Site policy

FAO Virtual Learning Centers 

Site Policy and Privacy Notice


By registering with the FAO Virtual Learning Center platform you agree to the following FAO policies. Please click the links to review them:


Included below is more information on using this platform and how your data will be stored.

Who are we?

This website is maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy.
The website is hosted by MediaTouch 2000 srl, Via Michele di Lando, 10, 00162 Rome, Italy.

Please contact us by e-mail at VLC-Global@fao.org if you would like more information on how your data is stored, you would like a record of the data stored, or you would like us to delete your data.

What data do we collect?

We do not collect any forms of personal data that are categorized as sensitive, such as health information or ethnicity. We do not collect any financial information.

Information you provide

The Virtual Learning Center website stores personal information including your name, e-mail address, gender, age, employment role and location. If you upload any additional personal details to your online profile this is also stored on our website.

Information we collect automatically

The Virtual Learning Center website collects data on your interaction with the website, pages visited, your completion of online training activities, grades achieved and messages in online discussion fora.

Use of your e-mail address

If you join a training course you will receive automated e-mails generated by online discussions. Please use the automated "unsubscribe" options if you would like to unsubscribe from these messages. You may request to unsubscribe from these updates at any time. You may be sent newsletters from the Virtual Learning Centres. You may unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time. Your e-mail address will be used exclusively by the Food and Agriculture Organization and will not be shared with any other parties. By agreeing to this privacy policy you agree to your e-mail address being used in this way.

Who has access to your data?

The administrators of the Virtual Learning Centers website can access your data for the purposes of managing the platform. Teachers and managers of online courses that you are taking part in can access your data relating to your interactions with the course that they are teaching or managing with the purpose of guiding and teaching you.

Sharing your personal information with others

This website records data on your participation and completion of online training courses. If you have been nominated to take part in online training courses by your employer, government veterinary service or similar, data collected by this site on your participation and completion of training courses will be shared with this nominating agency. If you do not wish your data to be shared in this way, please contact us on VLC-Global@fao.org.

If you have signed up to an online course on a purely personal basis your personal training completion data will not be shared with any other agency.

We recognize the importance of protecting your privacy, and, aside from sharing completion data with nominating agencies (see above), we will not disclose any of the personal information you provide. We will not give, sell or trade the information you provide to others.

External links

We are not responsible for the privacy policies of external sites or organizations to which we provide hyperlinks. Please visit their sites to review their privacy policies.

Data retention

Data processed under these Terms and Conditions may be kept by FAO and its authorized vendors and/or subcontractors for as long as is necessary for purposes of ensuring the proper use and functioning of the Virtual Learning Centers website. At any time, you can delete, review, correct or update your contact, registration and personal data by accessing your personal account.

Residual data may remain within FAO Databases and other FAO records, which may or may not contain Personal Data you have provided. To end your registration, please email VLC-Global@fao.org.

How can I see, correct or erase my personal data?

Records of data retention can be accessed from your online profile page. Please e-mail VLC-Global@fao.org if you would like details of the data associated with your account, to make changes to your personal profile or to erase the data which is held on our website.

Use of online discussion forums

This website contains specialized discussion fora and commenting tools.

When participating, users agree not to:
 • defame, abuse, harass, threaten or otherwise violate the rights of others;
 • publish, post, distribute or disseminate defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent or unlawful material;
• upload or attach files that contain software or other material protected by intellectual property laws unless the user owns or controls the rights and has received all necessary permissions;
 • upload, email, transmit or otherwise make available unsolicited advertising of any goods or services, or conduct or forward surveys, contests, "spam" or chain letters, etc.

Users specifically acknowledge that FAO is not liable for the conduct of any other user. Users repeatedly posting material that falls into the above categories will be removed and/or banned from participating in the related fora and commenting tools.

If you have any questions or concerns about the above information, please e-mail us at VLC-Global@fao.org

Last modified: Wednesday, 2 November 2022, 2:00 PM