TERMS OF USE, COOKIES & PRIVACY POLICY

www.elpedia.gr is a Greek website dedicated to HISTORY, BIOGRAPHIES (including ecclesiastical biographies), MYTHOLOGY, and ART, translated into many languages to serve visitors from around the world who live in Greece or are interested in Greek culture and history.

The website server is located in Germany and is therefore subject to European data protection legislation and the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This policy is established in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 and the applicable Greek legislation (Law 4624/2019).

Data Controller

The data controller for www.elpedia.gr is the website administrator. For any questions regarding the processing of your personal data, you can contact us through the website’s contact form.

Information We Collect

As our website does not provide user registration or login capabilities, the information we collect is limited and falls into the following categories:

Information you provide:

Email address and other contact details that you send us when using the contact form
Full name (if provided in your communication)
Content of messages sent via email or the contact form
Comments or other content that you may voluntarily submit to our website

Information collected automatically:

IP address of your device
Device identifiers and other technical details
Browser cookies
Browsing information (browser type and version, operating system, screen resolution)
Geographic location (country, region, city)
Pages you visit on our website and how you interact with them
Time spent on each page and total time on the website
Referrals (which website or search engine you came from)
Search terms you used to find our website
Browsing patterns (frequency of visits, navigation path on the website)

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data according to the following legal bases:

Consent: When you have given your explicit consent for the processing of your personal data for specific purposes (e.g., when you accept cookies through the consent banner).
Legitimate interest: When processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests we pursue (e.g., website security, improvement of our services, traffic analysis).
Contractual obligation: When processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
Legal obligation: When processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject (e.g., tax obligations, security provisions).

How We Collect Information

Direct collection

When you communicate with us via email or contact form
When you submit comments or other content to our website

Automatic collection

Through cookies and similar storage technologies on your device
Through log files that automatically record activities on our website
Through third-party services:
- Google Analytics (for statistical traffic analysis)
- Google AdSense (for displaying advertisements)
- Other web analytics tools that we may use to measure and improve website performance

How We Use Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Providing services: To provide the content and services of our website
Communication: To respond to queries, requests, and comments you send us
Content improvement: To improve the quality and relevance of website content
Traffic analysis: To understand how visitors use our website
Experience customization: To customize the browsing experience to your interests
Targeted advertising: To display advertisements relevant to your interests
Performance measurement: To evaluate and improve website performance
Security: To protect the website from malicious actions
Compliance: To comply with our legal obligations

Cookies and Similar Technologies

What are cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to website owners.

Types of cookies we use:

Essential cookies

These are absolutely necessary for the website to function. They enable basic functions such as secure login and navigation. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.

Functional cookies

These help provide enhanced functionality and personalization, such as remembering language preferences or storing your personal settings.

Analytical/Statistical cookies

These allow us to measure and analyze visitor behavior on the website to improve its performance and functionality. They collect information anonymously and help understand how visitors interact with the website.

Advertising/Targeting cookies

These are used to track visitors across websites in order to display relevant and attractive advertisements. These cookies record your visit to our website, the pages you have visited, and the links you have followed.

Third-party cookies

On our website, we may use third-party services such as Google Analytics and Google AdSense, which use cookies. These cookies are subject to the privacy policies of the respective providers.

Managing cookies

You can manage cookies in various ways:

Through the consent banner that appears during your first visit to our website
Through the cookie management tool we provide on our website (located at the bottom of the page)
Through your browser settings, where you can delete existing cookies and set options for future cookies

Consequences of rejecting cookies

If you choose to reject some or all cookies, you may not be able to fully use all the features of our website. For example:

Rejecting essential cookies may affect the basic functionality of the website
Rejecting functional cookies may lead to a less personalized experience
Rejecting analytical cookies does not affect your user experience

With Whom We Share Information

www.elpedia.gr does not sell, rent, trade, or exchange visitors’ personal information with third parties. However, we may share information with the following categories of recipients:

Service providers

We work with third-party service providers who help us operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and promote our services:

Hosting providers
Analytics services
Advertising services
Payment service providers (if there are transactions)
Technical support providers

These service providers are obligated to protect your data and use it only according to our instructions.

