request's receipt. The response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply with a request, if applicable. For data portability requests, we will select a format to provide your Personal Information that is readily useable and should allow you to transmit the information from one entity to another entity without hindrance.
We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.
If you wish to appeal our decision, please submit your appeal to the above contact information. Please clearly denote that it is an appeal.
European Union Visitors
For our customers residing in the European Economic Area (EEA), the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") may be applicable. The GDPR provides a framework for organizations to ensure protection of the personal information of European citizens and gives European citizens certain rights.
Legal Basis for Processing
If you are an individual located in the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, our legal basis for processing your personal information will depend on the personal information concerned and the specific context in which it is collected. However, we will normally collect or process personal information from you only where:
We have your consent to do so; or
We need the personal information to perform a contract with you (e.g. to deliver services).
In some cases, we may also have a legal obligation to process Personal Information from you or may need the Personal Information to protect your vital interest or those of another person. If we rely on your consent to process the Personal Information, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time in writing or as otherwise permitted. Please note that this does not affect the lawfulness of the processing based on consent before withdrawal, nor will it affect the processing of your Personal Information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.
Retention
We will retain your personal information for as long as is needed to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
Rights to Access and Control Your Personal Data
Individuals residing in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland have certain rights to access and control their personal data. These rights include:
the right to be informed;
the right of access;
the right to rectification;
the right to erasure;
the right to restrict processing;
the right to data portability;
the right to object; and
rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.
For a full list of rights, please visit www.eugdpr.org.
Privacy Policy Updates
We update the Privacy Policy from time to time, so please review it regularly. If we materially change our Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting a notice on our Site. Your continued use of our Site will be deemed your agreement that your information may be used in accordance with the new policy. If you do not agree with the changes, then you should stop using the Site and notify us that you do not want your information used in accordance with the changes.
Contacting Us
We welcome any questions, comments, or complaints you may have regarding this Privacy Policy. Please do not hesitate to contact us by email at info@niaglobal.com or by writing to us:
Avenue Tervueren 143
1150 Brussels
Belgium
Registered organisation/VAT number: BE0810.218.531