ING Belgium respects the privacy of both Internet users and any other individuals concerned, in accordance with the current legislation; in particular the law dated 8 December 1992 relating to the protection of privacy and its execution decrees.

Solely by accessing the website of ING Belgium SA/NV ( www.ing.be), Internet users declare they have read the information below and authorises ING Belgium SA/NV (hereinafter referred to as “ING Belgium”) to process, in accordance with the following provisions, the data of a personal nature communicated through the channel of the website (including via online forms, e-mails sent to ING Belgium e-mails addresses, cookies, environment variables, etc.).

Those resposonible for processing data of a personal nature relating to the individuals in question which is communicated via the ING Belgium website are ING Belgique SA/NV whose registered office is established at 24 avenue Marnix, 1000 Brussels (Belgium), (e-mail: info@ing.be) and, where appropriate, another ING Group company established in a member state of the European Union.

Data communicated to other ING Group companies established in a member state of the European Union, on the initiative of individuals, is processed by such companies in accordance with the information on the protection of privacy supplied by such companies.

Data of a personal nature relating to individuals communicated to ING Belgium through the channel of the latter’s website ( www.ing.be) and/or in connection with services offered on such website, is processed by ING Belgium for the purposes of processing requests from Internet users (with regard to accounts, payments, loans, asset management (investments), brokerage (in particular insurance or leasing), advertising aims and/or information on banking services, leasing and/or insurance), centralising customer management, marketing banking, leasing and/or insurance services (unless the individual in question objects), a global overview of the customer, controlling the regularity of transactions and preventing irregularities.

Such data is not intended to be communicated to third parties other than those persons designated for such purposes by the Internet user, companies whose intervention is necessary to achieve one of the above-mentioned purposes or companies of the ING Group established in a member state of the European Union. It may thus be transferred to a non-EU member state whether or not such state provides an adequate level of personal data protection. ING Belgium will however not transfer data to a non-EU state which does not provide an adequate level of protection except in the cases stipulated by the law of 8 December relating to the protection of privacy, for instance ensuring that data is protected by means of appropriate contractual provisions.

The individuals concerned consent to the exchange of data concerning them between existing or future companies of the banking and insurance group ING established in a member state of the European Union. The ING Group within the European Union is a group of companies with activities in banking, insurance, leasing, asset management (investments) and/or an activity following on from such activities. Such exchange of data is intended to enable participating companies to centralise customer management, to have a global overview of the customer, to carry out studies, statistics and/or marketing campaigns (except spamming and unless the individual in question objects), to offer and/or provide the aforementioned services, and to control the regularity of transactions (including the prevention of irregularities). These companies have given an undertaking to guarantee a high level of protection of any data of a personal nature exchanged and are bound, as far as such data is concerned, by an undertaking of discretion.

The updated list companies of the Group ING in Belgium which exchange such data is available on the ING Belgium website (www.ing.be) or from ING Belgium upon request. Any individual may ask ING Belgium for an updated list of the companies of the Group ING established in a member state of the European Union.

The legal or administrative authorities of regulatory bodies, whether Belgian or international (e.g. American) may, in certain cases stipulated by law or local regulations (in particular with a view to preventing terrorism) demand from ING Belgium or a company to which data may have been transferred in accordance with the above provisions, communication of all or part of the personal data of private individuals.

Neither racial or ethnic data, nor political, philosophical or religious data, nor data relating to trade union membership or sexuality, on the sole condition of the assumption that this results from data identifying the individual in question (mainly their first name, surname, address, nationality and profession) or that this results from a request made by the Internet user in respect of themselves or a third party (for example, a request for banking, leasing and/or insurance services relating to a political party). In that case, the private individual in question authorises the processing of such data, where appropriate in connection with their request, in accordance with article 6 of the law of 8 December 1992 on the protection of privacy. The categories of persons who have access to such data are ING Belgium staff members and, where appropriate, those of other companies of ING Group established in a member state of the European Union who are responsible for one or several of the aforementioned purposes, as well as, where appropriate, the persons designated by the Internet user and/or staff member from other companies whose intervention is required to carry out one or more of the aforementioned transactions. Any private individual may access the data relating to them, processed by ING Belgium or another company of ING Group established in a member state of the European Union and, where appropriate, request that incorrect data be corrected or illegally processed data be deleted.

He/she may object, at any time, on request and free of charge, to the processing of their personal data for marketing direct purposes by ING Belgium and/or withdraw their consent to the processing of their data between ING Group companies established in a member state of the European Union for direct marketing purposes; such objection and/or withdrawal of consent will be taken into account as soon as possible.

No legal provision requires Internet users to answer the questions asked by ING Belgium or another ING Group company established in a member state of the European Union, but if questions are not answered it is possible – according to the case – that ING Belgium or another ING Group company established in a member state of the European Union will be unable, or will refuse, to enter into a (pre-) contractual relationship, to continue such relationship or to carry out a transaction requested by the Internet user in their favour or that of a third party.

Personal data relating to the individual concerned is processed by ING Belgium and the other ING Group companies established in a member state of the European Union with the utmost confidentiality. However, as the Internet does not offer complete security, the respect of privacy can only be guaranteed if personal data is sent via communication channels explicitly indicated by ING Belgium as being protected.

“Cookies” are used in some parts of the ING Belgium website to improve the services provided to Internet users. A “cookie” is a text file with information on the behaviour of website visitors. It is created by software on the website server but stored on the User’s hard drive. During a subsequent visit to the website, the contents of the “cookie” can be retrieved by the website’s server.

“Cookies” generated by the ING Belgium website enable services to be personalised according to the areas of interest of each User, who can be identified by means of such “cookies”.

Such “cookies” contain data concerning the user such as language or currency selected by the Internet user, which will mean that they do not have to enter such data again each time they visit the website. They record data about the ING Belgium website pages visited by the Internet user and their aim is to provide information sessions, particularly by recording the information that the Internet user provides in successive forms, as well as preventing the Internet user from receiving the same advertisements or other announcements repeatedly.

User data recorded by the “cookies” is, in addition, processed by ING Belgium to compile statistics or studies for the ING Belgium website and to ensure that the content of said website is improved.

Such “cookies” are stored on the Internet user’s computer for a maximum period of 12 months.

Most Internet of the web browsers available are automatically configured to accept “cookies”. However, Internet users can configure their web browsers to inform them or each “cookie” sent or to prevent them from being stored on their hard drive. However, ING Belgium cannot guarantee the Internet user access to its website in the event he/she refuses to store “cookies”.

When Internet users visit the ING Belgium website, the following personal data, called “environment variables”, is sent to ING Belgium and recorded by it via the user’s browser software :

• his/her TCP/IP address (identification number of the Internet user’s computer on the web network),
• the brands and versions of his/her brower software and operating system,
• the language used by the Internet user,
• all the information about the ING Belgium website pages visited by the Internet user and those of other websites through which the user accessed the ING Belgium website.

This data is processed by ING Belgium to take account of the specific configuration of the Internet user’s computer so that the user can be sent the requested web pages in the correct format. In addition, they are processed with a view to compiling studies or statistics for the ING Belgium website and with a view to improving the content of the said website.