Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 7 January 2019

Geens.com (www.geens.com) and Geens4Business (business.geens.com) (“Site”) is an encrypted file storage platform with blockchain based timestamping. Our goal is to provide a platform for users who want to store and share their data in an encrypted and secure way, furthermore, to timestamp stored files in order to prove the files existence without revealing the files content or user‘s identity. Data controller, i.e. the person who determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data of Users and Members, is Geens.com vzw (NPO), KULeuven Incubation Center, Gaston Geenslaan 1, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; e-mail address info@geens.com; phone number +32 487 67 57 61.

This Privacy Policy outlines the type of information Geens.com collects from users who register in the Site (“Users”) or, additionally, decides to join Geens nonprofit membership (“Members”), the way how their data is processed, the rights of data subjects and other relevant information. 

The provisions of this Privacy Policy are in conformity with the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (the General Data Protection Regulation, hereafter called “GDPR”). 

Data controller, i.e. the person who determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data of Users and Members, is Geens.com vzw (NPO), BTW BE0702.924.851, with social seat at KULeuven Incubation Center, Gaston Geenslaan 1, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; e-mail address [email protected]; phone number +32 487 67 57 61. 

What personal data do we collect?

Personal data that we collect when visiting our website:
  • We only collect personal data in the registration process of the Geens platforms. In order to register on the Site, User shall be asked to provide his or her e-mail address and a password, which shall further be used as a nickname and log in data. 

    In the course of becoming a Member and using the Site as a Member, following additional information shall be collected and processed: first name, last name, e-mail address, country, city, zip / postal code, address line 1, login details. Data subjects shall have the right to become Members and provide this information voluntarily. 

    The above listed information shall not be collected from any other sources, except directly from Users. 
Personal data provided using the platform
  • The personal data that we collect by using the platform is the data that the user provided in the registration process and the data that is provided by the user in the platform.

Encryption and protection of data

When you upload files into the Site, we encrypt all and every transmission of information. Such encrypted content cannot be decrypted and reviewed neither by Geens.com, nor by any other third party. In order to protect your content, we encrypt your files in such way, that under current level of technology and science decryption of it would not be possible. 

Decrypted files can be reviewed by the people you voluntarily and explicitly shared your content with. Furthermore, encrypted content can be accessed and reviewed from your account, therefore, we urge you to ensure confidentiality and safety of your account password. We strongly recommend you to use unique password for your account, which differs from your passwords used elsewhere, furthermore, your password should meet high standards of complexity. 

You should not lose your log in data as in such case we will not be able to provide you with access to your files, however, at the same time your account password should be difficult enough in order no one could guess it. 

During registration in the Site, we also collect some non-encrypted Content, for example, your e-mail address. Although we don’t use encryption to such data, storage and processing of such data is still highly secured, and access is strictly restricted by obligations of confidentiality. 

Cookies

A cookie is a small data file that often includes an anonymous, unique token, which is sent to your browser from a website’s computers and may be stored on your computer’s hard drive. Two types of cookies are required to use the Site:

  • Strictly necessary cookies are classified as cookies that are essential for you to browse the Geens website and use its features. Examples of strictly necessary cookies include those that allow you to access secure areas of the Geens website through logging in. They allow you to navigate back and forth between pages without losing their previous actions from the same session. Strictly necessary cookies are the only cookies that all cookie laws allow to be exempt from requiring user consent.
  • Persistent Cookies remain in the cookie file of your browser for much longer, even after you leave the Site. Persistent Cookies store preferences that should persist from visit to visit, like “Remember Me,” and a unique token to enable us to understand how Users and Members use the Site.

How your personal data is used and the basis of such processing

Your name, e-mail address and address will be used to invoice our services.

