1. Who are we?

AQUARIUS: Aqua Research Infrastructure Services for the health and protection of our unique, oceans, seas and freshwater ecosystems is a Research and Innovation action (RIA) funded by the Horizon Europe Work programme topics addressed: HORIZON-INFRA-2023-SERV-01-01 – Research infrastructure services to enable R&I addressing main challenges and EU priorities. Start date: 01 March 2024. End date: 29 February 2028.

Our project website AQUARIUS is run by Seascape Belgium (referred to hereafter as SSBE), and as the case may be by third party subcontractors, under the responsibility of SSBE.

When we refer to ‘’we’’ or ‘’our’’ in this Cookies Policy we are referring to SSBE and AQUARIUS and any of its affiliates. When we refer to “you” or “your”, we are referring to any user of any of AQUARIUS’s or SSBE’s websites, apps or services.

Our Data Protection Officer (“DPO”) can be reached by postal mail at

hello@AQUARIUS-RI.eu

BVBA Seascape Belgium

Kindermansstraat 14/19

1000 Brussel

Belgium

2. Introduction and General Terms

When you access or sign-up to any of AQUARIUS’s services, for example newsletters, chats with our social media accounts, message boards, web and mobile notifications, telephone or text AQUARIUS, we may receive personal information about you.

This can consist of personal information you have provided to us such as, for example, your name, email address, postal address, telephone or mobile number, gender or date of birth, personal interests (e.g. what newsletters you have read), as well as general (aggregate, non-personal) information collected about the way in which visitors make use of AQUARIUS’s on-line services.

If you are the parent or guardian of a child under (16), we may process limited personal data about you so that you can give consent for the child to access some SSBE services. We may use your contact details to communicate with you about the child’s account or use of services.

Please note that sometimes we will require you to provide additional personal information, for example when preparing lease or real estate purchase agreements. When we do this we will provide further information about why we are collecting your information and how we will use it.

Some of our services may enable you to sign-in via a third-party service, such as Facebook. If you choose to sign-in via a third-party app, you will be presented with a dialog box which will ask your permission to allow AQUARIUS to access your personal information (e.g. your full name, date of birth, email address and any other information you have made publicly accessible to the third-party service, such as Facebook). Please note that any information that is not required by the particular service you have opted to use will not be retained by AQUARIUS.

For more information, please see Article 13 of this policy, on AQUARIUS’s use of cookies and similar technologies.

3. What information does AQUARIUS collect?

At AQUARIUS, we’re committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy relates to our use of any personal information we collect from you:

– via following online services:

The AQUARIUS website (www.ocean-icu.eu)

The AQUARIUS social media pages and accounts (Twitter, YouTube, Linkedin)

– via any Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or any similar technology that may communicate with your (mobile) device including identifying its location. This includes collecting unique online identifiers such as IP addresses, MAC addresses, which are numbers that can uniquely identify terminal equipment such as a specific computer, handset, tablet or other network device on the Internet.

This Privacy Policy also relates to our use of any personal information you may provide to us by phone, SMS, email, in letters or other correspondence, in person and through copies of your personal information obtained from your identity card or your residence permit (but excluding your national number).

To provide you with the full range of services, we sometimes need to collect information about you.

This Privacy Policy explains the following:

– what information AQUARIUS may collect about you

– how AQUARIUS will use information that we collect about you

– when AQUARIUS may use your details to contact you

– whether AQUARIUS will disclose your details to anyone else

– your choices regarding the personal information you provide to us

AQUARIUS is committed to safeguarding your personal information. Whenever you provide such information, we are legally obliged to use your information in line with the EU Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (hereafter the “GDPR”). Please note that, no website can be completely secure. If you have any concerns that one of your accounts could have been compromised, e.g. someone could have discovered your password, please get in touch immediately.

All information that we use and/or gather will be used in accordance with the GDPR. To find out more about the EU Data Protection Rules click here

AQUARIUS website also contains hyperlinks to websites owned and operated by third parties. These third-party websites have their own privacy policies, and are also likely to use cookies, and we therefore urge you to review them. Their policies will govern the use of personal information you submit, or which may be collected by cookies, when visiting such websites. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the privacy practices of third-party websites and your use of such websites is at your own risk.

4. For what purposes does AQUARIUS use the information it collects about you

AQUARIUS will use your personal information for a number of purposes including the following:

– to provide you with our services

– to provide you with information about our services

– to deal with your requests and enquiries

– to provide you with the most user-friendly online navigation experience

– for “service administration purposes”, which means that AQUARIUS may contact you for reasons related to the service or online content you have signed up for

– we may also show you relevant advertising, as set out in Article 7

– to use IP addresses and device identifiers to identify the location of users, to block disruptive use, to establish the number of visits of our websites

– for analysis and research purposes so that we may improve the services offered by AQUARIUS.

