Privacy Policy

Privacy at a Glance

At the J.T. Schwartz International School for Scientific Research, we respect your digital sovereignty and prioritize scientific advancement over data monetization. We do not track your behavior across the web, use invasive profiling cookies, or sell your personal information to third parties. Our website uses a privacy-first, cookieless analytics tool that anonymizes your identity while helping us ensure the site works correctly. We only collect personal data—such as your application details or payment history—when you strictly provide it to us for school activities, and we process this information securely within the EU. You retain full control over your information and can contact us at any time to access or delete your data.

Introduction

The J.T. Schwartz International School for Scientific Research ("the School", "Lipari School", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit our website or engage with our academic services, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and applicable Italian data protection laws.

Data Controller and Data Protection Officer

The entity responsible for the processing of your data (Data Controller) is: J.T. Schwartz International School for Scientific Research
Viale Andrea Doria, 6
95125 Catania (CT)
Italy
Contact Email: liparischool@unict.it

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to ensure the protection of your rights and compliance with regulations. You may contact the DPO directly regarding privacy concerns: Data Protection Officer: Prof. Alfredo Ferro Email: alfredo.ferro@unict.it

What Data We Collect

We collect different types of data depending on how you interact with us:

A. Website Visitors (Navigation Data)

When you visit our website, our systems automatically record technical data necessary for the site to function and for security purposes. This includes:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Referral source
• Timestamps of your visit

B. Prospective and Current Students

When you apply for a school or a workshop or an event, we collect personal data that you voluntarily provide, including:

• Identity & Contact Data: Names, email addresses, physical addresses, and phone numbers.
• Academic & Professional Data: CVs/Resumes, letters of intent, and marks/grades (for exam-taking participants).
• Financial & Transaction Data: Purchase history and transaction details required for invoicing and compliance. Note: We do not store credit card numbers; we only retain transaction records required for accounting and anti-money laundering (AML) legislation.

Why We Process Your Data (Purpose and Legal Basis)

We process your data only for specific purposes and based on valid legal grounds:

Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share necessary data with trusted third parties to provide our services:

• Payment Processing: We use PayPal to process payments. When you make a payment, you are directed to PayPal's platform. We share only the necessary transaction details with them, and they act as an independent Data Controller for the financial data they process.
• Legal Authorities: We may disclose data to public authorities if required by Italian law (e.g., for tax or anti-money laundering checks).

Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies to function correctly and to understand how visitors use our site.

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for session management and security.
• Analytics (Matomo): We use a locally hosted instance of Matomo for analytics. Unlike other tools (e.g., Google Analytics), your data is not shared with third-party advertising networks. This ensures your browsing behavior remains private and is used solely to improve our website.

International Data Transfers

We value your digital sovereignty. No personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA).All our servers and data processing activities are located within the EU/EEA.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined above:

• Navigation Data: Deleted periodically or immediately after aggregation.
• Student/Academic Data: Retained for the duration of the academic relationship and as required for historical academic records.
• Financial Data: Retained for 10 years as required by Italian fiscal and civil laws.

Your Rights

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

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of your data (unless we are legally required to keep it, e.g., for tax purposes).
• Right to Restriction: Request that we limit the processing of your data.
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at liparischool@unict.it or contact our DPO at alfredo.ferro@unict.it .

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Italian Supervisory Authority ( Garante per la protezione dei dati personali ) if you believe your rights have been violated.