Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 2, 2025

Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how Digital Darwins AI Awards ("we," "us," or "our"), operated by Robbert van Empel, collects, uses, and shares information about you through our website (the "Site"). By using the Site, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Who We Are

The Digital Darwins AI Awards website is operated by:

Robbert van Empel
Emmaplein 4
2014 VA, Haarlem
Netherlands

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in an open and transparent manner.

Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

Information You Provide Directly

This includes information you provide when you:

  • Fill out the contact form (e.g., your name, email address, message).
  • Submit a nomination form (e.g., nominee details, your name, your email address, reason for nomination).
  • Otherwise communicate with us.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

  • Log Information: Such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, access times, pages viewed, and referring URLs.
  • Device Information: Information about the computer or mobile device you use to access our Site.
  • Information Collected by Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies: We use various technologies to collect information, including cookies. This is explained further in the "Cookies and Analytics" section below.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including to:

  • Operate, maintain, and improve the Site.
  • Process nominations for the Digital Darwins AI Awards.
  • Respond to your comments, questions, and requests submitted via the contact form.
  • Communicate with you about the awards, updates, and other relevant information (only if you opt-in or where permitted by law).
  • Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities to understand how the Site is used and to improve its performance and user experience.
  • Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent transactions, security incidents, and other illegal activities, and protect the rights and property of Digital Darwins AI Awards and others.
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

  • With Service Providers: We may share information with third-party vendors and service providers who perform services on our behalf (e.g., website hosting, data analysis via Google Analytics), but only to the extent necessary for them to perform those services and under confidentiality obligations.
  • For Legal Reasons: If required by law, regulation, or legal process (such as a court order or subpoena), or if we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Digital Darwins AI Awards, our users, or others.
  • Business Transfers: In connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our operations by another company, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
  • With Your Consent: We may share information with your consent or at your direction.

Information submitted through the nomination and contact forms is processed via Google Forms. Google's use of this information is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

Cookies and Analytics

Our Site uses cookies, which are small text files placed on your device when you visit. We use cookies for essential site functionality and for analytics purposes.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors engage with our Site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as how often users visit the Site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our Site.

The information generated by these cookies about your use of the Site (including your IP address, which may be anonymized) is transmitted to and stored by Google. We use this information solely for the purpose of evaluating Site usage, compiling reports on website activity, and improving the overall performance and user experience of our Site.

We do not use Google Analytics to track, collect, or upload any data that personally identifies an individual (such as name, email address, or billing information), nor do we associate Google Analytics data with personally identifiable information. We do not sell or share this analytics data with third parties for marketing purposes.

You can learn more about Google Analytics’ practices by visiting Google's Privacy & Terms page. You can opt-out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available here.

Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences. However, if you limit the ability of websites to set cookies, you may impact your overall user experience, as it will no longer be personalized to you.

Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect the information we collect from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. However, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding your personal data. These rights include:

  • The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
  • The right to request correction of inaccurate personal data.
  • The right to request erasure of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
  • The right to request restriction of processing of your personal data.
  • The right to data portability (receive your data in a structured, commonly used format).
  • The right to object to the processing of your personal data (under certain conditions).
  • The right to withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the "Contact Us" section below.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by revising the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, we may provide more prominent notice (such as adding a statement to our homepage or sending you a notification). We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about our information practices.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, including potential privacy breaches, please contact us via our contact page:

Contact Us

Alternatively, you can reach the operator, Robbert van Empel, at:

Emmaplein 4
2014 VA, Haarlem
Netherlands