Observatory Privacy Policy

Data Protection & Privacy Notice for the Skillscapes Observatory

Last Updated: January 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how the Skillscapes Observatory collects, uses, and protects data when you use our platform. The Skillscapes Observatory is developed as part of the Skillscapes Tourism 2030 project, funded by the European Union.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR - Regulation (EU) 2016/679), the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act - Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), and other applicable data protection laws.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for processing your data is:

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)

University Campus

54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

3. Data We Collect

The Skillscapes Observatory is designed with privacy by design principles. We collect minimal data necessary for the service to function

Data We Do NOT Collect:

Personal identification information
Advertising or commercial tracking cookies
Biometric data
Any special categories of personal data

4. Skillscapes AI Agent

AI System Disclosure

The Skillscapes Agent is an artificial intelligence system. When using the Agent, you are interacting with a conversational AI that uses large language models to process your queries and generate responses based on statistical data about EU regions.

4.1 Data Collected by the AI Agent

When you use the Skillscapes Agent, we collect only anonymous data:

Conversation content: The questions you ask and the responses provided by the Agent
Session identifiers: Anonymous, randomly generated session IDs to maintain conversation context
Timestamp data: When interactions occur

4.2 EU AI Act Compliance

The Skillscapes Agent complies with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689):

Risk classification: The Agent is classified as a limited-risk AI system as it is a conversational AI that interacts with users
Transparency: Users are clearly informed they are interacting with an AI system, not a human
Purpose limitation: The Agent provides statistical information only and does not make automated decisions affecting individuals
Human oversight: The system operates under human supervision

5. Purpose of Data Processing

We process the collected data for the following purposes:

Service provision: To provide the Observatory dashboard and AI Agent functionality
Service improvement: To analyze anonymous usage patterns and improve the platform
Research purposes: To support academic research (anonymized and aggregated only)

6. Legal Basis for Processing

Under Article 6 of the GDPR, we process your data based on:

Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): By accepting the privacy policy before using the AI Agent, you provide explicit consent for data processing
Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)): Processing anonymous data for service improvement and research purposes

7. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored and processed with the following security measures:

Storage location: All data is stored exclusively on servers located at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, within the European Union
Encryption: Data is encrypted both in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256)
Access controls: Strict access controls limit data access to authorized personnel only
No third-party transfers: Data is not shared with, sold to, or processed by third parties outside the Skillscapes project consortium

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your data:

Right to Access

Request information about what data we hold about you

Right to Rectification

Request correction of inaccurate data

Right to Erasure

Request deletion of your data

Right to Withdraw Consent

Withdraw your consent at any time by clearing browser storage

Right to Object

Object to processing based on legitimate interests

Right to Lodge a Complaint

File a complaint with the Hellenic Data Protection Authority

Note: Due to the anonymous nature of data collection, it may not be possible to identify or retrieve specific user data.

9. Supervisory Authority

If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority:

Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA)

Kifisias 1-3, 115 23 Athens, Greece

Tel: +30 210 6475600

Website: www.dpa.gr

10. Withdrawing Consent

You can withdraw your consent to use the Skillscapes AI Agent at any time by:

Clearing your browser's local storage for this website
Clicking "New Chat" and declining the privacy notice
Simply not using the Agent

Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, technical, or regulatory reasons. We will notify users of any material changes by updating the "Last Updated" date and, where appropriate, by requesting renewed consent.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your data, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

Project Website: skillscapesproject.eu

Acknowledgment: The Skillscapes project has received funding from the European Union. The Skillscapes Observatory is developed by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as part of the Tourism 2030 initiative to support skills development in the tourism and cultural sectors.