Privacy Policy

This privacy policy provides information on what personal data we process, for what purpose, how and where, in particular in connection with our swiss-digital-initiative.org website and our other services. This privacy policy also informs you about the rights of persons whose data we process.

Special, supplementary or further data protection declarations as well as other legal documents such as general terms and conditions (GTC), terms of use or conditions of participation may apply to individual or additional offers and services.

Our offer is subject to Swiss data protection law as well as any applicable foreign data protection law such as, in particular, that of the European Union (EU) with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The European Commission recognises that Swiss data protection law ensures an adequate level of data protection.

1. Contact addresses

Responsibility for the processing of personal data:

Swiss Digital Initiative
c/o Campus Biotech
Chemin des Mines 9
1202 Geneva

info@sdi-foundation.org

We point out if there are other persons responsible for processing personal data in individual cases.

Data Protection Officer

We have the following data protection officer as a point of contact for data subjects and as a contact for supervisory authorities in the event of data protection-related enquiries:

Nicolas Zahn
c/o Campus Biotech
Chemin des Mines 9
1202 Geneva

nicolas@sdi-foundation.org

1.2 Data protection representation in the European Economic Area (EEA)

We have the following data protection representation in accordance with Article 27 of the GDPR in the European Economic Area (EEA) including the European Union (EU) and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway as an additional point of contact for supervisory authorities and data subjects for enquiries in connection with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

VGS Datenschutzpartner GmbH
Am Kaiserkai 69
20457 Hamburg
Germany

info@datenschutzpartner.eu

2. Processing of personal data

2.1 Terms

Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable person. A data subject is a person about whom personal data are processed. Processing includes any handling of personal data, independent of the means and procedures used, in particular the retention, disclosure, acquisition, collection, deletion, storage, modification, destruction and use of personal data.

The European Economic Area (EEA) comprises the European Union (EU) and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) refers to the processing of personal data as the processing of personal data.

We process personal data in accordance with Swiss data protection law such as, in particular, the Federal Data Protection Act (DPA) and the Ordinance to the Federal Data Protection Act (FADP).

We process – if and insofar as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is applicable – personal data in accordance with at least one of the following legal bases:

  • Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR for the necessary processing of personal data for the performance of a contract with the data subject as well as for the implementation of pre-contractual measures.
  • Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR for the necessary processing of personal data to protect the legitimate interests of us or of third parties, unless the fundamental freedoms and rights and interests of the data subject prevail. Legitimate interests are, in particular, our interest in being able to provide our offer permanently, in a user-friendly, secure and reliable manner, as well as to be able to advertise for it as required, information security as well as protection against misuse and unauthorised use, the enforcement of our own legal claims and compliance with Swiss law.
  • Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR for the necessary processing of personal data to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject under any applicable law of Member States in the European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e GDPR for the necessary processing of personal data for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.
  • Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR for the processing of personal data with the consent of the data subject.
  • Art. 6 para. 1 lit. d GDPR for the necessary processing of personal data to protect vital interests of the data subject or another natural person.

3. Type, scope and purpose

We process those personal data that are necessary to be able to provide our offer permanently, user-friendly, secure and reliable. Such personal data may in particular fall into the categories of inventory and contact data, browser and device data, content data, meta or marginal data and usage data, location data, sales, contract and payment data.

We process personal data that is necessary to provide our service in a permanent, user-friendly, secure and reliable manner.

We process personal data for the period required for the relevant purpose(s) or as required by law. Personal data whose processing is no longer necessary is anonymised or deleted. Persons whose data we process have as a matter of principle a right to deletion.

We only process personal data in principle with the consent of the data subject, unless the processing is permitted for other legal reasons, for example for the performance of a contract with the data subject and for corresponding pre-contractual measures, in order to safeguard our overriding legitimate interests, because the processing is evident from the circumstances or after prior information.

In this context, we process in particular information that a data subject provides to us voluntarily and ourselves when contacting us – for example, by post, email, contact form, social media or telephone – or when registering for a user account. We may store such information, for example, in an address book, in a customer relationship management system (CRM system) or with comparable tools. If you transmit data about other persons to us, you are obliged to ensure data protection vis-à-vis such persons as well as to ensure the accuracy of such personal data.

We also process personal data that we receive from third parties, obtain from publicly accessible sources or collect in the course of providing our services, insofar as and to the extent that such processing is permissible for legal reasons.

4 Processing of personal data by third parties, including abroad

We may have personal data processed by commissioned third parties or process it jointly with third parties as well as with the help of third parties or transmit it to third parties. Such third parties are in particular providers whose services we use. We also ensure appropriate data protection for such third parties.

