Helvetia Media Institut

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy describes how Helvetia Media Institut collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you use our online platform and services, including digital journalism courses, investigative journalism training programs, data journalism workshops, media consulting services, online learning platform development, professional skill enhancement seminars, and custom training solutions.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in an open and transparent manner, in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP).

Data Collected

We collect various types of information when you interact with our site and services:

Information you provide directly:

This includes data you provide when you register for an account, enrol in a course, purchase a service, contact us, fill out forms, or participate in surveys. This information may include:

  • Contact details (such as your name, email address, postal address, and phone number)
  • Account login credentials (username and password)
  • Payment information (details required to process payments for services)
  • Professional information (such as your job title, company name, or area of expertise)
  • Information included in your communications with us

Information collected automatically:

When you visit our site, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage patterns. This may include:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and operating system
  • Referring URLs
  • Pages viewed and interaction with content
  • Dates and times of access

Information from third parties:

We may receive information about you from third parties, such as partners with whom we collaborate or publicly available sources, where permitted by law.

How Data is Used

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To provide and deliver our services, including managing your access to courses, workshops, and consulting services.
  • To process transactions and send you related information, including confirmations and invoices.
  • To communicate with you about your account, services, updates, and respond to your inquiries.
  • To improve and optimize our site and services, understand user behavior, and develop new features.
  • To personalize your experience on our platform.
  • To send you promotional materials, newsletters, and information about other services that may be of interest to you (you can opt-out of these communications).
  • To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and security incidents.
  • To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms and conditions.

Legal Basis for Processing

Our legal basis for collecting and using your personal data depends on the specific context in which we collect it. We will collect personal data from you where:

  • We need the personal data to perform a contract with you (e.g., to provide the services you have requested).
  • We have your consent to do so (e.g., for sending marketing communications).
  • The processing is in our legitimate interests and not overridden by your data protection interests or fundamental rights and freedoms (e.g., for improving our services, detecting fraud).
  • We have a legal obligation to collect or process personal data (e.g., for tax and accounting purposes).

Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with third parties only in the following circumstances:

  • Service Providers: We may share data with third-party vendors, consultants, and other service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing, data analysis, email delivery, hosting services, and customer support. These service providers are authorized to use your personal data only as necessary to provide these services.
  • Business Transfers: Data may be disclosed or transferred as part of any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business.
  • Legal Compliance: We may disclose your data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).
  • With Your Consent: We may share your data with your consent or at your direction.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. However, please note that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period depends on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws, you have certain rights regarding your personal data, including the right to:

  • Access your personal data.
  • Request correction of inaccurate data.
  • Request deletion of your data.
  • Object to the processing of your data.
  • Request restriction of processing.
  • Request data portability.
  • Withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
  • Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the address provided below. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and understand where our visitors are from. You can control the use of cookies through your browser settings.

International Transfers

Your personal data may be stored and processed in Switzerland or in countries outside of Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA). Where data is transferred to countries outside Switzerland or the EEA that do not provide an adequate level of data protection, we implement appropriate safeguards to protect your data, such as relying on standard contractual clauses or other legally approved mechanisms.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on our site.

Contact Information

If you have questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us by postal mail at:

Helvetia Media Institut
42 Bahnhofstrasse
Floor 5
Zurich, Zurich, 8001
Switzerland