Your data on the ‘Site’ will be processed only for the purpose of provision of data storage, sharing and timestamping services. Geens.com shall perform only such actions of your data processing, which are necessary to achieve the aforementioned purpose. Processing of your data shall be based on necessity for the performance of a contract (article No. 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation), which you have entered into while registering in the Site and accepting its Terms & Conditions. Any other actions of processing of your data shall be based on consent (article No. 6(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation) or other legal basis established in the General Data Protection Regulation. 

Below we provide a list of cases how data of Users and Members can be used by Geens.com:
  • Geens.com uses collected data internally, as needed, for research, maintenance and operation of the Site, and to create the best possible tools and functionality of data storage, sharing and timestamping for Users and Members.
  • Geens.com may use data in the case of an emergency or other circumstance that we determine requires a member of the management team to directly contact the User or Member.
  • Geens.com may share or disclose a Member’s or User’s data where required by law or to comply with legal process.

Security and storage of data

Geens.com cannot guarantee the identity of any other User or Member with whom one may share data or interact in other way in the course of using the Site. 

Users and Members should be aware that Geens.com takes commercially reasonable technical precautions to help keep the data secure and implements appropriate technical and organisational data security measures. 

Users are free to stop using the services provided at this Site at any time. If a User chooses to deactivate the Site’s account, he or she should enter password and click delete button in the Site’s account settings. User’s account and all data associated with it, including encrypted files stored within the Site, will be deleted. There will be no possibility to recover deleted account. 

For identification and legal compliance purposes, Geens.com reserves the right to store your e-mail address for 1 year after your User’s account has been deleted. In addition, the Member’s data will also remain in the system for legal compliance purposes for a period no longer than 1 year. Upon the expiry of the aforementioned deadlines, we will destroy such data in a way that it will not be accessible to anyone. 

Invoice data will be collected for no longer than 10 years.

Questions about the Privacy Policy and conflicting issues

We are dedicated to continuous improvement of our services, therefore, if you have any question or feedback on this Privacy Policy, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected]

In case of any conflicting issues, please send an email to Ethical Committee to [email protected]

What rights do you have

You have the right to view your personal data for free at any time, as well as the right to be informed of the use that the “Site” makes of your personal data.
  1. Right to rectification, erasure and restriction of processing

    You are free to decide whether or not to provide your personal data to the “Site”. In addition, you always have the right to request the “Site” to correct, supplement or remove your personal data. You acknowledge that a refusal to provide or a request for the erasure of personal data means that certain services can no longer be delivered.

    You may also request that the processing of your personal data is limited.


  2. Right to object

    You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data for serious and legitimate reasons.

    In addition, you always have the right to object to the use of your personal data for direct marketing purposes; in such case you do not have to state reasons.


  3. Right to data portability

    You have the right to obtain the personal data you have provided to the “Site” in a structured, typical and machine-readable form and/or have such transferred to different controllers.


  4. Right to withdraw consent

    Insofar as the processing is based on your prior consent, you have the right to withdraw this approval.


  5. Exercising your rights

    You can exercise your rights by contacting the “Site” to this end, either by email to [email protected], by post to KULeuven Incubation Center, Gaston Geenslaan 1, 3001 Leuven, Belgium, provided you enclose a copy of the front of your identity card.


  6. Automated decision-making and profiling

    The processing of your personal data does not include profiling and shall also not be subjected by the “Site” to automated decision-making.


  7. Right to lodge a complaint

    You have the right to lodge a complaint to the Belgian Data Protection Authority:, Drukpersstraat 35, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, Tel +32 (0)2 274 48 00, Fax +32 (0)2 274 48 35, e-mail: [email protected].
    This does not affect relief before a civil court.


Changes of this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time without further notice by posting changes online. Your continued use of Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of changes of the Privacy Policy. It is your responsibility to regularly check this Site to determine if there have been changes to this Privacy Policy and to review such changes. We will post the changes to this Privacy Policy on the Site and will indicate the date this Privacy Policy was last revised. Any revised version will be deemed applicable when published on this Site.