QWorld aims to meet the requirements and obligations of the GDPR.


Introduction

In short, QWorld (Association) uses cookies for its website and stores and processes the personal data of newsletter’s subscribers and the applicants who fill the application or registration forms of the activities QWorld takes part as an organizer, partner or a similar role. The details will be given in the rest of the document.

QWorld makes every effort to respect privacy and ensure the security of the user’s personal data collected by us.

No personal data will be sold to third parties.

QWorld will only share personal data with external third parties if the data subject has given explicit consent to the processing of those personal data in accordance with data protection legislation.

Besides its main purposes (e.g., receiving newsletter, receiving informative messages about the applied activity, etc.), the personal data can be used for statistical or research purposes or for retrieving certain information that will be helpful to QWorld to reach its goals or similar purposes that helps to strengthen QWorld. 

We reserve the right to change our Privacy Policy. Any changes to the privacy (resp., cookies) policy will be posted on this (resp., the related) page.


QWorld’s data protection officer

QWorld uses qworld.dpo [at] gmail.com e-mail address as the digital ID of QWorld’s data protection officer, referred as QWDPO. 

The current responsible and referring person for QWDPO is Abuzer Yakaryilmaz (since May 7, 2020) who is the chairperson at the QWorld Association (abuzer.yakaryilmaz [at] qworld.net).


How to contact

For any concern or operation related to your data (deletion, modification, etc.) or for any issue about this document, please contact QWDPO by email.

In the cases explicitly mentioned below, the email address qworld.pr [at] gmail.com may also be used for contact.


Privacy Statement

We describe each case in detail.


QWorld’s newsletter

QWorld uses newsletters to send emails to the voluntarily registered people. The newsletters contain information about the activities of QWorld and members of the QWorld community and more general content not specific to QWorld, related to education, science, and technology.

The email address for our newsletter is newsletter [at] qword.lu.lv.

We use the third party Sendinblue (sendinblue.com) for operating our newsletters and subscription process including storing data. Our responsible account for the newsletter is qworld.pr [at] gmail.com. The general conditions of use of Sendinblue services can be accessed from here: sendinblue.com/legal/termsofuse 

The subscription procedure:

  • Any person subscribes to our newsletter voluntarily. QWorld does not make any subscription in the name of any person.
  • The subscription to our newsletter is only possible by using our newsletter subscribing form, which is hosted on our website (see below). 
  • In the form, only the first name and an email address of the person are asked and the person must provide both information.
  • The person must agree “to receive our newsletters and to terms and conditions” by clicking the related checkbox to complete the subscription request.  
  • After a subscription request, a confirmation link is sent to the registered email address and the subscription is completed after getting the confirmation.

The unsubscription procedure:

  • A link for unsubscribing from our newsletter is always added to the bottom of each newsletter. A person can click this link and unsubscribe from the list.
  • Alternatively, a person can send his or her unsubscribing request by sending en email from the subscribed email to qworld.pr [at] gmail.com or QWDPO.

QWorld’s online/virtual platforms and accounts

Anyone can join/follow/like one of the following platforms/accounts voluntarily and also undo his or her action at any time. Each service provider has its own privacy policy.

QWorld’s Discord channel: https://discord.gg/akCvr7U87g
QWorld’s Facebook page: facebook.com/qworld19
QWorld’s Twitter account: twitter.com/qworld19
QWorld’s LinkedIn account: linkedin.com/company/qworld19
QWorld’s Medium publication: medium.com/qworld
QWorld’s Gitlab repositories: gitlab.com/qkitchen and gitlab.com/qworld
QWorld’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/QWorld19/
QWorld’s Slack channel: qworldworkspace.slack.com


QWorld’s website and cookies

QWorld’s website is qworld.net

Our website uses cookies. Our “Cookie Policy” can be accessed here:

Besides cookies, our newsletter subscription form is on our website, the details of which are given above.

Our website has the links for the application forms for the events organized or co-organized by QWorld or its groups. These forms are not hosted on our website, and more information is given in the next section.

Our website can have external links to other websites. We have no control over these websites and they are subject to their own terms of use and privacy policies. We encourage the user to read their privacy policy.


QWorld’s activities (events, projects, etc) and application/registration forms

For activities (co-)organized by QWorld or its groups:

  • QWorld may or may not collect personal data. QWorld follows the policies outlined here whenever it collects personal data.
  • QWorld’s groups or any other organizer may also collect personal data separately by providing their own privacy policies.
  • In the application or registration forms, each privacy policy is clearly indicated and the confirmation of the applicant is requested for the privacy policy(ies).

QWorld stores personal data obtained from the applications on Google Drive attached to QWDPO. Google’s privacy policy can be accessed here: policies.google.com/privacy 

Application/registration form created by QWorld:

  • QWorld creates an application form by using Google Forms and the owner of each form is QWDPO. 
  • The form will be prepared by the people in the organization team of the corresponding activity and the organization team will have access to the data being collected by the form. QWDPO removes this access no later than a month after the last day of the activity. 
  • During the period mentioned in the above item, the organizers can use and process applicant data for implementing and operating the activity, e.g., sending informative messages about the activity, selecting participants, etc.
  • QWorld may store the applicant data after the activity.
  • As the newsletter is the main communication channel using email, QWorld usually does not communicate with the applicants by sending direct emails. However, in some exceptional cases in which QWorld believes that the sending message would be relevant to the message receivers, QWorld can contact all or some of the participants by using their stored email addresses, e.g., an announcement of a new project or program, an invitation for the application of a new internship program by QWorld or by a partner of QWorld. 

The information collected on the application forms typically is 

  1. basic personal info (i.e., name, surname, gender, email address, school or company, class or position, affiliations, etc);
  2. permissions or confirmations (confirmation of privacy policy, code of conduct, taking pictures during the event, confirming being younger than 18 years old or not, etc.); and,
  3. personal info and opinions that might be helpful or useful when selecting the accepted applicants (e.g., being a member of QWorld, expectation from the activity, previous experience or knowledge).

For modifying or deleting your data collected by the application forms, please contact QWDPO.

  • If any of your preference or confirmation or similar info will still be needed by QWorld (e.g., you give the permission that your photo can be taken during the event and then published on the event’s website), an email containing this information should be provided to QWDPO before removing your data.
  • If any personal data is asked to be removed before or during the related activity, the application may no longer be eligible for being accepted to the activity, or may be excluded from the list of accepted applications.

QWorld may also use third parties to implement its events such as Canvas or Moodle learning management systems, Slack or Discord servers, Run The World networking platform, etc. Therefore, the data by an event participant may also be stored by these third parties. The list of third parties may expand over time. The links for the privacy policies of third parties:

QWorld may use certain third parties or develop its own tools on its own servers. At the moment, QWorld uses Hertzner as the service provider and their legal notices can be accessed at https://www.hetzner.com/rechtliches/impressum/.


Visual images (photographs and videos)

QWorld asks the permission of the participants of an activity (e.g., on its application form) to take their photos, videos, or similar visual images before storing and processing.

Visual images can be used as part of public relation or marketing strategies. Visual images can be uploaded on the event’s websites or they can be posted on QWorld’s social media or online platforms or they can be used in graphical materials prepared by QWorlds.

Visual images are stored by QWDPO to be used in the future for similar purposes.


Minors (under 18 years of age)

QWorld may request a signed copy of the consent from the parents or the guardian of a minor taking part in a QWorld’s activity. The signed copy is kept by the organizer(s) of the activity and a copy of it can be kept by QWDPO. 

QWorld does not process the information provided in such documents.


Other cases

For any case not listed here, either this document is revised and updated or a separate privacy policy is provided.