Privacy Policy – Digital Democracy Foundation
1. Who we are
The Digital Democracy Foundation (DDF) is a non-profit organisation working on digital democracy and civic participation. This policy explains what personal data we collect through our website and activities, why we collect it, and what rights you have over it. It follows the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, “GDPR”) and Greek Law 4624/2019.
The data controller is:
Digital Democracy Foundation Pallini, Attica, Greece Email: info@digital-democracy.gr
For any question about this policy or your data, write to us at the email above and we will reply within one month.
2. What data we collect
We only collect the data we need for a specific purpose. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:
- Contact forms and emails: your name, email address, organisation and the content of your message.
- Newsletter: your email address and, if you give it, your name.
- Events, workshops and Digital Democracy Labs: name, contact details, organisation or school, and any information you share during registration. For participatory activities we may also keep the contributions you make, such as proposals or feedback, usually without your name attached.
- Partners, experts and collaborators: name, role, organisation, contact details and, where relevant, CVs shared for joint projects or funding applications.
- Website visits: technical data such as your IP address, browser type and pages visited, collected through our hosting provider and, if you agree, through cookies (see section 5).
We do not collect special categories of data (for example health data or political opinions linked to your identity) unless you choose to share them and we have a clear legal basis to process them.
3. Why we use your data and on what legal basis
| Purpose | Legal basis (GDPR Art. 6) |
| Replying to your messages and requests | Our legitimate interest in answering you (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Sending our newsletter | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), which you can withdraw at any time through the unsubscribe link |
| Organising events, workshops and labs | Performing the arrangement you signed up for (Art. 6(1)(b)), or consent where we ask for it |
| Working with partners and preparing joint projects | Our legitimate interest in running our activities (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Reporting to funders such as EU programmes | Legal or contractual obligations (Art. 6(1)(c)) |
| Website analytics and non-essential cookies | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) |
We never sell your data and we do not use it for automated decision-making or profiling.
4. Children and young people
Some of our activities take place in schools or involve participants under 18. In those cases we collect as little data as possible and we work through the school or the organising partner wherever we can.
For participants under 15, we ask for the consent of a parent or guardian before collecting any personal data, in line with Article 21 of Greek Law 4624/2019. Photos, videos or audio recordings of minors are only taken and published with written consent from a parent or guardian, and we avoid showing faces or names unless that consent is explicit.
Our handling of children’s data also follows our Child Protection Policy, which is available on this website.
5. Cookies and embedded content
Our website uses cookies that are strictly necessary for it to work, for example to remember your cookie choices. These do not need your consent.
We only use analytics or other non-essential cookies if you accept them in the cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time through the cookie settings link at the bottom of the page or by clearing cookies in your browser.
Some pages include content from other sites, such as YouTube videos or social media posts. When you view that content, those sites may collect data about you under their own privacy policies.
6. Who we share data with
We share personal data only when it is needed, and only with:
- Service providers who help us run the website and our communications, such as our hosting company and newsletter platform. They act on our instructions under data processing agreements.
- Project partners and funders, such as universities, other NGOs or the European Commission, when you take part in a joint project or when reporting obligations require it.
- Public authorities, when the law requires us to.
Some providers may store data outside the European Economic Area. When that happens, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision.
7. How long we keep your data and how we protect it
| Data | How long we keep it |
| Messages and contact requests | Up to 2 years after our last exchange |
| Newsletter subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe |
| Event and workshop registrations | Up to 2 years, unless a funder requires longer |
| Data linked to EU-funded projects | As long as the grant agreement requires, usually 5 years after the final payment |
| Photos and videos | Until consent is withdrawn, or for as long as the material is used for the purpose it was taken for |
We protect your data with access controls, secure passwords and encrypted connections (HTTPS). Only the people who need the data for their work can access it.
8. Your rights
Under the GDPR you can ask us to:
- give you a copy of the data we hold about you;
- correct data that is wrong or incomplete;
- delete your data, where we no longer have a reason to keep it;
- limit how we use your data, or stop using it for purposes based on our legitimate interest;
- send your data to you or another organisation in a portable format.
Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This does not affect anything we did before you withdrew it.
To use any of these rights, email us at info@digital-democracy.gr. We will reply within one month.
If you think we have not handled your data properly, you can complain to the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (www.dpa.gr), Kifisias 1-3, 115 23 Athens. We would appreciate the chance to resolve the issue with you first.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our activities or the law change. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.