Last updated: August 2026

GENESTIA respects the privacy of its website visitors and users and is committed to protecting their personal data.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data may be collected through the website, why and how it is processed, how it is protected, and what rights users have under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and applicable Greek and European data protection legislation.

1. Data Controller

The controller responsible for the processing of personal data collected through the GENESTIA website is the organisation managing the network:

CulturePolis AMKE
Corfu, Greece
Website: genestia.org
Email: secretariat@culturepolis.org

For any questions concerning the protection or processing of your personal data, you may contact us at the email address above.

2. Personal Data We May Collect

When you visit or use our website, we may collect personal data that you provide directly to us, including:

  • Full name

  • Email address

  • Telephone number

  • Information submitted through contact forms

  • Information provided when expressing interest in participation, volunteering, sponsorship or collaboration

  • Information provided when subscribing to our newsletter

  • Any other information you choose to provide when communicating with us

In addition, certain technical information may be collected automatically when you browse the website, such as your IP address, device and browser type, operating system, pages visited, date and time of access, and information about how you interact with the website.

The extent of this automatic collection depends on the technologies, cookies and third-party services used by the website.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We process personal data only where there is a specific and lawful purpose. In particular, your data may be used to:

  • Respond to enquiries and requests

  • Manage requests to participate in the network

  • Communicate with volunteers, partners or sponsors

  • Send newsletters where you have subscribed

  • Provide information about GENESTIA activities, events and news

  • Operate, secure and technically maintain the website

  • Improve the website's content and user experience

  • Comply with applicable legal or regulatory obligations

We do not use your personal data for purposes incompatible with those for which it was originally collected.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Depending on the circumstances, we process your personal data on one or more of the following legal bases:

Your consent, for example when you subscribe to our newsletter or consent to optional cookies.

Performance of a contract or steps taken at your request, where your communication relates to a specific collaboration, participation or service.

Our legitimate interests, where processing is necessary for the secure and effective operation of our website and network, provided that your fundamental rights and freedoms do not override those interests.

Compliance with a legal obligation, where we are required by law to process or retain certain information.

5. Newsletter and Electronic Communications

If you choose to subscribe to the GENESTIA newsletter, we use your email address to send you news, announcements, information about activities and events, and stories from across the network and its places.

Your subscription is based on your consent.

You may withdraw your consent and unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link provided in our communications or by contacting us directly.

Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before your consent was withdrawn.

6. Contact and Participation Forms

When you use a form on the website to contact us or express an interest in participation, collaboration, volunteering or sponsorship, we use the information you provide solely to manage and respond to your request and to conduct any necessary follow-up communication.

Please do not submit sensitive personal data or information that is not necessary for your request through our website forms.

7. Cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to ensure its proper operation, remember preferences and, where applicable and subject to your consent, provide analytics or other optional functionality.

Strictly necessary cookies may be used without prior consent where they are essential to providing the website or service requested by the user.

Where required by law, your prior consent will be requested before any non-essential cookies are placed on your device.

Further information about the cookies used by this website should be available through our Cookie Policy and cookie consent management mechanism.

8. Third-Party Services

To operate our website, we may use third-party services, including website hosting, email delivery, newsletter management, maps, spam protection, analytics and other technical services.

These providers may process certain personal data on our behalf or, depending on the service, act as independent data controllers.

Where required, we implement appropriate organisational and contractual measures to protect personal data processed by third-party providers.

9. Sharing of Personal Data

We do not sell, rent or trade users' personal data.

We may share personal data only where necessary:

  • With service providers or partners supporting the operation of our website

  • With competent public, regulatory or judicial authorities where required by law

  • Where necessary to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights

  • In other circumstances where we have obtained the required consent

10. Transfers Outside the European Economic Area

Some technical service providers used by a website may process personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

Where such international transfers take place, appropriate safeguards required by applicable data protection legislation are used. These may include European Commission adequacy decisions, Standard Contractual Clauses or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or for as long as required by applicable law.

For example, contact information may be retained for as long as necessary to manage and follow up on the relevant enquiry, while newsletter subscription information may be retained until the subscriber unsubscribes or withdraws their consent.

Once personal data is no longer required, it will be deleted or anonymised unless there is a lawful reason for its continued retention.

12. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, destruction or unlawful use.

Although reasonable efforts are made to ensure the security of personal information, no method of transmission or storage over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. Your Rights

Under the GDPR and subject to the conditions provided by applicable law, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you

  • Rectify inaccurate or incomplete personal data

  • Request the deletion of your personal data

  • Request the restriction of processing

  • Object to certain types of processing

  • Request data portability, where applicable

  • Withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at secretariat@culturepolis.org.

We may request information that is reasonably necessary to verify your identity before responding to a request concerning your personal data.

14. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you believe that the processing of your personal data infringes applicable data protection legislation, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

In Greece, the competent authority is the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA).

15. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or online services.

GENESTIA does not control the privacy practices of these third parties and is not responsible for how they collect or process personal data.

We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any external website you visit.

16. Children's Personal Data

The website is not designed for the systematic collection of personal data from children.

If we become aware that personal data relating to a child has been collected without an appropriate legal basis or required consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our website, the technologies and services we use, or applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

The latest version will always be published on this page together with the date of the most recent update.

18. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the way we process your personal data, please contact us:

CulturePolis AMKE / GENESTIA
Corfu, Greece
Email: secretariat@culturepolis.org