Privacy notice

Personal data, transparency and confidentiality - FAQ 📝

Your data is important! So it is essential that you understand how we process your data on the Civocracy platform. Therefore, this page lists the most frequently asked questions that we’ve been asked by our users, as well as details on our data policy, processing, confidentiality and security.

If you have any further questions, you can consult our Terms of Use or write to us at myprivacy@civocracy.org 

What data is collected and processed by the Civocracy Platform? 📡

We process 3 different types of data about you:

1. General information: we use your general data (name, email and profile picture) to create a profile which allows you to participate on the platform.
2. Your participation: we save the content you create on the platform, such as your posts in a discussion, your reactions on a comment, the ideas you shared, your answers to a questionnaire. With this data we produce anonymised statistical reports, so the Organisations on Civocracy can take action based on your insights.
3. Your activity on the platform: we store the data on your activity on the website, such as which pages you visit, your language preferences, the contributions you supported and the content you read, in order to show you personalised and relevant content.

We invite you to consult our Terms of use for more details on the data we collect. 

What happens when I connect to the Civocracy Platform via my Facebook account? 📱

Civocracy allows you to sign in with your Facebook ID, which makes your connection to the platform easier. We only collect your email address, name, profile photo and password. Then, with this information, your Civocracy account is automatically generated.

Does Civocracy share my data? 🤐

Don’t worry, at Civocracy, we make sure that your anonymity is preserved. Civocracy provides their Clients with a consultation report that could include the most voted posts and the community sentiment around different specific topics; any data which is not anonymous is removed from the report before sharing it with Clients. Only anonymised data is shared with the Clients who initiated the consultation in an encrypted manner to allow them to implement your co-created ideas and make improvements in your community!

Civocracy is an open-data platform, so therefore all content published on Civocracy is available to anyone. This includes your contributions, profile name and any other public information you may share on the platform.

Do note that we use third-party tools to: 🔧

• undertake analysis on the Civocracy platform. We use Matomo, a privacy-friendly tool, recommended by European data protection authorities.
• send notification emails. We use MandrillApp, a tool using an encrypted data set and does not store or process any personal data of Civocracy users.
• store images. We use Cloudinary to host visual materials. This tool is necessary for the proper functioning of the platform and allows you to upload images and documents.
• play multimedia. We use third-party video sharing services like YouTube which allows you to watch multimedia content directly on Civocracy platform. 
• support you if you have questions or if you need help on the platform, we use Zendesk customer care software. Once a request is closed, all personal data is automatically deleted.

Please note that our Privacy Notice does not concern the information or other practices of these third parties. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. The inclusion of a link on our platform does not imply that we approve the linked site or service. Therefore, we invite you to directly consult the privacy practices of these third parties.

Where is this data stored? 💾

The data saved by Civocracy is hosted in the European Union (Roubaix, France) on OVH' secure servers at this address : 

OVH Groupe SAS
2 rue Kellermann

59100 Roubaix - France

Contact: here

How long is my data stored for? 🕔

Civocracy stores your consultation data for up to 5 years. We keep it that long to be able to analyse it and make your project impactful over time!

Your personal data, necessary to connect to your Civocracy account, is also kept for 5 years, except in the event that you request your data and account to be deleted. At the end of this time period, we ask for renewal of consent. Without your consent all personal data is deleted, and your contributions will be made anonymous.

Is my data secure? 🔐

Yes! Civocracy adheres to the highest security standards in order to protect your personal data. We ensure:

• Secure access: all login requests made on the browser of our servers are secure and identified using a standard security authorization method.
• Encrypted Backup: all private data, such as passwords, is stored in an encrypted form using a one-way encryption algorithm.

What if I want my data deleted or modified? ✏️

Easy! Go to your profile page, head to settings, and from here you can either edit and save your profile information, or delete your Civocracy account (this permanently removes all your personal data and anonymises your contributions). If you have more specific requests for modification, profile deletion, or anything else, please send us an email to myprivacy@civocracy.org 

How does your Platform’s algorithm work? 🤓

Our algorithm was built to follow and further observe our values as well as democratic principles at large. We ensure that you are exposed to a large diversity of opinions, not just one. 

If you are a registered user, we show you all unread posts and contributions first. Aside from this prioritisation of unread content, our sorting algorithm does not filter or order any navigation data analytics but simply promotes all last seen content. You can change the order of the content at any time by using the filters. You can also save ideas and posts as your favorites.If you are not a registered user, we will provide you with a selection of the latest, the most commented and the most engaging content (through reactions, comments and upvotes), allowing you to form your own opinion.

Does Civocracy use cookies? 🍪

Yes, Civocracy only collects cookies needed to optimize navigation and never uses them for commercial or advertising purposes. Civocracy also uses analytics cookies when you use the Platform to help us improve it. 

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking on Manage your cookies on the footer. 

Where can I find more information about cookies? 🍪🍪

To find out more about Cookies on Civocracy platform we invite you to consult our Terms of use at the following section What does the Civocracy platform use cookies for?.

If you want to find out more about their use on the Internet, you may find the following websites useful:

• What are cookies? | Cookies & You (in English)
• Cookie | CNIL (in French)
• Welche Informationen sind in einem Cookie? (in German)
• Todo sobre cookies ordenador (in Spanish)

What about Civocracy's commercial website? 💼

For business purposes, Civocracy created a commercial website located at www.civocracy.com. This website is powered by Wix. 

• Data collected: When you choose to subscribe to the newsletter, your email address is collected by Civocracy. This personal data will only be used for the purpose of receiving the newsletter. Your data will be kept for 3 years. You can opt-out at any time by notifying us directly by replying to the newsletter or to myprivacy@civocracy.org. 
• Cookies: To ensure the proper functioning of the site, Wix uses essential cookies. These cookies cannot be disabled. In addition, in order to improve the experience of visitors, Civocracy has implemented the Google Analytics tool. These so-called "analytics" cookies can be deactivated on your settings at any time. To learn more about the cookies used, see our Terms of Use. 
• Data hosting: Website’s data are  hosted at the following address:

               Wix Online Platform Limited, 1 Grant’s Row

               Dublin 2 D02HX96, Ireland

               Contact: here 

Wait! I still have questions! 🖐️

Not a problem! We have a dedicated support email for questions and comments related to your data, confidentiality and security. Feel free to write to us at any time: myprivacy@civocracy.org.

We also want to inform you that you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority regarding the use made of your personal data by the data controller. To get the contact details of the competent authority in your country, click here. 

For full details on our privacy policy, please consult our Terms of Use.

Last update was on August 23, 2021.