Such third parties are generally located in Switzerland as well as in the European Economic Area (EEA). Such third parties may also be located in other states and territories on Earth as well as elsewhere in the universe, provided that their data protection laws are in accordance with assessment of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) and – if and to the extent that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is applicable – according to assessment of the European Commission, or if adequate data protection is ensured for other reasons, such as by an appropriate contractual agreement, in particular on the basis of standard contractual clauses, or by an appropriate certification. Exceptionally, such a third party may be located in a country without adequate data protection, provided that the requirements under data protection law, such as the explicit consent of the data subject, are met.

5. Rights of data subjects

5.1 Rights under data protection legislation

We grant data subjects all rights under applicable data protection law. In particular, data subjects have the following rights:

  • Information:Data subjects may request information as to whether we process personal data about them and, if so, what personal data is involved. Data subjects also receive the information necessary to assert their rights under data protection law and to ensure transparency. This includes the personal data processed as such, but also, among other things, information on the purpose of processing, the duration of storage, any disclosure or export of data to other countries and the origin of the personal data.
  • Correction and restriction: Data subjects can have incorrect personal data corrected, incomplete data completed and the processing of their data restricted.
  • Deletion and objection: Data subjects can have personal data deleted (“right to be forgotten”) and object to the processing of their data with effect for the future.
  • Data release and data transfer: Data subjects may request the surrender of personal data or the transfer of their data to another data controller.

We may suspend, restrict or refuse the exercise of the rights of data subjects to the extent permitted by law. We can draw the attention of data subjects to any requirements that must be met in order to exercise their rights under data protection law. For example, we may refuse to provide information in whole or in part with reference to business secrets or the protection of other persons. We may also, for example, refuse to delete personal data in whole or in part with reference to statutory retention obligations.

We may exceptionally provide for costs for the exercise of rights. We inform data subjects in advance of any costs.

We are obliged to take appropriate measures to identify data subjects who request information or assert other rights. Data subjects are obliged to cooperate.

5.2 Right to appeal

Affected persons whose personal data we process have a right of appeal to a competent supervisory authority.

The supervisory authority for data protection in Switzerland is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).

Data subjects have – if and to the extent that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is applicable – the right to lodge a complaint with a competent European data protection supervisory authority.

6. Data security

We take appropriate and suitable technical and organisational measures to ensure data protection and in particular data security. However, despite such measures, the processing of personal data on the Internet can always have security gaps. We can therefore not guarantee absolute data security.

Access to our online offer is via transport encryption (SSL / TLS, in particular with the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, abbreviated HTTPS). Most browsers indicate transport encryption with a padlock in the address bar.

The access to our online offer is made via SSL / TLS, in particular with the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, abbreviated to HTTPS.

Access to our online offer is subject – as is basically any use of the Internet – to mass surveillance without any reason or suspicion, as well as other surveillance by security authorities in Switzerland, the European Union (EU), the United States of America (USA) and other countries. We cannot directly influence the corresponding processing of personal data by secret services, police agencies and other security authorities.

7. Use of the website

7.1 Cookies

We may use cookies for our website. Cookies – both our own cookies (first-party cookies) and cookies from third parties whose services we use (third-party cookies) – are pieces of data that are stored in your browser. Such stored data need not be limited to traditional cookies in text form. Cookies cannot run programs or transmit malware such as Trojans and viruses.

Cookies can be stored temporarily in your browser as “session cookies” when you visit our website or for a certain period of time as so-called permanent cookies. “Session cookies” are automatically deleted when you close your browser. Permanent cookies have a specific storage period. In particular, they enable us to recognise your browser the next time you visit our website and thus, for example, to measure the reach of our website. However, permanent cookies can also be used for online marketing, for example.

You can deactivate or delete cookies in full or in part in your browser settings at any time. Without cookies, our website may no longer be fully available. We actively request your express consent for the use of cookies, if and when necessary.

For cookies that are not stored on your computer, you may deactivate them at any time.

For cookies used for performance and reach measurement or for advertising, a general objection (“opt-out”) is possible for numerous services via the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), YourAdChoices (Digital Advertising Alliance) or Your Online Choices (European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance, EDAA).

7.2 Server logfiles

We may collect the following information for each access to our website, provided that this information is transmitted by your browser to our server infrastructure or can be determined by our web server: Date and time including time zone, Internet Protocol (IP) address, access status (HTTP status code), operating system including user interface and version, browser including language and version, individual sub-page of our website accessed including amount of data transferred, website last accessed in the same browser window (referer or referrer).

We store such information, which may also constitute personal data, in server log files. This information is necessary in order to provide our online service in a permanent, user-friendly and reliable manner and to ensure data security and thus in particular the protection of personal data – also by third parties or with the help of third parties.

