Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how the website www.elpedia.gr collects, manages, and—above all—protects the personal data of its visitors.
Elpedia, a multilingual online platform dedicated to Byzantine and European art, provides public access to a broad range of cultural material: Byzantine icons, frescoes, mosaics, illuminated manuscripts, ecclesiastical art objects, architectural monuments, and representative works of European painting. Operating exclusively as a reading and study space, the website offers no user registration, profile creation, comment posting, or media upload capabilities to its visitors.
The website’s hosting server resides in France, strictly within the European Economic Area (EEA).
Drafted in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – EU 2016/679), Law 4624/2019, and applicable European data protection legislation, this policy should be consulted by every visitor.
Data Controller
The website administrator serves as the controller responsible for the minimal personal data collected through the site.
For any questions, clarifications, or to exercise your statutory rights, please contact us directly via the main form on our Contact page.
What Personal Data We Collect (and How We Receive It)
Given the website’s purely informational nature—lacking account creation infrastructure or comment interaction—data that may be collected falls into two strictly limited categories:
1. Information Provided Voluntarily
When you choose to communicate with us via email or through the contact form, we temporarily retain the details you share directly:
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Your email address.
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Your full name, if provided.
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The subject and main body of your message.
Please refrain entirely from sending sensitive personal data that serves no purpose in processing your request.
2. Information Collected Automatically (Statistical & Technical Data)
During your browsing session, technical and statistical information is retrieved automatically by the server and analytics tools (Google Analytics, Google AdSense). This includes:
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Your device’s IP address (anonymized where supported).
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Device type, operating system, and browser version.
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Country or broader geographical region of origin.
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Pages and articles viewed on Elpedia, along with time spent on each.
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The referring link or search engine that directed you to the website.
3. Data from Third-Party Sources
www.elpedia.gr does not purchase, rent, or receive personal data lists from external sources or third-party databases. Every piece of retained information originates exclusively from your direct visit or communication.
Legal Bases for Processing
Every processing activity relies on one of the following legal grounds, ensuring total procedural transparency:
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Consent: For activating optional tracking technologies (e.g., Google Analytics, Google AdSense advertising cookies). Upon your initial visit, a dedicated consent management mechanism allows full acceptance or rejection.
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Legitimate Interest: For ensuring smooth, uninterrupted technical operation, protecting the website from malicious cyberattacks, and managing correspondence.
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Legal Obligation: Where retaining specific digital traces is mandated by law or by official requests from law enforcement authorities.
Automated Decision-Making and Profiling
The website performs no internal automated decision-making that carries legal or otherwise significant impacts for visitors.
The sole activity falling under the concept of profiling involves Google AdSense, which—subject strictly to your explicit consent provided via the cookie banner—may utilize browsing data to display personalized, relevant advertisements.
Cookies and Similar Technologies
Cookies—small text files stored on your device—manage secure website performance and statistical measurements.
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Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for securely loading the website, protecting against spam bots, and recording your consent preferences. These cannot be disabled.
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Analytics & Statistical Cookies (Google Analytics): Collect aggregated, anonymous traffic metrics to help improve our content and language editions. Enabled only with your consent.
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Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense): Enable ad display, performance measurement, frequency capping, and personalization (where consented to).
You may revoke or modify your choices at any time using the cookie management tool embedded at the bottom of the website.
Data Sharing and International Transfers
Elpedia never sells or transfers visitor data to unauthorized third parties. Limited information flows exclusively to:
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Google (Analytics & AdSense): Technical data and behavioral identifiers are transmitted. Google processes this information under its own global privacy policy, applying necessary transfer safeguards for data moved outside the EEA.
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Technical Service Providers (Hosting & Security): Our primary server, which manages technical server logs, is located within the European Union (France), ensuring maximum protection.
Data Retention Period
Data is retained strictly for the duration necessary to fulfill the purpose of its collection:
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Communication Messages: Permanently deleted immediately after correspondence ends and your request is resolved.
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Analytics / AdSense Data: Kept in accordance with the retention periods of each service, as configured through your consent preferences.
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Technical Server Logs: Automatically cleared at regular, short intervals.
Security and Data Breach Procedures
We implement every technically feasible and organizational measure to safeguard the website: SSL/TLS protocol data encryption, active firewalls, and continuous monitoring against cyber threats.
Nevertheless—and despite our data processing remaining limited to voluntary email communications and display metrics—the website maintains formal data breach procedures. In the rare event of a system compromise risking visitor rights, we commit to notifying the competent Data Protection Authority and any affected users within 72 hours, as explicitly mandated by the General Regulation.
Your Rights
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, we guarantee the unhindered exercise of your rights:
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Right to Information & Access: To know what personal data of yours is being processed.
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Right to Rectification & Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): To request the immediate modification or permanent deletion of your information (e.g., deletion of emails sent to us).
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Right to Withdrawal & Objection: To alter your initial consent at any time (via cookie settings) or object to data usage.
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Right to Lodge a Complaint: To contact the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (www.dpa.gr | Kifissias 1-3, Athens | +30 210 6475600 | [email protected]) if you believe your rights are being infringed.
To exercise these rights, we respond within one (1) month of receiving your request, free of charge, through our Contact page.
Protection of Minors
Website content is directed to a general audience interested in history and art. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If a parent or guardian discovers that a minor has submitted contact information (e.g., via the contact form), please reach out to us for its immediate removal.
Third-Party Links
In the context of research, Elpedia may reference external websites (Museums, Libraries, academic institutions). These sites operate under independent privacy policies, for which this website bears no legal or technical responsibility.
Multilingual Content & Policy Changes
To serve an international audience, the website publishes content in multiple languages. The English text of this Privacy Policy serves as the original and official legal version. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between translated versions, the English version shall prevail.
Future modifications to this policy—arising from legal updates or technical revisions—will be posted on this page accompanied by an updated effective date.
Applicable Law & Contact
All operations and data protection practices of Elpedia are governed exclusively by European legislation (GDPR) and Greek national law.
For any privacy-related matters, we remain available:
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Through the contact form embedded on the site.
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Via the email address listed on the Contact page. Every message is reviewed and answered responsibly.