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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 11/4/2025

Data Controller

Konstantinos Karachalios trading as Konstantinos Karachalios ("we," "us," or "our") is the data controller responsible for your personal information.

  • Contact Email: kkarachalio1@gmail.com
  • Address: London, United Kingdom

You have the right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at any time to lodge a complaint about our data processing: https://ico.org.uk

1. Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you create an account on Poliscope, we collect:

  • Name and email address
  • Authentication credentials
  • Profile information (if provided)
  • Age verification confirmation (you must be 16+)
  • UK residency declaration (required for voting)

Usage Information

We automatically collect information about how you use our platform:

  • Voting history and preferences
  • Comments and interactions
  • Page views and navigation patterns
  • Device and browser information

Location Verification Data

To verify UK residency for voting eligibility, we collect:

  • UK Residency Declaration: Your confirmation that you are a UK resident
  • Country Code from IP Address: During registration only, we detect your country from your IP address using a third-party geolocation service (ip-api.com). We store only the ISO country code (e.g., "GB"), not your full IP address.
  • Location Verification Status: Whether an administrator has manually verified your UK residency (for non-UK IP addresses)

If your IP address appears to be from outside the UK during registration, you will not be able to vote until an administrator manually verifies your UK residency. This is to ensure only UK residents can participate in voting.

2. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

  • Consent: You have given explicit consent for us to process your data (e.g., age verification, terms acceptance)
  • Contract: Processing is necessary to provide our services to you
  • Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests in operating and improving the platform, provided this does not override your rights
  • Legal Obligation: Processing is required to comply with UK laws and regulations

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time through your profile settings. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before withdrawal.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Provide and maintain our democratic participation platform
  • Process your votes and track your political alignment
  • Send you updates about legislation and platform features
  • Improve our services and user experience
  • Ensure platform security and prevent abuse
  • Comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing and Third-Party Processors

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

  • Aggregated Data: We may share anonymized, aggregated voting statistics for research purposes
  • Legal Requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights and safety
  • Service Providers: With trusted third-party services that help us operate our platform
  • Public Information: Comments and public interactions may be visible to other users

Third-Party Data Processors

We use the following third-party services to operate our platform:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud hosting and database services (EU/UK regions)
  • UK Parliament API: Legislative data source
  • Anthropic Claude AI: Bill classification and analysis

All processors are bound by data processing agreements that comply with UK GDPR requirements.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your personal information:

  • Encrypted data transmission and storage
  • Regular security audits and updates
  • Limited access controls for our team
  • Secure authentication systems

6. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

  • Right of Access (Article 15): Access and review your personal data
  • Right to Rectification (Article 16): Correct inaccurate information
  • Right to Erasure (Article 17): Delete your account and associated data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Right to Data Portability (Article 20): Export your data in JSON format
  • Right to Withdraw Consent (Article 7(3)): Withdraw consent at any time through your profile
  • Right to Object (Article 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18): Limit how we use your data in certain circumstances

To exercise these rights, please:

  • Use the self-service options in your profile settings
  • Or contact us at kkarachalio1@gmail.com

We will respond to your request within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Keep you logged in to your account
  • Remember your preferences and settings
  • Analyze platform usage and performance
  • Provide personalized content recommendations

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as:

  • Your account remains active
  • Required to provide our services
  • Necessary to comply with legal obligations
  • Needed to resolve disputes or enforce agreements

When you delete your account, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

9. International Transfers

Your information may be processed and stored outside the UK. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.

10. Children's Privacy

Poliscope is designed for users 16 years and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware of such data collection, we will delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on our website and updating the effective date. Your continued use of Poliscope after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

  • Email: kkarachalio1@gmail.com
  • Address: Konstantinos Karachalios, London, United Kingdom
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