– we also use and disclose information in aggregate (so that no individuals are identified or identifiable) for marketing and strategic development purposes.

5. When will AQUARIUS contact you?

AQUARIUS may contact you:

– in relation to any contractual relation you have engaged with AQUARIUS

– in relation to any service, activity or online content you have signed up for, for yourself or for your under 16-year old child in order to ensure that AQUARIUS can deliver the services, e.g. to verify your email when you sign up for a AQUARIUS newsletter, or to help you reset your password for your accounts on our websites or apps.

– in relation to any correspondence we receive from you or any comment or complaint you make about AQUARIUS products or services

– in relation to any job application

– in relation to our legal rights and obligations

– in relation to any personalized services you are using

– in relation to any contribution you have submitted to AQUARIUS, e.g. on AQUARIUS message boards or via text or voicemail message

– to invite you to participate in surveys about AQUARIUS services (participation is always voluntary)

– to update you on any material changes to AQUARIUS’s policies and practices

We will never contact you to ask for your AQUARIUS account password, or other login information. If you receive any emails or calls from people asking for this information and claiming to be from AQUARIUS please inform our DPO straightaway.

6. Will AQUARIUS share my personal information?

AQUARIUS will not sell or rent your information to third parties and will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Generally, we will use your information within AQUARIUS and will only share it outside AQUARIUS where you have requested it or given your consent, except:

– where disclosure is required or permitted by law (for example to government bodies or law enforcement agencies, including for child protection reasons) by a court order or for the purposes of prevention of fraud or other crime, or

– if AQUARIUS or its affiliate ceases to be the data controller in respect of your personal information through the operation of a merger, acquisition or any change of control

– in the limited circumstances described below and in Article 9.

We may pass your information to our third-party service providers, agents, subcontractors, and other associated organizations for the purposes of completing tasks and providing services to you on our behalf (for example to send you mailings). However, when we use third party service providers, we disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service. In addition, our contracts with such third-party service providers require them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes. We will not release your information to third parties for them to use for their own direct marketing purposes unless you have requested us to do so.

7. Offensive or inappropriate content on AQUARIUS websites

If you post or send content which may reasonably be deemed to be offensive, inappropriate or objectionable anywhere on or to AQUARIUS websites, social media pages, or otherwise engage in any disruptive behavior on any AQUARIUS service, AQUARIUS may remove such content.

Where AQUARIUS reasonably believes that you are or may be in breach of any applicable laws, for example on hate speech, AQUARIUS may disclose your personal information to relevant third parties, including to law enforcement agencies or your internet provider. AQUARIUS would only do so in circumstances where such disclosure is permitted under applicable laws, including data protection law.

8. What if I am a user under 16?

If you are aged 16 or under, please get your parent/guardian’s permission before you provide any personal information to AQUARIUS.

9. How long will AQUARIUS keep my personal information?

We will hold your personal information on our systems only for as long as is necessary for the relevant activity, or as long as is legally or contractually set out for any relevant contract you hold with AQUARIUS. If you delete your AQUARIUS account, then your personal information is deleted immediately. For further information about deleting your AQUARIUS account, please see Article 10 below.

10. What can you do with the personal data you submitted to us?

You have the right to restrict and the right to object to the use of your personal data; the right to withdraw your consent to the use of your personal data and the right to request deletion of your personal data.

In the context of some of our websites and apps of AQUARIUS, these rights are all exercised and obtained by deleting your AQUARIUS accounts. You can find out how to delete your accounts on the respective websites or Apps. As explained in Article 9 above, deleting your AQUARIUS account will erase any personal information in your account that we have about you.

In any case, you can exercise your rights by contacting our DPO. You may also adjust your communication preferences or opt out of communications at any time by clicking ‘unsubscribe’ at the bottom of any e-mail, following instructions provided in the communication or changing your preferences within your account or by sending us an e-mail.

You have the right to portability of your personal data. All personal data you directly submitted to AQUARIUS, can be sent to you or any third party, at your request made directly to our DPO.

11. Can I find out what personal information AQUARIUS holds about me?

Under the GDPR you have the right to access to and the right to correct the personal information AQUARIUS holds. These rights can be exercised by:

– logging into your AQUARIUS account regarding the information we hold about you in the context of that account.

– contacting our DPO directly, who will then use reasonable efforts consistent with our legal duty, to supply, correct or delete personal information about you that may be held on our files.

We will endeavor to provide you with access to your personal information wherever possible.

12. What if I am unhappy with the way AQUARIUS is managing my personal data?

You have the right to complain to the Belgian Data Protection Authority:

– By mail: Belgian Data Protection Authority Rue de la Presse, 35, 1000 Bruxelles.

– By telephone: +32 (0)2 274 48 00

– By fax: +32 (0)2 274 48 35

– By email: commission@privacycommission.be