Privacy Policy
Last updated: 26.03.2023
This privacy policy explains what kind of data we collect, what we use this data for, and what your rights are. The terms used here, such as "commissioned processing" or "controller", are defined in Art. 4 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/ELI/?eliuri=eli:reg:2016:679:oj
Purpose of processing
We use the data for the provision, maintenance, security, and improvement of services, for the analysis of user behavior and development of new services, and to protect Search Smart and our users.
Controller
Search Smart
Michael Gusenbauer
Johannes Kepler University Linz
Managementzentrum, 3rd floor
Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
If you have any questions about our privacy policy or data protection at Search Smart in general, please send an email to weare@searchsmart.org
Collection and storage of general data and information
In general, personal data (any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, such as name, address, telephone number, etc.) is not required for use on the website. However, as IP addresses also qualify as personal data, Search Smart draws the user’s attention to the fact that visits to the website https://www.searchsmart.org/ are recorded for statistical purposes. Every visit to our website, general data is automatically collected and stored in a log file. The following information is being recorded:
- Shortened IP address of your device (The IP addresses are shortened by the last digits so that a personal connection cannot be established anymore and users remain anonymous.)
- name of the page you are visiting
- name of file(s) accessed or downloaded
- URL of the previously visited site
- date and time of your visit
- data volume
- type of browser you are using and browser version
- operation system of your device
This data is collected to:
- ensure an accurate connection establishment to our website and services
- ensure that you can use our website without obstruction
- analyze system security and stability and for further administrative purposes
- create aggregate usage statistics for the analysis of user behavior and to further develop our service
The processing of this information is based on our legitimate interest in the purposes for data collection mentioned above. We are NOT using this data to identify you personally. The recipient of the data is only the responsible office. The information is used, for example, to fix errors, to detect hacker attacks, or for legitimate investigations of government bodies.
Access logs are deleted after 14 months.
Collection and storage of Personally Identifiable Information
"Personally Identifiable Information" means any information that can be used to identify an individual, including, but not limited to, a first and last name, an email address, or other contact information, whether at work or at home.
Information on your person is only stored if they are provided by you. Only if you contact us or make a donation, we process and store your personal information, such as name, address, and e-mail address.
Encrypted connection
We use an encrypted connection to establish a connection between your browser and our website & web services. An encrypted connection ensures that the data you send via our web services.
If you use your email software to send us a message, please be aware that the message you send is not encrypted by default. If you want to send us personal information via email, we advise you always to encrypt your messages beforehand. Please see the section "Email communication with us" for more information.
Collaboration with Data Processors and Third Parties
We use CryptPad, a is a private-by-design alternative to popular office tools. CryptPad is a highly GDPR-compliant service as all content is end-to-end encrypted and can be shared with other users privately. For more information about CryptPad's privacy policy, please visit https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/view/GcNjAWmK6YDB3EO2IipRZ0fUe89j43Ryqeb4fjkjehE/.
The processing of donations is handled by PayPal, a payments processor of PayPal Inc. (which is a parent company of PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A.) located in California, USA. For more information about the data collected, please see https://www.paypal.com/ie/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full?locale.x=en_IE.
We use Plausible Analytics on our website, a software to perform data analysis. The service provider is Plausible Insights OÜ, an Estonian company located at Västriku tn 2, 50403, Tartu. To learn more about the data processed through the use of Plausible Analytics, please read the privacy policy at https://plausible.io/data-policy. Plausible Analytics collects anonymized usage information only and truncates your IP address immediately.
We use Twitter on our website a social media software. These functions are offered by Twitter Inc., Twitter, Inc. 1355 Market St, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. The data controller for individuals outside the United States is Twitter International Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2D02 AX07, Ireland. By using Twitter and the functions of the Tweet button, the websites you visit are associated with your Twitter account and made available to other users, including the sending of data to Twitter. We wish to point out that, as the provider of these pages, we have no knowledge of the data transmitted to Twitter and how it uses it. For more information about Twitter’s privacy policy, please visit https://twitter.com/privacy?lang=en.
Apart from the aforementioned data processors, we do not transfer your data to any other third parties.
Email communications with us
If you click on our contact/feedback buttons, your email software will activate and invite you to send your comments to a specific functional mailbox. When you send such a message, your personal data is collected only to the extent necessary to reply. If you use your email software to send us a message, please be aware that the message you send is not encrypted by default. If you want to send us personal information via email, we advise you always to encrypt your messages beforehand.
We will not forward your email or the data included in your email to any third parties without your consent.
If you have any questions about the processing of your e-mail and related personal data, do not hesitate to include them in your message.
Links to third-party websites and services
Search Smart is not responsible for the contents of websites that are maintained by third parties and therefore waives its liability for any links from this website to other websites. When you leave our website, the privacy policies of that other website apply.
Routine erasure and blocking of personal data
The data controller shall process and store the personal data of the data subject only for the period necessary to achieve the purpose of storage or as far as this is granted by the European legislator or other legislators in laws or regulations to which the controller is subject to.
If the storage purpose is not applicable, or if a storage period prescribed by the European legislator or another competent legislator expires, the personal data are routinely blocked or erased in accordance with legal requirements.
Rights of the data subject - the right of access, rectification, blocking, erasure, right to object
You have the right to obtain from us free information about your personal data stored at any time. You also have the right to rectification, blocking, and, with the exception of legally mandated data storage. Please contact us if you want to exercise these rights. You can find the contact data above in the section "Controller".
To fulfill your right to blocking data, we need to store these data in a blocking file. You can demand the erasure of data unless data archival is not legally mandated. If data storage is legally mandated, we will block your data if this is your wish. You can submit changes or revocation of a granted consent, with effect for the future.
If you did not reach out to us directly (see: "Personal information"), we will not have any personal information stored from you. In case you did, you may contact us to exercise the following rights at any time:
- Access to your personal data stored by us and their processing.
- Rectification of inaccurate personal data
- Erasure of your personal data stored by us
- Restriction of processing of personal data, should we be legally bound to store data
- Object to the processing of your personal data by us
- Data transfer provided that you have consented to the data processing or have entered into a contract with us. If you have given consent, you can revoke consent at any time, with effect for the future.
You can submit a complaint to the competent regulators at any time.
Changes to our privacy policy
Our privacy policy is subject to change. We will adapt our privacy policy in order to comply with current legal requirements or to notify you of changes to our services. If you revisit our website, make sure to read the changes to our privacy policy.
This privacy policy has been adapted to the use of Search Smart from Open Knowledge Maps (https://openknowledgemaps.org/privacy).