Legal requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, by court order, by government request, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to:

Comply with legal obligations
Protect the rights or security of our website, our users, or third parties
Detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues

International Data Transfers

As our server is located in Germany, your data is stored within the European Economic Area (EEA). However, some of the third-party service providers we use (such as Google) may be located outside the EEA.

When we transfer personal data outside the EEA, we ensure that an adequate level of protection is provided in accordance with EU data protection legislation, through:

Standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission
Adequacy decisions of the European Commission for specific countries
Certifications or codes of conduct that comply with GDPR

Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this privacy policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Specifically:

Contact data (e.g., email, full name): Retained for 2 years from the last communication
Log files: Retained for 90 days
Analytics data: Retained for 26 months
Cookies: Retained depending on their type (from a few hours to 2 years)

After the retention period expires, the data is either deleted or anonymized in a way that no longer allows the identification of the individual.

Information Protection

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Security measures include:

SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmissions between your device and our servers
Firewalls and other technical measures to protect against malicious attacks
Security protocols for protecting our systems and databases
Limited access only to authorized individuals who need the information
Regular updates of software and security systems
Periodic assessments of security measures and procedures

Although we implement the above security measures, please note that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.

Your Rights

According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right to information

You have the right to receive clear, transparent, and easily understandable information about how we use your personal data and your rights.

Right of access

You have the right to obtain a copy of your personal data that we process as well as information about how they are processed.

Right to rectification

You have the right to request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data concerning you.

Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”)

You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain conditions, such as when the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

Right to restriction of processing

You have the right to request the restriction of processing of your personal data under certain conditions, such as when you contest the accuracy of the data.

Right to data portability

You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.

Right to object

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data based on our legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.

Right to withdraw consent

If the processing of your personal data is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, particularly in the member state of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of your personal data infringes data protection legislation.

In Greece, you can lodge a complaint with the Hellenic Data Protection Authority:

Address: 1-3 Kifisias Avenue, PC 115 23, Athens Phone: +30 210 6475600 Fax: +30 210 6475628 Email: contact@dpa.gr Website: www.dpa.gr

Exercising your rights

To exercise any of the above rights, you can contact us through our website’s contact form. We will respond to your request within one month of receiving it. In case of complex requests or a large number of requests, the deadline may be extended by up to two additional months, which you will be informed of in a timely manner.

Protection of Minors

Our website is intended for individuals over 16 years of age. Although our content (HISTORY, BIOGRAPHIES, MYTHOLOGY, and ART) is generally suitable for all ages and often used for educational purposes, we do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under 16 years of age without verifiable parental consent.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal data without your consent, please contact us, and we will take steps to delete this information from our systems.

Links to Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including social media, our partners, or other organizations of interest. We inform you that we do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party websites. We recommend that you read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Specifically, our website may incorporate social networking features, such as Facebook, Twitter, and other platform sharing buttons. These features may collect data such as your IP address, the pages you visit on our website, and may set cookies to function properly.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on our website with an updated date of last revision. For significant changes, we will provide a more prominent notice, such as a notification banner on our website or sending an email to users who have provided us with their contact details.

We encourage you to check this page periodically for any changes. Continued use of our website after posting modifications to the privacy policy constitutes acceptance of these modifications.

Multilingual Content

The website www.elpedia.gr provides content in many languages to serve visitors from different countries who live in Greece or are interested in Greek culture. All translated versions of the privacy policy have the same legal weight. However, in case of inconsistencies between different language versions, the Greek version prevails.

Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

www.elpedia.gr is a Greek website with a server in Germany. This privacy policy and all issues arising from the use of the website are governed by Greek law and European data protection legislation (GDPR).

Any dispute arising from or related to the use of the website or this privacy policy is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Athens, Greece, subject to the mandatory provisions of applicable law, particularly regarding jurisdiction for consumer disputes.

Contact

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us: