PRIVACY POLICY
Last updated: 19 August 2026
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation Switzerland respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal data responsibly, transparently and securely.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal data when you visit rfkhumanrights.ch, communicate with us, subscribe to our communications, participate in our activities or make a donation.
This Privacy Policy applies in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection ("FADP") and its implementing legislation. Where the European Union General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") or other applicable data protection legislation applies to particular processing activities, we also process personal data in accordance with those requirements.
1. Who is responsible for your personal data?
The controller responsible for the processing described in this Privacy Policy is:
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation Switzerland
Pfingstweidstrasse 106
8005 Zurich
Switzerland
Email: info@rfkhumanrights.ch
Questions or requests concerning privacy or the exercise of your data protection rights may be sent to the email address above.
2. What personal data do we collect?
Depending on how you interact with us, we may process the following categories of personal data:
Website and technical data
When you visit our website, technical information may be processed automatically, including:
IP address;
browser type and version;
device type and operating system;
language and regional settings;
referring website;
pages visited and interactions with the website;
date and time of access;
approximate geographic information derived from an IP address;
cookie identifiers and similar technical identifiers; and
information required to ensure the security, stability and proper functioning of the website.
Newsletter and communications data
If you subscribe to newsletters, announcements or other communications, we may collect:
first and last name;
email address;
communication preferences;
information concerning subscription, consent and unsubscribe actions; and
technical information associated with the delivery or interaction with our communications.
Contact and correspondence data
If you contact us, we may process your name, contact information, the content of your communication and any other information that you choose to provide.
Donation data
When you make a donation, we may process information such as:
your name and contact details;
donation amount and date;
payment method;
transaction or payment reference;
information necessary for donation receipts, accounting or tax purposes;
correspondence relating to your donation; and
any additional information you voluntarily provide.
Payments may be processed by banks, payment service providers and technology providers involved in the transaction. We do not store complete payment-card credentials on our own systems.
For bank transfers and TWINT payments, the relevant financial institutions may provide us with information required to identify and administer the donation.
Events, programmes and other activities
If you register for or participate in one of our events, educational programmes or other activities, we may process registration and contact information and other information reasonably required to administer the relevant activity.
Where additional information is required for a specific programme or activity, we may provide a separate privacy notice at the time the information is collected.
3. How do we use personal data?
We process personal data for purposes including:
operating, maintaining and securing our website;
responding to enquiries and correspondence;
administering donations and communicating with donors;
processing payments and issuing donation confirmations or receipts;
maintaining accounting and financial records;
providing newsletters and other communications requested by subscribers;
organising events, programmes and educational activities;
maintaining relationships with supporters, partners and participants;
analysing website usage and improving our website, communications and programmes;
detecting misuse, fraud or security incidents;
establishing, exercising or defending legal rights;
complying with legal and regulatory requirements; and
pursuing other purposes that are communicated to you when the relevant personal data are collected.
We do not sell or rent personal data to third parties.
4. Legal grounds
Swiss data protection law generally permits the processing of personal data provided that the applicable data-protection principles are respected and the processing does not unlawfully infringe the personality rights of the individual concerned.
Where the GDPR or another law requiring a specific legal basis applies, processing may be based, as appropriate, on:
your consent;
steps taken at your request or performance of an agreement with you;
compliance with a legal obligation;
our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided that such interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms; or
another legal ground recognised by applicable law.
Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time with effect for the future.
5. Newsletters and electronic communications
We send newsletters and similar communications to individuals who have subscribed or where another applicable legal basis permits us to do so.
You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our electronic communications or by contacting info@rfkhumanrights.ch.
We may retain limited information concerning an unsubscribe request where necessary to ensure that your preference continues to be respected.
6. Cookies and similar technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.
Cookies are small files or identifiers that may be stored on or accessed from your device. They may be used to operate the website, remember preferences, measure website activity or enable services provided by third parties.
We distinguish generally between:
Strictly necessary cookies
These technologies are required for essential website functions, security, network management, accessibility or to remember your privacy choices.
Analytics and performance technologies
These technologies help us understand how visitors use our website so that we can evaluate and improve its content, functionality and performance.
Third-party and other non-essential technologies
Certain website functions, embedded content or third-party services may involve cookies or similar technologies operated by third parties.
Where required by applicable law, non-essential cookies and comparable technologies will only be activated after you have made the appropriate choice through our cookie-management mechanism.
You can change or withdraw your cookie choices through the cookie settings made available on the website. You can also control cookies through your browser settings, although disabling certain technologies may affect website functionality.
7. Squarespace
Our website uses technology and hosting services provided by Squarespace.
In providing these services, Squarespace may process technical and website-usage information, including information concerning browsers, devices, IP addresses and interactions with the website.
Squarespace may also provide website analytics and functionality required for website operation, forms and other services.
Squarespace operates internationally, and information processed through its services may therefore be processed outside Switzerland, including in the United States. Applicable safeguards for international transfers are used where required by data protection law.
8. Google Tag Manager and Google services
Our website uses Google Tag Manager, a service provided by Google, to manage website tags and integrations.
Google Tag Manager itself is primarily a tag-management technology. Depending on the configuration of the website, tags managed through Google Tag Manager may activate analytics or other third-party technologies and may process technical identifiers or other information.
Where consent is legally required for a particular non-essential technology, the corresponding tag should only be activated in accordance with your cookie preferences.
Google and its affiliated companies operate internationally, and personal data associated with Google services may be processed outside Switzerland.
9. Social media and third-party content
Our website contains links to social-media services and may contain content or functionality provided by third parties, including platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube.
When you follow an external link, the third party processes information independently in accordance with its own privacy practices.
Where third-party content is embedded directly into our website, technical information such as your IP address and information concerning the page visited may be transmitted to the relevant provider when the content is loaded or activated.
Where required, we use appropriate mechanisms to prevent non-essential third-party technologies from being activated before the relevant privacy choice has been made.
10. Who receives personal data?
We may disclose personal data where necessary to:
website hosting, technology and IT service providers;
email and newsletter service providers;
payment service providers, banks and financial institutions;
analytics and technology providers;
professional advisers, including accountants, auditors and legal advisers;
service providers supporting our events, programmes or administration;
public authorities, courts or regulatory bodies where disclosure is legally required; and
other recipients where you have instructed or authorised us to make the disclosure.
Service providers acting on our behalf may process personal data only for the relevant purposes and subject to appropriate contractual, organisational and technical safeguards.
11. International transfers of personal data
Some of our service providers operate internationally. Personal data may therefore be processed in Switzerland, the European Economic Area, the United States and, depending on the service provider and its subprocessors, other jurisdictions.
Where personal data are transferred to a country that does not provide an adequate level of data protection under applicable Swiss or European data protection law, we use an available lawful mechanism where required, such as recognised standard contractual clauses or another legally permitted safeguard or exception.
Where applicable, transfers to organisations participating in an officially recognised data privacy framework may be made on that basis.
Further information concerning safeguards applicable to a particular transfer may be requested from us.
12. How long do we keep personal data?
We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which they were collected, taking account of legal, accounting, contractual and operational requirements.
In particular:
newsletter information is generally retained until you unsubscribe or the relevant communication service is discontinued, subject to limited information required to record an unsubscribe request;
correspondence is retained for as long as reasonably necessary to deal with the communication and any resulting relationship;
website and technical data are retained according to the relevant security, analytics and provider settings; and
donation, transaction and accounting records may be retained for the periods required by Swiss accounting, tax and other applicable laws, which may generally require relevant accounting records to be retained for ten years.
When personal data are no longer required, they are deleted, anonymised or otherwise disposed of appropriately, subject to applicable legal obligations.
13. Data security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful loss, destruction, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or unauthorised access.
Our service providers are selected with regard to appropriate security and data-protection requirements.
Nevertheless, no internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
If a data-security breach occurs, we will assess it and make any notifications to authorities or affected individuals required by applicable law.
14. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have the right to:
request information about whether and how we process your personal data;
obtain access to your personal data;
request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
request deletion or destruction of personal data;
object to or request restriction of certain processing;
withdraw consent with effect for the future;
request the release or transfer of certain personal data in a commonly used electronic format where the legal requirements for data portability are met; and
exercise additional rights available under applicable data protection law.
Certain rights may be restricted where applicable law permits or requires us to retain or process information.
Requests may be sent to info@rfkhumanrights.ch. We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before responding.
You also have the right to contact the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) concerning data-protection matters. Where the GDPR applies, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent European supervisory authority.
15. Children and young people
Our activities include human-rights education and may involve children and young people.
We do not knowingly seek to collect personal data from children through the general website beyond what is appropriate for the relevant activity. Where participation in a programme, event or other activity requires the processing of personal data relating to minors, we will apply appropriate safeguards and obtain parental or other authorisation where required.
16. External websites
Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites. We recommend reviewing the privacy information of those websites before providing personal data to them.
17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our activities, technology, service providers or applicable law.
The current version will be published on this website together with the date of its most recent update.
Material changes may also be communicated through other appropriate channels where required.
18. Contact
For questions concerning this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal data, or to exercise a data-protection right, please contact:
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation Switzerland
Pfingstweidstrasse 106
8005 Zurich
Switzerland
Email: info@rfkhumanrights.ch