Privacy Policy
Effective date: 27 Aug. 2026
Last updated: 27 Aug. 2026
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy describes how personal data is collected, used, and protected when you use the IECON 2026 mobile application (the “App”). The App is provided in connection with the 52nd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON 2026), held in Doha, Qatar, in October 2026 (the “Conference”).
The data controller for personal data processed through the App is the IECON 2026 Organizing Committee, acting on behalf of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, contactable at info@iecon2026.org (the “Organizers”, “we”, “us”). The App is developed and operated on our behalf by SAB Q Trading and Services contactable at contact@sab-q.co (the “Vendor”), which acts as a data processor under our instructions.
By downloading and using the App, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with it, do not use the App; all essential Conference information remains available on the Conference website and in printed materials.
2. Data We Collect
2.1 Data you provide
• Account and profile data: name, email address, affiliation, country, professional title, and, optionally, a photograph, biography, and areas of interest, as imported from your Conference registration or entered by you in the App.
• Content you create: messages sent through the App’s messaging or networking features, questions submitted to sessions, comments, session ratings, and survey or feedback responses.
• Personal agenda: the sessions, presentations, and events you bookmark or add to your schedule.
2.2 Data collected automatically
• Device and technical data: device model, operating system version, app version, language settings, unique push notification token, and IP address.
• Usage data: features accessed, sessions viewed, and interaction events, collected in aggregated or pseudonymized form to operate and improve the App.
2.3 Data we do not collect
The App does not collect precise geolocation data, does not access your contacts, camera, or microphone without your explicit permission for a specific feature, and does not process payment information.
3. Purposes and Legal Bases of Processing
We process personal data for the following purposes:
• Providing the App’s core functions (programme, agenda, speaker information, venue maps, announcements): performance of our contract with you as a Conference participant.
• Enabling optional networking and social features (attendee directory, messaging, meeting requests): your consent, given when you activate these features. Your profile is not visible to other attendees unless you enable visibility.
• Sending push notifications about schedule changes, announcements, and Conference logistics: our legitimate interest in operating the Conference. You may disable notifications at any time in your device settings.
• Improving the App and diagnosing technical faults: our legitimate interest, using aggregated or pseudonymized data where possible.
• Complying with legal obligations, including responding to lawful requests by public authorities.
4. Sharing of Personal Data
We share personal data only as follows:
• With Zoho Inc., strictly to operate the App.
• With Google (Firebase Cloud Messaging) and Apple (Apple Push Notification service) to deliver push notifications; these services receive device tokens and technical routing data.
• With other attendees, only to the extent you choose to make your profile visible or to communicate with them through the App.
• With IEEE and the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society for Conference administration, in accordance with the IEEE Privacy Policy.
We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it with third parties for their own advertising purposes.
5. International Data Transfers
The Conference takes place in Qatar, and attendees participate from many countries. Personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States and Qatar. Where data of individuals in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland is transferred to countries without an adequacy decision, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses concluded with the Vendor. Processing within Qatar is conducted in accordance with Qatar Law No. 13 of 2016 on the Protection of Personal Data Privacy.
6. Retention
Profile, agenda, and messaging data are retained for the duration of the Conference and deleted or irreversibly anonymized no later than 60 days after the Conference ends, except where a longer period is required by law or where data has been aggregated for statistical reporting. Push notification tokens are deleted when you uninstall the App or when the App is decommissioned.
7. Your Rights
Subject to applicable law, you have the right to access, rectify, and erase your personal data; to restrict or object to processing; to withdraw consent at any time without affecting prior processing; and to data portability. You may exercise these rights by contacting contact@sab-q.co. We will respond within the period required by applicable law. If you are in the EEA or UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority. Individuals in Qatar may contact the competent authority under Law No. 13 of 2016.
You may delete your in-app profile at any time through the App settings, or by uninstalling the App and requesting deletion at the address above.
8. Security
We and the Vendor apply technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risk, including encryption of data in transit, access controls, and logging. No system is fully secure; if a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights, we will notify affected individuals and competent authorities as required by applicable law.
9. Children
The App is intended for Conference registrants and is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children nor age data.
10. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the App or in applicable law. The current version, with its effective date, is available in the App. Material changes will be announced through the App.
11. Contact
IECON 2026 Organizing Committee,
email: info@iecon2026.org