Privacy policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how F4F – Forests4Farming gGmbH, a non-profit organization registered in Germany ("F4F", "we", "us"), collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you access or use the online learning academy ("Academy"). This Policy is in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable German data protection laws.

By using the Academy, you agree to the terms of this Policy and authorize the processing of your data as described.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect the following types of personal data:

• Registration Information: Name, email address, country of residence, language of preference and any additional information voluntarily provided.

• Usage Data: Course progress, login activity, user interactions, comments, and communication within the Academy.

• Basic user profile information (e.g., name, country) may be visible to other users within the Academy as part of the Academy’s community features.

• Technical Data: IP address, device type, browser type, and cookies (see Section 7).

We do not collect sensitive data, such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, genetic or biometric data, unless strictly necessary and with explicit consent.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

• Provide and maintain access to the Academy.

• Communicate with you about your account or content.

• Analyze usage to improve our educational offerings.

• Conduct digital marketing and outreach activities to increase the reach and visibility of the Academy.

• Comply with legal obligations.

• Ensure academy security and integrity.

• Use aggregated and anonymized data for research and institutional reporting purposes.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data based on:

• Your consent during registration.

• Our legitimate interest in improving educational services.

• Our legal obligations as a data controller.

You may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of the processing carried out previously.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell or trade personal data. We may share limited information with trusted third-party service providers (e.g., analytics tools or authentication services) under strict data protection agreements. These providers only access data necessary for their services.

These third parties are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of the data.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, all personal and activity data will be permanently deleted upon request, unless legal retention obligations apply.

You may request the early deletion of your data at any time, in accordance with the rights described in Section 8.

7. Cookies and Analytics

We use cookies to enhance user experience and collect anonymized usage data. You may control cookie settings via your browser. We may use analytics tools to improve content and usability.

By continuing to browse the Academy, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with this Policy and the Cookies Policy.

8. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access your personal data.

• Correct inaccurate data.

• Request deletion of your data.

• Object to or restrict processing.

• Withdraw consent at any time.

You may exercise your rights by contacting us at: legal@forests4farming.org

To exercise your rights, send a clear and specific request to the email above. We will respond within the legal time frame.

9. User-Generated Content

When using the Academy, you may submit content such as comments, posts, uploaded materials, or other contributions (“User-Generated Content”). This content may include personal data, and you are solely responsible for the information you share.

Please note:

• Depending on the Academy setup, your contributions may be visible to other participants or facilitators.

• User-generated content is stored in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

• If you believe content you’ve submitted includes personal data and wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us at legal@forests4farming.org.

We recommend avoiding the inclusion of sensitive personal information unless necessary for learning purposes.

F4F reserves the right to moderate, edit, or remove content that violates this Policy or the Terms of Use.

10. Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. However, no method is 100% secure.

11. Data Transfers

If any data is transferred outside the EU (e.g., to hosting or email providers), it is done under appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

You will be informed immediately if F4F observes a transfer to countries without an adequate level of protection.

12. Visibility of User Information

To promote interaction and knowledge-sharing among participants, certain non-sensitive personal data (such as your name, country of residence) may be displayed to other registered users within the Academy. This visibility may occur in features such as:

• Course discussion forums

• Participant lists and directories

• Interactions within a course or across courses

• Peer learning groups or threads

• User profile previews

Contact information such as your email address or phone number is never publicly displayed by default. We strongly advise against sharing sensitive personal information in community areas.

This processing of limited user information is based on our legitimate interest in providing a collaborative learning environment (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)). All visible data is limited to the Academy environment and is not shared with external third parties without your consent.

You can adjust the visibility of your profile in the account settings, as per the Academy’s availability.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy at our discretion. If we make material changes, we will notify users and updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page.

The most current version of this Policy will always be available on the site. Continued use of the Academy after changes have been posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

We recommend that you review this Policy periodically to stay informed about any changes.

14. Contact

For questions or data requests, please contact us at legal@forests4farming.org