We store this information in server log files.

7.3 Tracking pixels

We may use tracking pixels on our website. Tracking pixels are also known as web beacons. Tracking pixels – including those from third parties whose services we use – are small, usually invisible images that are automatically retrieved when you visit our website. Counting pixels can be used to collect the same information as server log files.

8. Notifications and communications

We send notifications and communications such as newsletters via email and other communication channels such as instant messaging

8.1 Success and reach measurement

Notifications and communications may contain web links or tracking pixels that record whether an individual communication has been opened and which web links have been clicked on. Such web links and tracking pixels may also track usage of notifications and communications on a personal basis. We need this statistical recording of usage for performance and reach measurement in order to be able to offer notifications and communications effectively and in a user-friendly manner based on the needs and reading habits of the recipients, as well as permanently, securely and reliably.

You must basically expressly consent to the use of your e-mail address and other contact addresses, unless the use is permitted for other legal reasons. For any consent to receive e-mails, we use the “double opt-in” procedure where possible, i.e. you will receive an e-mail with a web link that you must click to confirm, so that no misuse by unauthorised third parties can take place. We may log such consents, including Internet Protocol (IP) address, date and time, for evidence and security reasons.

You can basically unsubscribe from notifications and communications such as newsletters at any time. By unsubscribing, you can in particular object to the statistical recording of usage for performance and reach measurement. This is subject to notifications and communications that are absolutely necessary for our offer.

8.3 Service providers for notifications and communications

We send notifications and communications via third-party services or with the help of service providers. This may also involve the use of cookies.

We use in particular:

9. Social Media

We are present on social media platforms and other online platforms in order to be able to communicate with interested persons and to inform them about our offer. Personal data may also be processed outside of Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA).

The general terms and conditions (GTC) and terms of use as well as data protection declarations and other provisions of the individual operators of such online platforms also apply in each case. These provisions inform in particular about the rights of data subjects, which include in particular the right of information.

10. Third-party services

We use third-party services in order to be able to provide our offer in a permanent, user-friendly, secure and reliable manner. Such services may also be used to embed content on our website. Such services – for example, hosting and storage services, video services and payment services – require your Internet Protocol (IP) address, otherwise such services cannot transmit the relevant content.

For their own security, statistical and technical purposes, third parties whose services we use may also process data related to our offering as well as from other sources – including with cookies, log files and counting pixels – in an aggregated, anonymised or pseudonymised manner.

We use in particular:

10.1 Digital infrastructure

We use services from third parties in order to be able to make use of required digital infrastructure for our offer. This includes, for example, hosting and storage services from specialised providers.

We use in particular:

10.2 Contact options

We use third party services to better communicate with you and others such as customers.

We use in particular:

10.3 Audiovisual media

We use third party services to enable the direct playback of audio-visual media such as music or videos on our website.

We use in particular:

11. Performance and Reach Measurement>

We use services and programmes to determine how our online offer is used. In this context, we can, for example, measure the success and reach of our online offer as well as the effect of third-party links to our website. We can also, for example, test and compare how different versions of our online offer or parts of our online offer are used (“A/B test” method). Based on the results of the success and reach measurement, we can, in particular, correct errors, strengthen content that is particularly in demand or make improvements to our online offering.

When using services and programmes for performance and reach measurement, the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of individual users must be stored. IP addresses are basically shortened in order to follow the principle of data economy through the corresponding pseudonymisation and to improve the data protection of visitors to our website (“IP masking”).

When using services and programmes for performance and reach measurement, the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of individual users must be stored.

When using services and programmes for performance and reach measurement, cookies may be used and user profiles may be created. User profiles include, for example, the pages visited or content viewed on our website, information on the size of the screen or browser window and the – at least approximate – location. In principle, user profiles are only created pseudonymously. We do not use user profiles to identify individual visitors to our website. Individual services with which you are registered as a user can, if necessary, allocate the use of our online offer to your profile with the respective service, whereby you usually had to give your consent to this allocation in advance.

We use in particular:

  • Google Tag Manager: Integration and management of services for performance and reach measurement as well as other services from Google and third parties; information on data protection can be found in connection with the integrated and managed services.

12. Final provisions

We have created this privacy policy using the Privacy Policy Generator from Privacy Partners

We may amend and supplement this Privacy Policy at any time. We will inform about such adjustments and additions in an appropriate form, in particular by publishing the respective current data protection declaration on our website.

We will inform about such adjustments and additions in an appropriate form, in particular by publishing the respective current data protection declaration on our website.

Last updated: 10.08.2023